Lordi
Encyclopedia
Lordi is a Finnish
hard rock
/heavy metal band, formed in 1996 by the band's lead singer, songwriter and costume-designer, Mr. Lordi
. The band is known for wearing monster masks and using pyrotechnics
during concerts. They rose to domestic success with their 2002 single, "Would You Love a Monsterman?
".
Lordi made history in 2006 by winning the Eurovision Song Contest
with a record 292 points, becoming the first Finnish performer to win the contest. Lordi was featured on the 2006 MTV Europe Music Awards
in Copenhagen
when the band's frontman, Mr. Lordi, presented the award for rock. They were also the closing act, playing their single "Hard Rock Hallelujah
". They also performed on Britain's Making Your Mind Up
for the Eurovision Song Contest
. Lordi performed on the main stage at Ozzfest
2007 and later that year toured with Type O Negative
and Twin Method
until Halloween night.
(Mr. Lordi), Jussi Sydänmaa
(Amen) and Sami Keinänen
(G-stealer) met in Stockholm
, where they had gone to see Kiss
perform. Though Mr. Lordi already had the idea in 1992. Inspired by Kiss, their vision was to perform with spectacular pyrotechnics and monster masks. In 1997 Erna Siikavirta
(Enary) joined the band on keyboard.
In 1999, the group recorded their first album, Bend Over And Pray The Lord. Tiainen, the owner of their record company, had originally planned to publish the album; however, the company did not have sufficient resources to market it. Tiainen recommended Lordi to the record label Kimmo Hirvonen's Records, owned by Anaconda. The album was never released because Anaconda Records went bankrupt shortly before the planned release date. The band never performed with the original line-up, though they had been promised a record release gig in 1999. During the same year G-Stealer left the band because of work commitments and was replaced by Sami Wolking
(Magnum), whom Mr. Lordi had met via Kiss Army Finland. In 2000, drummer Sampsa Astala
(Kita) joined Lordi—the band had originally planned to use MIDI
drum tracks in place of a real drummer.
", which rose to number one and spawned a music video. During the summer the band went under the auspices of producer TT Oksala's Finnvox Studios to record their first album, though debut recording ran into several problems.
In autumn 2002, bassist Magnum left the band for personal reasons and was replaced by Niko Hurme (Kalma). Though Lordi's debut album had already been recorded when Kalma joined, he appeared in the album art and the composition of the accounts. Their debut album Get Heavy
was released in November, with a cover design loosely based on Kiss
's Love Gun
album. The original first sketch of the cover was based on Kiss
's Destroyer album. The album won the 2003 Emma award for best domestic hard rock or heavy metal album, and Get Heavy has sold more than 67,000 copies. It was certified platinum in Finland in 2003 and multi-platinum in 2006.
Lordi played their first gig on 8 December 2002, in Helsinki
at the Nosturi Club. In 2003, Lordi appeared at several music events in Finland
and abroad, especially in Germany
, where they played as a part of the Wacken Road Show. During some of the Germany tour, Lordi played as Nightwish
's warm-up act. The tour boosted both bands' popularity in Germany and helped them sign a recording contract with the German record company Drakkar. Nightwish had already achieved solid success of joint concerts in Germany and Lordi also raised their profile in Germany.
. Two songs from the album, "My Heaven Is Your Hell" and "Blood Red Sandman
", have since been released as singles. Corresponding with the release of the album, the band's costumes and image were also reformed. The special edition of the album also contained a DVD of the band's own short film, The Kin. The film, despite the success of the album it was attached to, has been poorly received. The Monsterican Dream went gold in 2006, and platinum in 2007; the album has now sold about 33,000 copies.
In February 2005, The Monster Show
, a compilation album, was released by Sanctuary Records. Sanctuary had originally intended to market a collection of records in the United States, but these plans were halted due to financial problems. Sanctuary, however, published a compilation album in the UK. In Finland, a collection was published by Sony BMG.
The idea of The Monster Show disc collection has its roots in spring 2004, around the release of The Monsterican Dream album. Tomi Putaansuu, while interviewing the band Kiss
for Inferno magazine, gave the band's bassist/vocalist, Gene Simmons
, a copy of Lordi's debut album, Get Heavy
(2002). Later, Simmons' assistant announced that Simmons would be willing to publish Lordi's albums in the United States, but if the band would like to share sales revenue, it would be better to publish with Sanctuary Records. Sanctuary did not want to publish either of the studio albums individually, and instead preferred a compilation of the best songs. Thus, songs were picked from Get Heavy and The Monsterican Dream, and collected in the compilation album The Monster Show. The collection was published in the spring of 2005 during the European Monstour.
Meanwhile, the internal atmosphere of the band increased in intensity and led to a dispute between members. Later that year, bassist Kalma wanted to resign because of family and financial problems. Tomi Putaansuu
, trying to persuade Kalma to stay, suggested that he just play the biggest tours and other contractually obligated performances. Kalma, however, did not relent, because he wanted to be involved with the band either in full or not at all. Kalma did, however, play the bass units for the future The Arockalypse
album. Kalma left the band just before Lordi entered the Eurovision Song Contest
qualifier.
Two new members joined the band, keyboardist Leena Peisa
and bassist Samer el Nahhal
. This change in members spawned more alterations to the band's costumes. "Awa monster costume presented at age 26 were killed young lady, who had risen from the dead. "OX's name was originally conceived el Nahhal real first name, Samer. Since Samer is an Egyptian name, Putaansuu reached the conclusion that sounds ridiculous, as if the Egyptian hard rock band would affect a member named "Tapani". The name "OX" refers to the bull, so el Nahhal monster character was created a hybrid of man and bull.
held in Athens with the song "Hard Rock Hallelujah
", becoming the first Finnish group to win the contest. The song scored 292 points, which was an all-time points record until Alexander Rybak
broke it in the 2009 contest with 387 points. Only three countries - Armenia, Albania and Monaco - did not give a single point to Finland. Eight countries gave Finland a full 12 points. Lordi was also a semi-final number one and even got 292 points, which was historic, as they were the first competitors to win both the semifinals and the finals. Pasi Rantanen
from the band Thunderstone
performed backing vocals for the performance, wearing a Gene Simmons
Kiss mask.
In November 2006, Lordi headlined the MTV Europe Music Awards, and Mr. Lordi presented the "Best Rock" award. Around the same time, Bill Aucoin
, best known as the original manager of Kiss, became Lordi's manager.
In spring 2007, Lordi created the Bringing Back the Balls tour, which toured in Japan and the Baltic countries. In May, the band was involved in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 held in Helsinki, and opened the competition with their winning song "Hard Rock Hallelujah".
In early summer 2007 in Oulu, the members of Lordi participated in filming of the horror film Dark Floors
, which premiered on 8 February 2008. In July 2007, Lordi toured North America with the Ozzfest
festival.
After the Ozzfest tour ended in late August, Lordi went on a short break. In September, it was announced that the band would go on a new tour of the U.S. beginning on 12 October 2007, as the opening act for Type O Negative. The tour ended on 31 October 2007. During the tour, the band's tour staff, local security, and a few fans were subjected to violence. The band's tour manager Rikk Scholvinck and the security men were robbed at gunpoint by unknown assailants after a concert in Louisville, KY. Rikk Scholvinck and several fans and security escaped unharmed. However, concert goers Kristin Perrin and Ross Epstein had several items (amongst them were cell phones and car keys) were taken off of them. The would-be robbers fled the scene with a stolen car before the police arrived. Most items were returned to Kristin Perrin and Ross Epstein due to they were found down the road from the venue. As an apology, all involved received Lifetime backstage all access passes and various LORDI memorabilia. At the end of the tour the band returned to Finland to record the theme song for Dark Floors.
, was produced by Nino Laurenne. The release spurred yet another change in the band's costumes. The album was similar in style to its predecessors, melodic hard rock and heavy metal, though with more horror theme. Prior to the completion of the disc, it was revealed that it featured more piano solos than its predecessors, and that the recital "Missing Miss Charlene" featured a child singing. The album's first single was called "Bite It Like a Bulldog", and it was published on 3 September 2008.
Lordi announced before the release of the album that Deadache would be marketed internationally, like its immediate predecessor. "It goes without saying that the song contest of the last album distorted the situation, and this can not be sold in any case, the same number in Europe or, especially in Finland. We know that Finland is likely to disc stamped with the flop, even if it would sell double platinum, it does not sell 100 000 copies", Putaansuu Evening newspaper said in August 2008.
Shortly after the publication of Deadache Lordi made a tour of the United States in November in conjunction with Lizzy Borden
. Lordi performed "Bite It Like A Bulldog" on the NBC show Late Night With Conan O'Brien
on 6 November 2008.
, was released in August 2010, with the album in September. Putaansuu
, spent a week in Los Angeles with Jeremy Rubolino and former Kiss
guitarist Bruce Kulick
writing two new tracks, "Cut Off My Head" and "Call Off The Wedding". Michael Wagener
produced Lordi's fifth album. In March 2010 Mark Slaughter
and Bruce Kulick played in a part of their new song.
On 4 October 2010 it was announced that drummer Kita had left the band. On October 16, OX posted on his Twitter account they have a new drummer.
On 26 October 2010 it was announced on Lordi's website that Otus
is the new drummer of Lordi.
combined with strong elements of heavy metal music
. The band's horror-related albums, the monster costumes worn by all band members, and the horror elements of their performances are hallmarks of shock rock
. The band was mostly influenced by KISS
, but also by Alice Cooper
and Twisted Sister
.
Although the band is often perceived by the media as a heavy metal band due to their monster costumes, their musical style has more characteristics of the hard rock genre. Over the years, the band's musical style has taken a very varied direction between hard rock and metal, with the pattern seeming as though it changes between the two with every album released. Their debut album, Get Heavy
, represented a large part of traditional hard rock music, but by the release of their The Monsterican Dream
album in 2004, the band had shifted considerably toward heavier music and horror effects were prominently displayed. However, in their 2006 album The Arockalypse
, Lordi shifted back toward hard rock, eschewing horror themes and special effects. Their 2008 studio album, Deadache
, included more typical horror elements, leaning once again toward the heavier side of the spectrum. Babez For Breakfast
saw the band once again shift back to the traditional hard rock elements, with an even greater exposure to the 1980s than the band's previous albums.
. Mr. Lordi's mask was first cast glued together piece by piece. The other masks are solid helmets. It takes the other band members about 20 minutes to put their masks on, though it takes Mr. Lordi two to three hours to put on his. Mr. Lordi mentioned that their suits still have some original pieces from 1996. He has also said that the suits cost them "a few hundred euros". The band members do each others' makeup.
The monster costumes are such an integral part of Lordi's publicity image that they refuse to be photographed or even interviewed without them, even if in some cases it leads to their own discomfort. Lordi has done interviews without their masks but the interviews are always filmed from the back so that their faces are not visible. During interviews, Lordi members speak English
to the cameras, not their native Finnish
. In a brief segment on the BBC
reporting about the band attending the Eurovision Song Contest 2006
, they were shown lounging beside a pool in full sunlight, while wearing their costumes. During the segment, Lordi remarked that the costumes and the heat did not mix.
Lordi members have stated that their costumes were inspired by Kiss
and the horror
genre. Mr. Lordi himself has said that without Kiss, Lordi probably would not exist. The costumes have also drawn comparisons to the thrash metal
group GWAR
, who wear similar foam latex monster outfits, though their musical styles are quite different. Mr. Lordi has claimed in interviews that he had never heard of GWAR when he formed Lordi. In a recent interview Oderus Urungus
of GWAR called Lordi "a kiddie version of GWAR" but felt that Lordi did not rip off GWAR, as both bands owed their image to earlier musicians like Kiss. He seems to have a tongue-in-cheek rivalry with Mr. Lordi, as he has stated his desire to "remove Mr. Lordi's mask and expose him as a silly human".
Mr. Lordi's mask was auctioned for more than 6000 euros. It was bought by a Finnish businessman, Vesa Keskinen, in an auction organised by YLE. Lordi's costume is currently in the historical costumes section in Turku Castle
.
published a photograph of Putaansuu (Mr. Lordi) in civilian clothing, with his face partially showing. Lordi has called this an insult toward them, and an attempt to destroy the "monster image" they have worked for ten years to create. On 22 May 2006, the Daily Mail published what was believed to be an old picture of the band without their makeup or masks. It was later revealed that the band in the photo was actually Children of Bodom
, a different band altogether. This was acknowledged on Children of Bodom's official website. The photograph did feature Erna Siikavirta
, who went on to join Lordi as Enary, the band's keyboard player. However, Enary left Lordi in 2005, well before their victory at Eurovision, replaced by Awa. On the same day, Bild-Zeitung
, a German
tabloid, published what they claimed was a photograph of Putaansuu without his mask in its section "Bild Uncovered" with the headline "He is the Grand Prix Monster: All of Germany discusses the Ugliest Winners of all Time". Many other European tabloids and newspapers have published the same or similar photographs.
On 24 May 2006, the Finnish tabloid magazine (Seven Days) published an old picture of Lordi's face on the front page, and two days later another tabloid, Katso!
("Look!"), published unmasked pictures of the other four band members. Both magazines were heavily criticised by their readers for publishing these pictures, which led to swift apologies from both magazines and promises not to publish unmasked pictures of Lordi anymore. On 26 May 2006, video footage was shown on television in Lithuania. It featured four men dressed in black, sitting by the table at the airport in Athens. After a few seconds, Heikki Paasonen (the Eurovision Finnish commentator) in a black Lordi shirt came and stood in front of the camera, covering the view.
, while the horror elements are largely derived from horror movies with some influence from Alice Cooper
. Sometimes, Lordi's concerts use special props, such as Leatherface and Biomechanic Man masks. Their stage platform is also equipped with a zombie, dolls, and sometimes stage dancers. Mr. Lordi is also known to use a two-headed axe.
Some of Lordi's scenery is designed by Weta Workshop
of New Zealand
. The workshop has also designed scenery for movies such as The Lord of the Rings
, King Kong
and 30 Days of Night
.
in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006
finals in Athens
with the song "Hard Rock Hallelujah
". The band won by a significant margin, scoring 292 points, 44 points over second place Dima Bilan
(who later won in 2008
), representing Russia
with the song "Never Let You Go
".
Lordi was voted for by every participating country except Albania
, Armenia
and Monaco
, and scored the highest number of points for any entry in any Eurovision Song Contest
until the 2009 contest
. They received 12 points from eight countries: Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Iceland, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the UK. Lordi also scored 292 points in the semi-final held two days earlier. They were also the first Eurovision entrant to win in both the semi-final and final stages. Lordi were congratulated on their victory by both Finnish President
Tarja Halonen
and Prime Minister of Finland
Matti Vanhanen
. They opened the 2007 Eurovision contest
.
See also Eurovision Song Contest 2006: Full point table.
to veto their entry. In Greece, a number of organizations were trying to stop Lordi from competing. The Greek restaurant and bar owners' union president, Niki Constantinou, made a public plea, directed at the people of Finland and Greece, not to allow Lordi to perform in the contest, claiming the group was Satanic
. Three other organizations in Greece initiated legal action against Lordi.
Mr. Lordi himself responded to the accusations and strictly denied Satanism. He said a Satanist group would not write songs such as "Hard Rock Hallelujah" or "Devil Is A Loser
".
Despite, or maybe because of, the controversy, Greece ultimately awarded Lordi 12 points, the highest possible, in the contest final.
To celebrate their victory in the Eurovision Song Contest, Lordi held a free concert in the open-air Market Square
in Helsinki, on 26 May 2006. At the concert, President of Finland
Tarja Halonen made an official appearance to give Lordi a bronze key flag award for exemplary work. The concert was reportedly attended by over 90,000 people from all over Finland and even other countries. The concert was the biggest public event to that day in Helsinki. On this occasion, the world record for most people ever to sing karaoke was successfully attempted by approximately 80,000 people, singing "Hard Rock Hallelujah." The previous record was held by 50,000 Irish rugby fans.
On 16 December 2006, it was announced on The End Records
website that Lordi had signed on to the label and would be releasing their third full-length album, The Arockalypse
on 20 March 2007, with three bonus tracks and a DVD release. The album was released in Finland as The Arockalypse Special Edition.
Lordi Square
, in the centre of Rovaniemi, Finland, the home town of the lead singer Mr. Lordi, was renamed shortly after the band's victory at the Eurovision Song Contest. It was part of a redevelopment of Rovaniemi city centre.
Itella, the Finnish postal service, issued a Lordi postage stamp in May 2007 in recognition of their Eurovision win. Posti had already released Lordi's Christmas single, "It Snows in Hell" in a special Christmas card edition.
A brand of soda, "Lordi Cola", was named after them and was launched in September 2006, featuring labels designed by Mr Lordi, several depicting individual members and one featuring the whole band.
The 2.6.17-rc5 version of the Linux kernel was named after Lordi.
, from the True Finns
party, started using a photograph taken of him and Mr. Lordi together as his official campaign poster image. Juntunen says Mr. Lordi gave permission to this, which Mr. Lordi admits, but says this was because he had no idea it would cause such a huge impact. Mr. Lordi gave a public statement that despite what the campaign poster might suggest, Lordi has no allegiance with the True Finns or any other political party.
Members of Lordi always wear masks at interviews and have stated their desire for their personal identities to remain private. The band has not confirmed or denied the accuracy of these names. However, they have been widely published in the media and on websites.
plus one track for Mr. Lordi's vocals. The other band members only perform the "shouts", for example in "Rock The Hell Outta You" and "Fire in the Hole". Udo Dirkschneider
, who guest performed on the track "They Only Come Out at Night", alternates singing with Mr. Lordi while backing vocals continue as normal. Awa occasionally joins in the chorus of the songs.
Lordi also often have a vocal break in their songs to allow Amen to have a guitar riff, normally accompanied by Kita and the bassist (Magnum, Kalma, OX) keeping time softly. After this riff, Mr. Lordi will sing either a short verse (occasionally with a distorted voice) or launch directly into the song's end refrain (always the chorus). The guitar is most often the main instrument.
The keyboardist is most often used as an accompaniment in the band's songs. However, in some songs, such as "Icon of Dominance", "The Children Of The Night", "It Snows In Hell
", "Ghosts Of the Heceta Head", "Deadache", "Beast Loose In Paradise", "Rock Police" and "Devil's Lullaby" it is the main instrument.
Kita always plays with a great deal of power, blending very well with the style favored by Amen. The drums are used as changing instruments, using a fast and heavy solo to transition from verse to verse, verse to chorus and chorus to verse. However some songs, including "Mr. Killjoy", "Bringing Back the Balls to Rock", "Pet the Destroyer", "Kalmageddon", "Forsaken Fashion Dolls" and Dingo
cover "The House", use the drums as main instrument.
The bass is often used in conjunction with Kita's drumming. It is almost never the main instrument, only in a few songs, like "Kalmageddon", "Pyromite", "Haunted Town", "Bite It Like a Bulldog
" "This Is Heavy Metal"and Deadache bonus track "Where's The Dragon", but it is occasionally used with drums as a changing instrument.
on 6 November 2008.
In 2004, Lordi co-wrote and starred in their own short film, The Kin, which was released on a special edition of "The Monsterican Dream" (CD/DVD
or DualDisc
versions) as a way of expanding the band's image and theatricality. It was co-written and directed by Lauri Haukkamaa, with contribution by Adam Vandor. It introduces the audience to members of the band and establishes the concept of superhuman monsters though at no time is any of the band's music played.
The film follows a young writer who loses her mother in a train wreck while she is trying to get her book on non-human creatures published. After a series of problems arise, the monsters, played by the members of Lordi, begin to kill people as well as bend time and space to ensure the publication of the book.
The film shares a lot of Lovecraftian
concepts as well as style and pays homage to several B movie
s and horror film
s. Only a limited number of DVDs were published and therefore the film's availability has been low. The Kin has also been released on the Market Square Massacre DVD.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
/heavy metal band, formed in 1996 by the band's lead singer, songwriter and costume-designer, Mr. Lordi
Tomi Putaansuu
Tomi Petteri Putaansuu , better known by his stage name Mr. Lordi, is the lead vocalist in the Finnish heavy metal/hard rock band Lordi. Mr. Lordi is the singer, songwriter and costume designer for hard rock band Lordi...
. The band is known for wearing monster masks and using pyrotechnics
Pyrotechnics
Pyrotechnics is the science of using materials capable of undergoing self-contained and self-sustained exothermic chemical reactions for the production of heat, light, gas, smoke and/or sound...
during concerts. They rose to domestic success with their 2002 single, "Would You Love a Monsterman?
Would You Love a Monsterman?
"Would You Love a Monsterman?" is a song recorded by Finnish heavy metal band Lordi which reached number one on the charts in Finland. The song was originally released in 2002 on the album, Get Heavy and as a single, featuring the band's former bassist Magnum and original keyboardist Enary.In 2006,...
".
Lordi made history in 2006 by winning the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 2006
The Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was the 51st Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Olympic Indoor Hall in Athens, Greece on 18 May and 20 May 2006 . The hosting national broadcaster of the contest was Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi . The Finnish band Lordi won the contest with the song "Hard Rock...
with a record 292 points, becoming the first Finnish performer to win the contest. Lordi was featured on the 2006 MTV Europe Music Awards
MTV Europe Music Awards
The MTV Europe Music Awards were established in 1994 by MTV Networks Europe to celebrate the most popular music videos in Europe. Originally beginning as an alternative to the American MTV Video Music Awards, the MTV Europe Music Awards is today a popular celebration of what MTV viewers consider...
in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
when the band's frontman, Mr. Lordi, presented the award for rock. They were also the closing act, playing their single "Hard Rock Hallelujah
Hard Rock Hallelujah
"Hard Rock Hallelujah" is a song by the Finnish heavy metal band Lordi, which won the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest with 292 points. It was also Finland's first placement in the top five. It was voted as the most popular Finnish Eurovision entry in the forty years the country has participated...
". They also performed on Britain's Making Your Mind Up
Making Your Mind Up (TV series)
Eurovision: Your Country Needs You was a BBC TV show broadcast annually to select the United Kingdom's entry into the Eurovision Song Contest...
for the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
. Lordi performed on the main stage at Ozzfest
Ozzfest
Ozzfest is an annual festival tour of the United States featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon Osbourne, both of whom also organize each yearly tour with their son Jack Osbourne...
2007 and later that year toured with Type O Negative
Type O Negative
Type O Negative was a gothic metal band from Brooklyn, New York City. The band also incorporated elements of doom metal and thrash metal. Their dramatic lyrical emphasis on themes of romance, depression, and death resulted in the nickname "The Drab Four"...
and Twin Method
Twin Method
Twin Method was an alternative metal band based in Liverpool, England.It was announced that the band signed with Crash Music Inc. on February 3, 2006....
until Halloween night.
Formation (1996–2002)
Lordi was formed in 1996 after Tomi PutaansuuTomi Putaansuu
Tomi Petteri Putaansuu , better known by his stage name Mr. Lordi, is the lead vocalist in the Finnish heavy metal/hard rock band Lordi. Mr. Lordi is the singer, songwriter and costume designer for hard rock band Lordi...
(Mr. Lordi), Jussi Sydänmaa
Jussi Sydänmaa
Jussi Sydänmaa is the guitarist, and one of the founding members of the Finnish metal quintet Lordi....
(Amen) and Sami Keinänen
Sami Keinänen
Sami Keinänen is a Finnish bass player and a former member of Lordi.Using stage name G-Stealer, Keinänen played the bass in the band from 1996 to 1999 and recorded an album, Bend Over and Pray the Lord! with them...
(G-stealer) met in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, where they had gone to see Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
perform. Though Mr. Lordi already had the idea in 1992. Inspired by Kiss, their vision was to perform with spectacular pyrotechnics and monster masks. In 1997 Erna Siikavirta
Erna Siikavirta
Erna Inari Kaarina Siikavirta is a Finnish keyboard player. She is best known as a member of the Finnish hard rock band Lordi, which she joined in 1997 under the stage name Enary...
(Enary) joined the band on keyboard.
In 1999, the group recorded their first album, Bend Over And Pray The Lord. Tiainen, the owner of their record company, had originally planned to publish the album; however, the company did not have sufficient resources to market it. Tiainen recommended Lordi to the record label Kimmo Hirvonen's Records, owned by Anaconda. The album was never released because Anaconda Records went bankrupt shortly before the planned release date. The band never performed with the original line-up, though they had been promised a record release gig in 1999. During the same year G-Stealer left the band because of work commitments and was replaced by Sami Wolking
Sami Wolking
Sami Wolking is a Finnish bassist and a former member of the hard rock band Lordi.Using stage name Magnum, Wolking was a member of the band from 1999 to 2002. In 2002, increasing popularity of the band began to require that its members be available at all times...
(Magnum), whom Mr. Lordi had met via Kiss Army Finland. In 2000, drummer Sampsa Astala
Sampsa Astala
Sampsa Astala, is the former drummer for the Finnish metal band Lordi and the lead singer of the glam rock band Stala & So. His Lordi stage name, Kita, comes from the Finnish word meaning "jaws", "gap", or "maw". His Stala & So...
(Kita) joined Lordi—the band had originally planned to use MIDI
Musical Instrument Digital Interface
MIDI is an industry-standard protocol, first defined in 1982 by Gordon Hall, that enables electronic musical instruments , computers and other electronic equipment to communicate and synchronize with each other...
drum tracks in place of a real drummer.
Get Heavy (2002–2003)
After several failed attempts at obtaining a recording contract, Lordi signed a record deal with Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) Finland in 2002. In July, the band released their first single, "Would You Love A Monsterman?Would You Love a Monsterman?
"Would You Love a Monsterman?" is a song recorded by Finnish heavy metal band Lordi which reached number one on the charts in Finland. The song was originally released in 2002 on the album, Get Heavy and as a single, featuring the band's former bassist Magnum and original keyboardist Enary.In 2006,...
", which rose to number one and spawned a music video. During the summer the band went under the auspices of producer TT Oksala's Finnvox Studios to record their first album, though debut recording ran into several problems.
In autumn 2002, bassist Magnum left the band for personal reasons and was replaced by Niko Hurme (Kalma). Though Lordi's debut album had already been recorded when Kalma joined, he appeared in the album art and the composition of the accounts. Their debut album Get Heavy
Get Heavy
Get Heavy is the 2002 debut album by Lordi.Despite the fact that the bassist Kalma appears on the front cover, all bass guitars were played by the former bassist Magnum, who left after the recording and before the release of the album. The album is dedicated to Magnum.-Track listing:All music &...
was released in November, with a cover design loosely based on Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
's Love Gun
Love Gun
Love Gun is the sixth studio album by American hard rock band Kiss. It was certified platinum on June 30, 1977, just two weeks after the album's release....
album. The original first sketch of the cover was based on Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
's Destroyer album. The album won the 2003 Emma award for best domestic hard rock or heavy metal album, and Get Heavy has sold more than 67,000 copies. It was certified platinum in Finland in 2003 and multi-platinum in 2006.
Lordi played their first gig on 8 December 2002, in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
at the Nosturi Club. In 2003, Lordi appeared at several music events in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and abroad, especially in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, where they played as a part of the Wacken Road Show. During some of the Germany tour, Lordi played as Nightwish
Nightwish
Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Kitee, Finland. Formed in 1996 by songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and former vocalist Tarja Turunen, Nightwish's current line-up has five members, although Tarja has been replaced by Anette Olzon and the...
's warm-up act. The tour boosted both bands' popularity in Germany and helped them sign a recording contract with the German record company Drakkar. Nightwish had already achieved solid success of joint concerts in Germany and Lordi also raised their profile in Germany.
Popularity waning (2004–2005)
At the beginning of 2004, Lordi began recording their next studio album. This time the album was produced by Hiili Hiilesmaa, with whom the band got along well. This second album was first released on 14 April 2004 as The Monsterican DreamThe Monsterican Dream
The Monsterican Dream is a 2004 album by Lordi. Many fans reportedly did not like the album's more metallic music and heavier sound with a more grim look to the band. This album could be considered one of Lordi's darker albums...
. Two songs from the album, "My Heaven Is Your Hell" and "Blood Red Sandman
Blood Red Sandman
"Blood Red Sandman" is the second single from Lordi's second album The Monsterican Dream. The song's original title was "Blood Red Santa", but Asko Kallonen from BMG Finland thought it was inappropriate for a Christmas hit and many people said they would ban it because it painted a violent image of...
", have since been released as singles. Corresponding with the release of the album, the band's costumes and image were also reformed. The special edition of the album also contained a DVD of the band's own short film, The Kin. The film, despite the success of the album it was attached to, has been poorly received. The Monsterican Dream went gold in 2006, and platinum in 2007; the album has now sold about 33,000 copies.
In February 2005, The Monster Show
The Monster Show
The Monster Show is a 2005 album by Lordi. The Monster Show is a Hybrid album of Get Heavy and The Monsterican Dream for marketing in UK, including a DVD with three of their videos...
, a compilation album, was released by Sanctuary Records. Sanctuary had originally intended to market a collection of records in the United States, but these plans were halted due to financial problems. Sanctuary, however, published a compilation album in the UK. In Finland, a collection was published by Sony BMG.
The idea of The Monster Show disc collection has its roots in spring 2004, around the release of The Monsterican Dream album. Tomi Putaansuu, while interviewing the band Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
for Inferno magazine, gave the band's bassist/vocalist, Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, actor, and rock bassist. Known as "The Demon", he is the bassist/vocalist of Kiss, a hard rock band he co-founded in the early 1970s.-Early life:...
, a copy of Lordi's debut album, Get Heavy
Get Heavy
Get Heavy is the 2002 debut album by Lordi.Despite the fact that the bassist Kalma appears on the front cover, all bass guitars were played by the former bassist Magnum, who left after the recording and before the release of the album. The album is dedicated to Magnum.-Track listing:All music &...
(2002). Later, Simmons' assistant announced that Simmons would be willing to publish Lordi's albums in the United States, but if the band would like to share sales revenue, it would be better to publish with Sanctuary Records. Sanctuary did not want to publish either of the studio albums individually, and instead preferred a compilation of the best songs. Thus, songs were picked from Get Heavy and The Monsterican Dream, and collected in the compilation album The Monster Show. The collection was published in the spring of 2005 during the European Monstour.
Meanwhile, the internal atmosphere of the band increased in intensity and led to a dispute between members. Later that year, bassist Kalma wanted to resign because of family and financial problems. Tomi Putaansuu
Tomi Putaansuu
Tomi Petteri Putaansuu , better known by his stage name Mr. Lordi, is the lead vocalist in the Finnish heavy metal/hard rock band Lordi. Mr. Lordi is the singer, songwriter and costume designer for hard rock band Lordi...
, trying to persuade Kalma to stay, suggested that he just play the biggest tours and other contractually obligated performances. Kalma, however, did not relent, because he wanted to be involved with the band either in full or not at all. Kalma did, however, play the bass units for the future The Arockalypse
The Arockalypse
The Arockalypse is the third studio album by the hard rock band Lordi. It features the hit single "Hard Rock Hallelujah", which won the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 for Finland. The album has sold triple platinum in Finland and gold in Sweden and Germany...
album. Kalma left the band just before Lordi entered the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
qualifier.
Two new members joined the band, keyboardist Leena Peisa
Leena Peisa
Leena Maria "Awa" Peisa is the current keyboard player in the Finnish hard rock quintet Lordi, winners of the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest. Peisa's former bands include Punaiset Messiaat and , both of which are from Porvoo.-Biography:Leena Maria Peisa was born in Vantaa although she spent her...
and bassist Samer el Nahhal
Samer el Nahhal
Samer El Nahhal is the current bassist of the Finnish hard rock band Lordi. He goes by the stage name of OX a possible reference to John Entwistle, the bassist for The Who, who was also nicknamed "The Ox." OX plays an Ibanez BTB Bass. His father is Egyptian and his mother is Finnish...
. This change in members spawned more alterations to the band's costumes. "Awa monster costume presented at age 26 were killed young lady, who had risen from the dead. "OX's name was originally conceived el Nahhal real first name, Samer. Since Samer is an Egyptian name, Putaansuu reached the conclusion that sounds ridiculous, as if the Egyptian hard rock band would affect a member named "Tapani". The name "OX" refers to the bull, so el Nahhal monster character was created a hybrid of man and bull.
Eurovision Song Contest victory
On 20 May 2006, Lordi made history by winning the Eurovision Song ContestEurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
held in Athens with the song "Hard Rock Hallelujah
Hard Rock Hallelujah
"Hard Rock Hallelujah" is a song by the Finnish heavy metal band Lordi, which won the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest with 292 points. It was also Finland's first placement in the top five. It was voted as the most popular Finnish Eurovision entry in the forty years the country has participated...
", becoming the first Finnish group to win the contest. The song scored 292 points, which was an all-time points record until Alexander Rybak
Alexander Rybak
Alexander Igoryevich Rybak or in Belarusian Alyaksandr Igaravich Rybak , born 13 May 1986 in Byelorussian SSR is a Norwegian singer-composer, violinist, pianist, writer, and actor...
broke it in the 2009 contest with 387 points. Only three countries - Armenia, Albania and Monaco - did not give a single point to Finland. Eight countries gave Finland a full 12 points. Lordi was also a semi-final number one and even got 292 points, which was historic, as they were the first competitors to win both the semifinals and the finals. Pasi Rantanen
Pasi Rantanen
Pasi Rantanen is a Finnish singer. Best known for his power metal band Thunderstone, which he was a member of from the band's creation in 2000 until 2007....
from the band Thunderstone
Thunderstone
Thunderstone can refer to:*Thunderstone , a Finnish power metal band**Thunderstone , their self-titled album*Thunderstone , a worked stone object often associated with a thunder god...
performed backing vocals for the performance, wearing a Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, actor, and rock bassist. Known as "The Demon", he is the bassist/vocalist of Kiss, a hard rock band he co-founded in the early 1970s.-Early life:...
Kiss mask.
The Arockalypse (2006–2008)
Lordi opened the fall of 2006 Bringing Back the Balls to Europe tour; the concert DVD was released in February 2007 as Bringing Back the Balls to Stockholm 2006. The tour ended with a surprise: during the last gig in London, 31 October, the band's former bassist, Niko Hurme, was on stage.In November 2006, Lordi headlined the MTV Europe Music Awards, and Mr. Lordi presented the "Best Rock" award. Around the same time, Bill Aucoin
Bill Aucoin
William "Bill" Aucoin was an American band manager, well-known for his work with the rock band Kiss.-Biography:...
, best known as the original manager of Kiss, became Lordi's manager.
In spring 2007, Lordi created the Bringing Back the Balls tour, which toured in Japan and the Baltic countries. In May, the band was involved in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 held in Helsinki, and opened the competition with their winning song "Hard Rock Hallelujah".
In early summer 2007 in Oulu, the members of Lordi participated in filming of the horror film Dark Floors
Dark Floors
Dark Floors – The Lordi Motion Picture is a Finnish horror film. The film was released in February 2008 and stars William Hope, Leon Herbert, Philip Bretherton, Ronald Pickup, and Skye Bennett. The film also features all of the Lordi band members playing the monsters. Mr. Lordi has also designed...
, which premiered on 8 February 2008. In July 2007, Lordi toured North America with the Ozzfest
Ozzfest
Ozzfest is an annual festival tour of the United States featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon Osbourne, both of whom also organize each yearly tour with their son Jack Osbourne...
festival.
After the Ozzfest tour ended in late August, Lordi went on a short break. In September, it was announced that the band would go on a new tour of the U.S. beginning on 12 October 2007, as the opening act for Type O Negative. The tour ended on 31 October 2007. During the tour, the band's tour staff, local security, and a few fans were subjected to violence. The band's tour manager Rikk Scholvinck and the security men were robbed at gunpoint by unknown assailants after a concert in Louisville, KY. Rikk Scholvinck and several fans and security escaped unharmed. However, concert goers Kristin Perrin and Ross Epstein had several items (amongst them were cell phones and car keys) were taken off of them. The would-be robbers fled the scene with a stolen car before the police arrived. Most items were returned to Kristin Perrin and Ross Epstein due to they were found down the road from the venue. As an apology, all involved received Lifetime backstage all access passes and various LORDI memorabilia. At the end of the tour the band returned to Finland to record the theme song for Dark Floors.
Deadache (2008–2009)
Lordi began recording their fourth album in the spring of 2008 and the album was released on 29 October 2008. The album, DeadacheDeadache
- Bonus tracks :There are five different versions of the album, four of which have different bonus tracks. Each version was released by a different record company, hence the differing tracks....
, was produced by Nino Laurenne. The release spurred yet another change in the band's costumes. The album was similar in style to its predecessors, melodic hard rock and heavy metal, though with more horror theme. Prior to the completion of the disc, it was revealed that it featured more piano solos than its predecessors, and that the recital "Missing Miss Charlene" featured a child singing. The album's first single was called "Bite It Like a Bulldog", and it was published on 3 September 2008.
Lordi announced before the release of the album that Deadache would be marketed internationally, like its immediate predecessor. "It goes without saying that the song contest of the last album distorted the situation, and this can not be sold in any case, the same number in Europe or, especially in Finland. We know that Finland is likely to disc stamped with the flop, even if it would sell double platinum, it does not sell 100 000 copies", Putaansuu Evening newspaper said in August 2008.
Shortly after the publication of Deadache Lordi made a tour of the United States in November in conjunction with Lizzy Borden
Lizzy Borden (band)
Lizzy Borden is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983. Lizzy Borden is also the name of the band's lead vocalist.-History:Lizzy Borden specializes in the shock rock style originated by artists such as Alice Cooper and Kiss...
. Lordi performed "Bite It Like A Bulldog" on the NBC show Late Night With Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...
on 6 November 2008.
Babez for Breakfast (2010–present)
The first single, called "This is Heavy Metal", from the album, Babez for BreakfastBabez For Breakfast
- Background :"As for the album title, it is an ironic answer to the question of whether monsters eat babies for breakfast or not. We twisted the final letter ‘s’ to a ‘z’, which changed the pronunciation. With this twist we wanted to state that this album is not as serious as Deadache", frontman Mr...
, was released in August 2010, with the album in September. Putaansuu
Tomi Putaansuu
Tomi Petteri Putaansuu , better known by his stage name Mr. Lordi, is the lead vocalist in the Finnish heavy metal/hard rock band Lordi. Mr. Lordi is the singer, songwriter and costume designer for hard rock band Lordi...
, spent a week in Los Angeles with Jeremy Rubolino and former Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
guitarist Bruce Kulick
Bruce Kulick
Bruce Howard Kulick is an American guitarist, musician and a member of the band Grand Funk Railroad. Previously, Kulick had been a longtime member of the band Kiss....
writing two new tracks, "Cut Off My Head" and "Call Off The Wedding". Michael Wagener
Michael Wagener
Michael Wagener is a music producer, mixer, and engineer from Hamburg, Germany, best known for his work with many top hard rock and heavy metal bands in the late 80's. Wagener's works have sold over ninetyfour million albums worldwide. Wagener was the original guitarist for the German band Accept...
produced Lordi's fifth album. In March 2010 Mark Slaughter
Mark Slaughter
Mark Allen Slaughter is an American singer and musician. He is one of the founders of hard rock band Slaughter, and he also has worked as a voice actor and composer...
and Bruce Kulick played in a part of their new song.
On 4 October 2010 it was announced that drummer Kita had left the band. On October 16, OX posted on his Twitter account they have a new drummer.
On 26 October 2010 it was announced on Lordi's website that Otus
Tonmi Lillman
Tonmi Kristian Lillman is a musician who officially changed his first name from Tommi to Tonmi in 2004.-Career:Lillman’s father was a musician, and as a result he grew up surrounded by a large assortment of instruments. Tonmi received his first drum kit at age nine and started performing live at...
is the new drummer of Lordi.
Band's music
Lordi's music is mainly hard rockHard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
combined with strong elements of heavy metal music
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
. The band's horror-related albums, the monster costumes worn by all band members, and the horror elements of their performances are hallmarks of shock rock
Shock rock
Shock rock is an umbrella term for artists who combine rock music with elements of theatrical shock value in live performances.-History:Screamin' Jay Hawkins was arguably the first shock rocker...
. The band was mostly influenced by KISS
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
, but also by Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
and Twisted Sister
Twisted Sister
Twisted Sister is an American heavy metal band from Long Island. Musically, the band implements elements of traditional heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, along with a style that is similar to early glam metal bands...
.
Although the band is often perceived by the media as a heavy metal band due to their monster costumes, their musical style has more characteristics of the hard rock genre. Over the years, the band's musical style has taken a very varied direction between hard rock and metal, with the pattern seeming as though it changes between the two with every album released. Their debut album, Get Heavy
Get Heavy
Get Heavy is the 2002 debut album by Lordi.Despite the fact that the bassist Kalma appears on the front cover, all bass guitars were played by the former bassist Magnum, who left after the recording and before the release of the album. The album is dedicated to Magnum.-Track listing:All music &...
, represented a large part of traditional hard rock music, but by the release of their The Monsterican Dream
The Monsterican Dream
The Monsterican Dream is a 2004 album by Lordi. Many fans reportedly did not like the album's more metallic music and heavier sound with a more grim look to the band. This album could be considered one of Lordi's darker albums...
album in 2004, the band had shifted considerably toward heavier music and horror effects were prominently displayed. However, in their 2006 album The Arockalypse
The Arockalypse
The Arockalypse is the third studio album by the hard rock band Lordi. It features the hit single "Hard Rock Hallelujah", which won the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 for Finland. The album has sold triple platinum in Finland and gold in Sweden and Germany...
, Lordi shifted back toward hard rock, eschewing horror themes and special effects. Their 2008 studio album, Deadache
Deadache
- Bonus tracks :There are five different versions of the album, four of which have different bonus tracks. Each version was released by a different record company, hence the differing tracks....
, included more typical horror elements, leaning once again toward the heavier side of the spectrum. Babez For Breakfast
Babez For Breakfast
- Background :"As for the album title, it is an ironic answer to the question of whether monsters eat babies for breakfast or not. We twisted the final letter ‘s’ to a ‘z’, which changed the pronunciation. With this twist we wanted to state that this album is not as serious as Deadache", frontman Mr...
saw the band once again shift back to the traditional hard rock elements, with an even greater exposure to the 1980s than the band's previous albums.
Costumes
The monster masks and costumes the band use are made of foam latexFoam latex
Foam latex is a lightweight, soft form of latex which is used in masks and facial prosthetics to change a person's outward appearance. The Wizard of Oz was one of the first films to make extensive use of foam latex prosthetics in the 1930s...
. Mr. Lordi's mask was first cast glued together piece by piece. The other masks are solid helmets. It takes the other band members about 20 minutes to put their masks on, though it takes Mr. Lordi two to three hours to put on his. Mr. Lordi mentioned that their suits still have some original pieces from 1996. He has also said that the suits cost them "a few hundred euros". The band members do each others' makeup.
The monster costumes are such an integral part of Lordi's publicity image that they refuse to be photographed or even interviewed without them, even if in some cases it leads to their own discomfort. Lordi has done interviews without their masks but the interviews are always filmed from the back so that their faces are not visible. During interviews, Lordi members speak English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
to the cameras, not their native Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
. In a brief segment on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
reporting about the band attending the Eurovision Song Contest 2006
Eurovision Song Contest 2006
The Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was the 51st Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Olympic Indoor Hall in Athens, Greece on 18 May and 20 May 2006 . The hosting national broadcaster of the contest was Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi . The Finnish band Lordi won the contest with the song "Hard Rock...
, they were shown lounging beside a pool in full sunlight, while wearing their costumes. During the segment, Lordi remarked that the costumes and the heat did not mix.
Lordi members have stated that their costumes were inspired by Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
and the horror
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
genre. Mr. Lordi himself has said that without Kiss, Lordi probably would not exist. The costumes have also drawn comparisons to the thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
group GWAR
GWAR
Gwar is a satirical heavy metal band formed in Richmond, Virginia, United States, in 1984. The band is best known for its elaborate science fiction/horror film inspired costumes, obscene lyrics and graphic stage performances, which feature humorous enactments of politically and morally taboo...
, who wear similar foam latex monster outfits, though their musical styles are quite different. Mr. Lordi has claimed in interviews that he had never heard of GWAR when he formed Lordi. In a recent interview Oderus Urungus
Oderus Urungus
Oderus Urungus, played by Dave Brockie, is the lead vocalist of the Metal band Gwar. He appears as an intergalactic humanoid barbarian with devil horns and a meaty looking face, and always carries around a long sword named "Unt Lick"...
of GWAR called Lordi "a kiddie version of GWAR" but felt that Lordi did not rip off GWAR, as both bands owed their image to earlier musicians like Kiss. He seems to have a tongue-in-cheek rivalry with Mr. Lordi, as he has stated his desire to "remove Mr. Lordi's mask and expose him as a silly human".
Mr. Lordi's mask was auctioned for more than 6000 euros. It was bought by a Finnish businessman, Vesa Keskinen, in an auction organised by YLE. Lordi's costume is currently in the historical costumes section in Turku Castle
Turku Castle
Turku Castle is a monument of Finnish history situated in the city of Turku in Finland. Together with Turku Cathedral, the castle is one of the oldest buildings still in use in Finland. Turku Castle is the largest surviving medieval building in Finland and one of the largest surviving medieval...
.
Unmasked by the media
Despite the band's strict approach in relation to their costumes, multiple newspapers have published photos of the band members without makeup. On 15 March 2006, the Finnish tabloid Ilta-SanomatIlta-Sanomat
Ilta-Sanomat is one of Finland's two prominent tabloid size evening dailys and the second largest newspaper in the country...
published a photograph of Putaansuu (Mr. Lordi) in civilian clothing, with his face partially showing. Lordi has called this an insult toward them, and an attempt to destroy the "monster image" they have worked for ten years to create. On 22 May 2006, the Daily Mail published what was believed to be an old picture of the band without their makeup or masks. It was later revealed that the band in the photo was actually Children of Bodom
Children of Bodom
Children of Bodom is a Finnish heavy metal band from Espoo. Formed in 1993, the group currently consists of Alexi Laiho , Roope Latvala , Janne Wirman , Henkka Seppälä , and Jaska Raatikainen...
, a different band altogether. This was acknowledged on Children of Bodom's official website. The photograph did feature Erna Siikavirta
Erna Siikavirta
Erna Inari Kaarina Siikavirta is a Finnish keyboard player. She is best known as a member of the Finnish hard rock band Lordi, which she joined in 1997 under the stage name Enary...
, who went on to join Lordi as Enary, the band's keyboard player. However, Enary left Lordi in 2005, well before their victory at Eurovision, replaced by Awa. On the same day, Bild-Zeitung
Bild-Zeitung
The Bild is a German tabloid published by Axel Springer AG. The paper is published from Monday to Saturday, while on Sundays, Bild am Sonntag is published instead, which has a different style and its own editors...
, a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
tabloid, published what they claimed was a photograph of Putaansuu without his mask in its section "Bild Uncovered" with the headline "He is the Grand Prix Monster: All of Germany discusses the Ugliest Winners of all Time". Many other European tabloids and newspapers have published the same or similar photographs.
On 24 May 2006, the Finnish tabloid magazine (Seven Days) published an old picture of Lordi's face on the front page, and two days later another tabloid, Katso!
Katso!
Katso is a Finnish weekly entertainment and television magazine published by Aller Julkaisut Oy. It was originally a TV program guide, but in 2003 extended to entertainment and celebrity gossip...
("Look!"), published unmasked pictures of the other four band members. Both magazines were heavily criticised by their readers for publishing these pictures, which led to swift apologies from both magazines and promises not to publish unmasked pictures of Lordi anymore. On 26 May 2006, video footage was shown on television in Lithuania. It featured four men dressed in black, sitting by the table at the airport in Athens. After a few seconds, Heikki Paasonen (the Eurovision Finnish commentator) in a black Lordi shirt came and stood in front of the camera, covering the view.
Show
Monster suits, pyrotechnics, and horror elements are important parts of Lordi's show. Lordi's pyrotechnics are inspired by KissKISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
, while the horror elements are largely derived from horror movies with some influence from Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
. Sometimes, Lordi's concerts use special props, such as Leatherface and Biomechanic Man masks. Their stage platform is also equipped with a zombie, dolls, and sometimes stage dancers. Mr. Lordi is also known to use a two-headed axe.
Some of Lordi's scenery is designed by Weta Workshop
Weta Workshop
Weta Workshop is a special effects and prop company based in Miramar, New Zealand, producing effects for television and film.Founded in 1987 by Richard Taylor and Tania Rodger as RT Effects, Weta Workshop has produced creatures and makeup effects for the TV series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys...
of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. The workshop has also designed scenery for movies such as The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
, King Kong
King Kong
King Kong is a fictional character, a giant movie monster resembling a gorilla, that has appeared in several movies since 1933. These include the groundbreaking 1933 movie, the film remakes of 1976 and 2005, as well as various sequels of the first two films...
and 30 Days of Night
30 Days of Night
30 Days of Night is a three-issue horror comic book mini-series written by Steve Niles, illustrated by Ben Templesmith, and published by IDW Publishing in 2002. All three parties co-own the property....
.
Eurovision Song Contest 2006
Lordi represented FinlandFinland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006
Eurovision Song Contest 2006
The Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was the 51st Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Olympic Indoor Hall in Athens, Greece on 18 May and 20 May 2006 . The hosting national broadcaster of the contest was Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi . The Finnish band Lordi won the contest with the song "Hard Rock...
finals in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
with the song "Hard Rock Hallelujah
Hard Rock Hallelujah
"Hard Rock Hallelujah" is a song by the Finnish heavy metal band Lordi, which won the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest with 292 points. It was also Finland's first placement in the top five. It was voted as the most popular Finnish Eurovision entry in the forty years the country has participated...
". The band won by a significant margin, scoring 292 points, 44 points over second place Dima Bilan
Dima Bilan
' is a Russian actor and pop singer . Bilan represented Russia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with "Never Let You Go", finishing second, and he won the contest in 2008 in Belgrade, with the song "Believe". He has had several Russian no. 1 hits....
(who later won in 2008
Eurovision Song Contest 2008
The Eurovision Song Contest 2008 was the 53rd edition of the Contest. It was hosted in Belgrade, Serbia after Marija Šerifović won the 2007 Contest in Helsinki, Finland. This year was the first contest to have two semi-finals which were held on 20 and 22 May, and the final held on 24 May 2008...
), representing Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
with the song "Never Let You Go
Never Let You Go (Dima Bilan song)
"Never Let You Go" is a pop/rock song that was performed by Dima Bilan at the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest. He was representing Russia and ended up in 2nd place....
".
Lordi was voted for by every participating country except Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
and Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
, and scored the highest number of points for any entry in any Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
until the 2009 contest
Eurovision Song Contest 2009
The Eurovision Song Contest 2009 was the 54th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest and was hosted by Russia after their win in 2008. It took place between 12 and 16 May 2009 at the Olympic Indoor Arena in Moscow, Russia....
. They received 12 points from eight countries: Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Iceland, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the UK. Lordi also scored 292 points in the semi-final held two days earlier. They were also the first Eurovision entrant to win in both the semi-final and final stages. Lordi were congratulated on their victory by both Finnish President
President of Finland
The President of the Republic of Finland is the nation's head of state. Under the Finnish constitution, executive power is vested in the President and the government, with the President possessing extensive powers. The President is elected directly by the people of Finland for a term of six years....
Tarja Halonen
Tarja Halonen
Tarja Kaarina Halonen is the incumbent President of Finland. The first female to hold the office, Halonen had previously been a member of the parliament from 1979 to 2000 when she resigned after her election to the presidency...
and Prime Minister of Finland
Prime Minister of Finland
The Prime Minister is the Head of Government of Finland. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President, who is the Head of State. The current Prime Minister is Jyrki Katainen of the National Coalition Party.-Overview:...
Matti Vanhanen
Matti Vanhanen
Matti Taneli Vanhanen is a Finnish politician. He is a former Prime Minister of Finland and a former Chairman of the Centre Party. In the second half of 2006 he was President of the European Council. In his earlier career he was a journalist...
. They opened the 2007 Eurovision contest
Eurovision Song Contest 2007
The Eurovision Song Contest 2007 was the 52nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It was won by first-time appearance as an independent country Serbia and was held at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, Finland from 10 May to 12 May. The host broadcaster was YLE.Finland earned the right to host...
.
See also Eurovision Song Contest 2006: Full point table.
Controversy
The choice of Lordi to represent Finland spawned some controversy in both Finland and Greece. In Finland the choice was criticized by some and a group of religious leaders even called for President HalonenTarja Halonen
Tarja Kaarina Halonen is the incumbent President of Finland. The first female to hold the office, Halonen had previously been a member of the parliament from 1979 to 2000 when she resigned after her election to the presidency...
to veto their entry. In Greece, a number of organizations were trying to stop Lordi from competing. The Greek restaurant and bar owners' union president, Niki Constantinou, made a public plea, directed at the people of Finland and Greece, not to allow Lordi to perform in the contest, claiming the group was Satanic
Satanism
Satanism is a group of religions that is composed of a diverse number of ideological and philosophical beliefs and social phenomena. Their shared feature include symbolic association with, admiration for the character of, and even veneration of Satan or similar rebellious, promethean, and...
. Three other organizations in Greece initiated legal action against Lordi.
Mr. Lordi himself responded to the accusations and strictly denied Satanism. He said a Satanist group would not write songs such as "Hard Rock Hallelujah" or "Devil Is A Loser
Devil is a Loser
"Devil is a Loser" is the second single by the Finnish heavy metal band Lordi. It is one of six songs that have been made into music videos by the band...
".
Despite, or maybe because of, the controversy, Greece ultimately awarded Lordi 12 points, the highest possible, in the contest final.
Concert in Helsinki
Market Square, Helsinki
The Market Square is a central square in Helsinki, Finland, and one of the most famous market places and tourist attractions in the city....
in Helsinki, on 26 May 2006. At the concert, President of Finland
President of Finland
The President of the Republic of Finland is the nation's head of state. Under the Finnish constitution, executive power is vested in the President and the government, with the President possessing extensive powers. The President is elected directly by the people of Finland for a term of six years....
Tarja Halonen made an official appearance to give Lordi a bronze key flag award for exemplary work. The concert was reportedly attended by over 90,000 people from all over Finland and even other countries. The concert was the biggest public event to that day in Helsinki. On this occasion, the world record for most people ever to sing karaoke was successfully attempted by approximately 80,000 people, singing "Hard Rock Hallelujah." The previous record was held by 50,000 Irish rugby fans.
New record label
The End Records
The End Records is an independent record label, founded in 1998 in San Diego. Founder Andreas Katsambas initially wanted to bring attention to some underground bands he admired. In 2002, The End moved to Salt Lake City, when his wife took a job at the University of Utah. The label moved...
website that Lordi had signed on to the label and would be releasing their third full-length album, The Arockalypse
The Arockalypse
The Arockalypse is the third studio album by the hard rock band Lordi. It features the hit single "Hard Rock Hallelujah", which won the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 for Finland. The album has sold triple platinum in Finland and gold in Sweden and Germany...
on 20 March 2007, with three bonus tracks and a DVD release. The album was released in Finland as The Arockalypse Special Edition.
Tributes
Lordi Square
The Lordi Square is a square in central Rovaniemi, Finland. Next to the square are located a shopping centre called Sampokeskus and a small boulevard...
, in the centre of Rovaniemi, Finland, the home town of the lead singer Mr. Lordi, was renamed shortly after the band's victory at the Eurovision Song Contest. It was part of a redevelopment of Rovaniemi city centre.
Itella, the Finnish postal service, issued a Lordi postage stamp in May 2007 in recognition of their Eurovision win. Posti had already released Lordi's Christmas single, "It Snows in Hell" in a special Christmas card edition.
A brand of soda, "Lordi Cola", was named after them and was launched in September 2006, featuring labels designed by Mr Lordi, several depicting individual members and one featuring the whole band.
The 2.6.17-rc5 version of the Linux kernel was named after Lordi.
2011 parliamentary election controversy
In March 2011, Jarmo Juntunen, a candidate in the 2011 Finnish parliamentary electionFinnish parliamentary election, 2011
An election to the Eduskunta was held on 17 April 2011 after the termination of the previous parliamentary term. Advance voting, which included voting by Finnish expatriates, was held between 6 and 12 April with a turnout of 31.2%....
, from the True Finns
True Finns
True Finns or The Finns is a populist and nationalist political party in Finland, founded in 1995 following the dissolution of the Finnish Rural Party. The head of the movement is Timo Soini. In the 2011 Finnish parliamentary election, The party won 19.1% of votes, becoming the third largest party...
party, started using a photograph taken of him and Mr. Lordi together as his official campaign poster image. Juntunen says Mr. Lordi gave permission to this, which Mr. Lordi admits, but says this was because he had no idea it would cause such a huge impact. Mr. Lordi gave a public statement that despite what the campaign poster might suggest, Lordi has no allegiance with the True Finns or any other political party.
Members
| Original (1996–1997) |
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|---|---|
| (1997–1999) |
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| (1999–2000) |
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| (2000–2002) |
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| (2002–2005) |
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| (2005) |
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| (2005–2010) |
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| Current (2010–) |
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Members of Lordi always wear masks at interviews and have stated their desire for their personal identities to remain private. The band has not confirmed or denied the accuracy of these names. However, they have been widely published in the media and on websites.
Current members
- Mr. Lordi - VocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
(1996–present) - AmenJussi SydänmaaJussi Sydänmaa is the guitarist, and one of the founding members of the Finnish metal quintet Lordi....
- GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
(1996–present) - OXSamer el NahhalSamer El Nahhal is the current bassist of the Finnish hard rock band Lordi. He goes by the stage name of OX a possible reference to John Entwistle, the bassist for The Who, who was also nicknamed "The Ox." OX plays an Ibanez BTB Bass. His father is Egyptian and his mother is Finnish...
- BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(2005–present) - AwaLeena PeisaLeena Maria "Awa" Peisa is the current keyboard player in the Finnish hard rock quintet Lordi, winners of the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest. Peisa's former bands include Punaiset Messiaat and , both of which are from Porvoo.-Biography:Leena Maria Peisa was born in Vantaa although she spent her...
- KeyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(2005–present) - OtusTonmi LillmanTonmi Kristian Lillman is a musician who officially changed his first name from Tommi to Tonmi in 2004.-Career:Lillman’s father was a musician, and as a result he grew up surrounded by a large assortment of instruments. Tonmi received his first drum kit at age nine and started performing live at...
- DrumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(2010–present)
Former members
- G-Stealer - BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(1996–1999) - MagnumSami WolkingSami Wolking is a Finnish bassist and a former member of the hard rock band Lordi.Using stage name Magnum, Wolking was a member of the band from 1999 to 2002. In 2002, increasing popularity of the band began to require that its members be available at all times...
- BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(1999–2002) - Kalma - BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(2002–2005) (He has played two gigs with the band as a secondary guitarist and bassist since he left the band, one in Nosturi and one in London) - Enary - KeyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
(1997–2005) - KitaSampsa AstalaSampsa Astala, is the former drummer for the Finnish metal band Lordi and the lead singer of the glam rock band Stala & So. His Lordi stage name, Kita, comes from the Finnish word meaning "jaws", "gap", or "maw". His Stala & So...
- DrumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(2000–2010)
Vocal and instrumental style
Although Mr. Lordi is always credited with vocals, there are almost always backing vocals. Kita has never sung backing vocals live due to his mask, though he performs and arranges all the backing vocals and most of the voices in the prelude tracks (Scartic Circle Gathering, Threatical Trailer, SCG3 Special Report). On each song, there are five harmonising vocal tracks performed by KitaSampsa Astala
Sampsa Astala, is the former drummer for the Finnish metal band Lordi and the lead singer of the glam rock band Stala & So. His Lordi stage name, Kita, comes from the Finnish word meaning "jaws", "gap", or "maw". His Stala & So...
plus one track for Mr. Lordi's vocals. The other band members only perform the "shouts", for example in "Rock The Hell Outta You" and "Fire in the Hole". Udo Dirkschneider
Udo Dirkschneider
Udo Dirkschneider is a German heavy metal singer who is best known as the vocalist in German heavy metal band Accept and later U.D.O.After leaving Accept in 1987, Dirkschneider formed the band U.D.O....
, who guest performed on the track "They Only Come Out at Night", alternates singing with Mr. Lordi while backing vocals continue as normal. Awa occasionally joins in the chorus of the songs.
Lordi also often have a vocal break in their songs to allow Amen to have a guitar riff, normally accompanied by Kita and the bassist (Magnum, Kalma, OX) keeping time softly. After this riff, Mr. Lordi will sing either a short verse (occasionally with a distorted voice) or launch directly into the song's end refrain (always the chorus). The guitar is most often the main instrument.
The keyboardist is most often used as an accompaniment in the band's songs. However, in some songs, such as "Icon of Dominance", "The Children Of The Night", "It Snows In Hell
It Snows In Hell
"It Snows in Hell" is a power ballad from the Finnish heavy metal band Lordi's album The Arockalypse. The single was released in a standard jewel case, and in digipack by the Finnish Posti-company. For the single release Lordi produced a new version which contains softer vocals which would...
", "Ghosts Of the Heceta Head", "Deadache", "Beast Loose In Paradise", "Rock Police" and "Devil's Lullaby" it is the main instrument.
Kita always plays with a great deal of power, blending very well with the style favored by Amen. The drums are used as changing instruments, using a fast and heavy solo to transition from verse to verse, verse to chorus and chorus to verse. However some songs, including "Mr. Killjoy", "Bringing Back the Balls to Rock", "Pet the Destroyer", "Kalmageddon", "Forsaken Fashion Dolls" and Dingo
Dingo (band)
Dingo is a Finnish rock band formed around 1982 which fused Finnish melancholy with catchy rock melodies, headed by singer Pertti Neumann...
cover "The House", use the drums as main instrument.
The bass is often used in conjunction with Kita's drumming. It is almost never the main instrument, only in a few songs, like "Kalmageddon", "Pyromite", "Haunted Town", "Bite It Like a Bulldog
Bite It Like a Bulldog
"Bite It Like a Bulldog" is a single from Finnish hard rock band Lordi. It is the first single from the fourth studio album Deadache and was released digitally on September 1 and physically on September 3. The song rose to number one in the Finnish charts....
" "This Is Heavy Metal"and Deadache bonus track "Where's The Dragon", but it is occasionally used with drums as a changing instrument.
Tours
| Tour | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Wacken Road Show | 14. April - 25 April 2003 | Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
| European Monstour | 11. April - 30 April 2005 | Europe Europe Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting... |
| Bringing Back The Balls To Finland | 3 March - 28 April 2006 | Finland Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside... |
| (Anonymous victory celebration tour) | 3 March - 28 April 2006 | Europe |
| Bringing Back The Balls To Europe | 16. September - 31 October 2006 | Europe |
| Bringing Back The Balls To Baltia | 21. February - 25 February 2007 | Baltia Baltia Baltia or Basilia is a legendary island in Roman mythology, said to be in northern Europe.-Sources:Pliny the Elder :Diodorus Siculus :... |
| Bringing Back The Balls To Japan | 6. April - 13 April 2007 | Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... |
| Ozzfest Ozzfest Ozzfest is an annual festival tour of the United States featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon Osbourne, both of whom also organize each yearly tour with their son Jack Osbourne... |
12. July - 30 August 2007 | North America North America North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas... |
| Halloween Tour | 12. October – 31. October 2007 | USA |
| USA Tour 2008 | 7. November - 24 November 2008 | USA |
| Deadache Europe Tour 2009 | 29. January 2009 – 16. April 2009 | Europe |
| Europe For Breakfast Tour 2010 | 5. November - 19. December 2010 | Europe |
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Lordi performed "Bite It Like A Bulldog" on the NBC show Late Night With Conan O'BrienLate Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...
on 6 November 2008.
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
UK Rock UK Rock Chart The UK Rock Chart usually refers to the Top 40 Rock Singles and the Top 40 Rock Albums Chart compiled by the Official Charts Company from physical record sales in British retail outlets with larger than average genrespecific sales.... |
FIN Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside... |
GER Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
AUT Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
BEL Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... |
DEN Denmark Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark... |
EST Estonia Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies... |
FRA France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
GRE Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe.... |
NOR Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... |
POL Poland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north... |
SWE Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... |
SWI Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
EU European Top 100 Albums The European Top 100 Albums chart is the European adaptation of the Billboard 200 albums chart. It was created in March 1984.The European Top 100 Albums, commonly referred to as Eurochart Top 100 Albums shows the sales of an act in 19 European countries based on IFPI data.The European Top 100... |
US Ind | US Heat Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... |
||||
| 2002 | Get Heavy Get Heavy Get Heavy is the 2002 debut album by Lordi.Despite the fact that the bassist Kalma appears on the front cover, all bass guitars were played by the former bassist Magnum, who left after the recording and before the release of the album. The album is dedicated to Magnum.-Track listing:All music &...
|
- | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2004 | The Monsterican Dream The Monsterican Dream The Monsterican Dream is a 2004 album by Lordi. Many fans reportedly did not like the album's more metallic music and heavier sound with a more grim look to the band. This album could be considered one of Lordi's darker albums... |
- | - | 4 | 70 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2006 | The Arockalypse The Arockalypse The Arockalypse is the third studio album by the hard rock band Lordi. It features the hit single "Hard Rock Hallelujah", which won the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 for Finland. The album has sold triple platinum in Finland and gold in Sweden and Germany... Drakkar Drakkar may refer to:*Drekar, a Viking longship*Drakkar Entertainment*Drakkar Productions, a French underground black metal label*Baie-Comeau Drakkar, a junior hockey team*Drakkar, an Italian power metal band... , The End The End Records The End Records is an independent record label, founded in 1998 in San Diego. Founder Andreas Katsambas initially wanted to bring attention to some underground bands he admired. In 2002, The End moved to Salt Lake City, when his wife took a job at the University of Utah. The label moved... |
100 | - | 1 | 7 | 11 | 13 | 16 | 4 | 98 | 1 | 21 | 29 | 1 | 8 | 8 | - | - | ||
| 2008 | Deadache Deadache - Bonus tracks :There are five different versions of the album, four of which have different bonus tracks. Each version was released by a different record company, hence the differing tracks.... GUN Records GUN Records was a record label located in Bochum, Northrhine-Westphalia, Germany and was founded 1992 by Bogdan Kopec and Wolfgang Funk.... , The End The End Records The End Records is an independent record label, founded in 1998 in San Diego. Founder Andreas Katsambas initially wanted to bring attention to some underground bands he admired. In 2002, The End moved to Salt Lake City, when his wife took a job at the University of Utah. The label moved... |
- | 38 | 5 | 33 | 51 | - | - | - | 168 | - | 39 | 35 | 42 | 73 | 71 | 37 | 13 | ||
| 2010 | Babez For Breakfast Babez For Breakfast - Background :"As for the album title, it is an ironic answer to the question of whether monsters eat babies for breakfast or not. We twisted the final letter ‘s’ to a ‘z’, which changed the pronunciation. With this twist we wanted to state that this album is not as serious as Deadache", frontman Mr... The End Records The End Records is an independent record label, founded in 1998 in San Diego. Founder Andreas Katsambas initially wanted to bring attention to some underground bands he admired. In 2002, The End moved to Salt Lake City, when his wife took a job at the University of Utah. The label moved... |
- | - | 9 | - | 71 | - | - | - | 113 | 26 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
Album certifications and sales
- The ArockalypseThe ArockalypseThe Arockalypse is the third studio album by the hard rock band Lordi. It features the hit single "Hard Rock Hallelujah", which won the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 for Finland. The album has sold triple platinum in Finland and gold in Sweden and Germany...
- FinlandFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
: 3 x Platinum 90,000 - SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
: Gold 30,000 - GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
: Gold 100,000 - GreeceGreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
: Gold 20,000
- Finland
- The Arockalypse Special Edition (2006)
- The Arockalypse CD with 3 bonus tracks and a bonus DVD with:
- Hello AthensAthensAthens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Finnish documentary news coverage of Lordi's competition in the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest. - Live at the Market SquareMarket Square, HelsinkiThe Market Square is a central square in Helsinki, Finland, and one of the most famous market places and tourist attractions in the city....
concert video. - Hard Rock HallelujahHard Rock Hallelujah"Hard Rock Hallelujah" is a song by the Finnish heavy metal band Lordi, which won the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest with 292 points. It was also Finland's first placement in the top five. It was voted as the most popular Finnish Eurovision entry in the forty years the country has participated...
; Would You Love a Monsterman?Would You Love a Monsterman?"Would You Love a Monsterman?" is a song recorded by Finnish heavy metal band Lordi which reached number one on the charts in Finland. The song was originally released in 2002 on the album, Get Heavy and as a single, featuring the band's former bassist Magnum and original keyboardist Enary.In 2006,...
(2006); and Who's Your Daddy? music videos.
- Hello Athens
- The Arockalypse CD with 3 bonus tracks and a bonus DVD with:
Singles and EPs
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
IE Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
FIN Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside... |
GER Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
BEL Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... |
AUT Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
NOR Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... |
SWI Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
GRE Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe.... |
DUT Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
EU Eurochart Hot 100 Singles The European Hot 100 Singles has been compiled by Billboard and Music & Media magazine since March, 1984. The chart is based on national singles sales charts in 15 European countries: Austria, Belgium , Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden,... |
SWE Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... |
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| 2002 | "Would You Love a Monsterman? Would You Love a Monsterman? "Would You Love a Monsterman?" is a song recorded by Finnish heavy metal band Lordi which reached number one on the charts in Finland. The song was originally released in 2002 on the album, Get Heavy and as a single, featuring the band's former bassist Magnum and original keyboardist Enary.In 2006,... " |
- | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Get Heavy |
| 2003 | "Devil Is a Loser Devil is a Loser "Devil is a Loser" is the second single by the Finnish heavy metal band Lordi. It is one of six songs that have been made into music videos by the band... " |
- | - | 9 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2004 | "Blood Red Sandman Blood Red Sandman "Blood Red Sandman" is the second single from Lordi's second album The Monsterican Dream. The song's original title was "Blood Red Santa", but Asko Kallonen from BMG Finland thought it was inappropriate for a Christmas hit and many people said they would ban it because it painted a violent image of... " |
- | - | 17 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | The Monsterican Dream |
| "My Heaven Is Your Hell" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2006 | "Hard Rock Hallelujah Hard Rock Hallelujah "Hard Rock Hallelujah" is a song by the Finnish heavy metal band Lordi, which won the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest with 292 points. It was also Finland's first placement in the top five. It was voted as the most popular Finnish Eurovision entry in the forty years the country has participated... " |
25 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 27 | 4 | 5 | The Arockalypse |
| "Who's Your Daddy?" | - | - | 1 | 33 | - | 21 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| "It Snows in Hell It Snows In Hell "It Snows in Hell" is a power ballad from the Finnish heavy metal band Lordi's album The Arockalypse. The single was released in a standard jewel case, and in digipack by the Finnish Posti-company. For the single release Lordi produced a new version which contains softer vocals which would... " |
- | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2008 | "They Only Come Out at Night" | - | - | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| "Beast Loose in Paradise" | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Dark Floors | |
| "Bite It Like a Bulldog Bite It Like a Bulldog "Bite It Like a Bulldog" is a single from Finnish hard rock band Lordi. It is the first single from the fourth studio album Deadache and was released digitally on September 1 and physically on September 3. The song rose to number one in the Finnish charts.... " |
- | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Deadache | |
| "Deadache" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2010 | "This is Heavy Metal" | - | - | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Babez For Breakfast |
| "Rock Police" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
Compilation albums
- The Monster ShowThe Monster ShowThe Monster Show is a 2005 album by Lordi. The Monster Show is a Hybrid album of Get Heavy and The Monsterican Dream for marketing in UK, including a DVD with three of their videos...
(2005) - Zombilation - The Greatest CutsZombilation - The Greatest CutsZombilation – The Greatest Cuts is a Lordi compilation album published in February 2009. The album was published in Germany by the label Drakkar Entertainment...
(2009)
Music videos
- "Would You Love a Monsterman?Would You Love a Monsterman?"Would You Love a Monsterman?" is a song recorded by Finnish heavy metal band Lordi which reached number one on the charts in Finland. The song was originally released in 2002 on the album, Get Heavy and as a single, featuring the band's former bassist Magnum and original keyboardist Enary.In 2006,...
" (Directed by Pete RiskiPete RiskiPete Riski is an award-winning Finnish music video and commercial director who has directed music videos for Lordi, among others. He has directed horror film Dark Floors.Pete Riski is currently a freelance director...
) (2002) - "Devil is a LoserDevil is a Loser"Devil is a Loser" is the second single by the Finnish heavy metal band Lordi. It is one of six songs that have been made into music videos by the band...
" (Directed by Pete RiskiPete RiskiPete Riski is an award-winning Finnish music video and commercial director who has directed music videos for Lordi, among others. He has directed horror film Dark Floors.Pete Riski is currently a freelance director...
) (2003) - "Blood Red SandmanBlood Red Sandman"Blood Red Sandman" is the second single from Lordi's second album The Monsterican Dream. The song's original title was "Blood Red Santa", but Asko Kallonen from BMG Finland thought it was inappropriate for a Christmas hit and many people said they would ban it because it painted a violent image of...
" (Directed by Pete RiskiPete RiskiPete Riski is an award-winning Finnish music video and commercial director who has directed music videos for Lordi, among others. He has directed horror film Dark Floors.Pete Riski is currently a freelance director...
) (2004) - "Hard Rock HallelujahHard Rock Hallelujah"Hard Rock Hallelujah" is a song by the Finnish heavy metal band Lordi, which won the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest with 292 points. It was also Finland's first placement in the top five. It was voted as the most popular Finnish Eurovision entry in the forty years the country has participated...
" (winning song of Eurovision 2006) (Directed by Pete RiskiPete RiskiPete Riski is an award-winning Finnish music video and commercial director who has directed music videos for Lordi, among others. He has directed horror film Dark Floors.Pete Riski is currently a freelance director...
) (2006) - "Who's Your Daddy?" (Directed by Pete RiskiPete RiskiPete Riski is an award-winning Finnish music video and commercial director who has directed music videos for Lordi, among others. He has directed horror film Dark Floors.Pete Riski is currently a freelance director...
) (2006) - "Would You Love A MonstermanWould You Love a Monsterman?"Would You Love a Monsterman?" is a song recorded by Finnish heavy metal band Lordi which reached number one on the charts in Finland. The song was originally released in 2002 on the album, Get Heavy and as a single, featuring the band's former bassist Magnum and original keyboardist Enary.In 2006,...
(2006) version" (Directed by Pete RiskiPete RiskiPete Riski is an award-winning Finnish music video and commercial director who has directed music videos for Lordi, among others. He has directed horror film Dark Floors.Pete Riski is currently a freelance director...
) - "It Snows In HellIt Snows In Hell"It Snows in Hell" is a power ballad from the Finnish heavy metal band Lordi's album The Arockalypse. The single was released in a standard jewel case, and in digipack by the Finnish Posti-company. For the single release Lordi produced a new version which contains softer vocals which would...
" (Directed by Pete RiskiPete RiskiPete Riski is an award-winning Finnish music video and commercial director who has directed music videos for Lordi, among others. He has directed horror film Dark Floors.Pete Riski is currently a freelance director...
) (2006) - "Hard Rock HallelujahHard Rock Hallelujah"Hard Rock Hallelujah" is a song by the Finnish heavy metal band Lordi, which won the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest with 292 points. It was also Finland's first placement in the top five. It was voted as the most popular Finnish Eurovision entry in the forty years the country has participated...
" (At The Arctic Circle) Eurovision Edition (Directed by Antti JokinenAntti JokinenAntti Jokinen is a Finnish music video and film director.-Early life:Jokinen attended East Carolina University on a basketball scholarship and later graduated with a major in broadcast and film.-Music video career:...
) (2007) - "Bite It Like A BulldogBite It Like a Bulldog"Bite It Like a Bulldog" is a single from Finnish hard rock band Lordi. It is the first single from the fourth studio album Deadache and was released digitally on September 1 and physically on September 3. The song rose to number one in the Finnish charts....
" (Directed by Limppu Lindberg) (until 2008) - "This Is Heavy Metal" (2010)
Eurovision live performances
- "Bringing Back the Balls to Rock" (performance during qualifying round at Eurovision Song Contest in Finland) (2006)
- "Hard Rock Hallelujah" (performance at Eurovision Song Contest) (2006)
DVDs
- "Market Square MassacreMarket Square MassacreMarket Square Massacre is the first DVD by the heavy metal band Lordi. The live concert was an open-air and free concert, and over 90,000 Finns showed up to celebrate Lordi's and Finland's victory in the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest.-Tracklisting:...
" - "Bringing Back The Balls To StockholmBringing Back the Balls to StockholmBringing Back The Balls To Stockholm is the second DVD by the Finnish heavy metal band Lordi. The show was shot on September 16th, in Stockholm, Annexet. It was the first show on Lordi's Bringing Back The Balls To Europe Tour...
- The Opening Night" - "It Snows In Hell music video" (available from Finnish Posti outlets)
- "Dark FloorsDark FloorsDark Floors – The Lordi Motion Picture is a Finnish horror film. The film was released in February 2008 and stars William Hope, Leon Herbert, Philip Bretherton, Ronald Pickup, and Skye Bennett. The film also features all of the Lordi band members playing the monsters. Mr. Lordi has also designed...
" (2008 Horror movie)
Other
- "Napalm Market" (1993), first demo
- Bend Over And Pray The Lord! (1999), unreleased first album
Cover songs
- "Midnight Lover", a live song from the single "They Only Come Out at Night" (original by AcceptAcceptAccept is a German heavy metal band from the town of Solingen, originally assembled by former vocalist Udo Dirkschneider, guitarist Wolf Hoffmann and bassist Peter Baltes. Their beginnings can be traced back to the late 1960s...
) - "He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask)", performed in concerts (original by Alice CooperAlice CooperAlice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
) - "The House", from the Finnish version of DeadacheDeadache- Bonus tracks :There are five different versions of the album, four of which have different bonus tracks. Each version was released by a different record company, hence the differing tracks....
(originally by DingoDingo (band)Dingo is a Finnish rock band formed around 1982 which fused Finnish melancholy with catchy rock melodies, headed by singer Pertti Neumann...
).
The Kin
- Lauri Haukkamaa (Director)
- Amanda Thurman as Anna Henderson
- Bruce Marsland as Jonathan
- Delia De Giovanni as Julie Henderson
- Sirkka Runolinna as Anna's mother
- Matti Ruuhonen as Birger Westling
- Anna Kaarna as Possessed girl
- Nick Lovelock as Marty
In 2004, Lordi co-wrote and starred in their own short film, The Kin, which was released on a special edition of "The Monsterican Dream" (CD/DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
or DualDisc
DualDisc
DualDisc was a type of double-sided optical disc product developed by a group of record companies including EMI Music, Universal Music Group, Sony/BMG Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and 5.1 Entertainment Group and later under the aegis of the Recording Industry Association of America...
versions) as a way of expanding the band's image and theatricality. It was co-written and directed by Lauri Haukkamaa, with contribution by Adam Vandor. It introduces the audience to members of the band and establishes the concept of superhuman monsters though at no time is any of the band's music played.
The film follows a young writer who loses her mother in a train wreck while she is trying to get her book on non-human creatures published. After a series of problems arise, the monsters, played by the members of Lordi, begin to kill people as well as bend time and space to ensure the publication of the book.
The film shares a lot of Lovecraftian
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
concepts as well as style and pays homage to several B movie
B movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
s and horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
s. Only a limited number of DVDs were published and therefore the film's availability has been low. The Kin has also been released on the Market Square Massacre DVD.
Dark Floors
Comics by Mr. Lordi
- "Monster MagazineMonster MagazineMonster Magazine is a Lordi comic book published in 2002. There were only 500 copies of the magazine made, and it was only available to the people who had bought a copy of Lordi's first single "Would You Love a Monsterman?"...
" - "The Uninvited Guests"
- "Jysäys!"
- "Lordi 1: Alkuperä" ("The Origin")
- "Lordi 2: Verenjano" ("Bloodthirst")
- "Lordi 3: VerensininenLordi 3: VerensininenLordi 3: Verensininen was published on October 29, 2008 and is the third in the series of comic books released by Lordi.-Publication history:...
" ("Blue Blood")
Books about Lordi
- Sven Pahajoki: Lordi — hirviön tarina ("A Monster's Tale") - Unofficial
- Jussi Alroth: Mie oon Lordi ("I am Lordi")
- The Songs For The Rockoning Day — The Complete Lordi Song Book
See also
- ShadowgroundsShadowgroundsShadowgrounds is a shoot 'em up for Microsoft Windows, GNU/Linux and Mac OS X, developed by Frozenbyte. The game takes place on a space colony on Ganymede which is being attacked by aliens...
(Lordi guitarist Amen played on the acclaimed soundtrack of this PC game in 2005) - List of best-selling music artists in Finland
External links
- Live Photos - February'09
- Official Site
- Official The End Records band page
- Lordi musicvideos directed by Pete Riski (Grillifilms)
- Lordi information at the Sanctuary RecordsSanctuary RecordsSanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest independent music management company in the world...
site - Lordi at Wacken 2008
- NYTimes: "Finland Squirms as Its Latest Export Steps Into Spotlight"
- Eurovision.tv interview of Lordi An interview from 2003 (Helsingin Sanomat) An interview from 2004 (Rytmi) A review of 'The Arockalypse'
- Lordi in SPIN's February 2009 Issue