- advertisement -

LORDI
Monstereophonic (Theaterror vs. Demonarchy)
2016 AFM Records

LORDI are a Finnish theatrical hard rock quintet that formed in the ’90s and released their first album in 2002. They are set to release their eighth full-length album, Monstereophonic, on AFM Records on September 16 (Europe) and September 30 (US). LORDI are better known in Europe, and many US fans simply aren’t aware of them. Well, get to know them. Imagine if KISS merged with Alice Cooper, and GWAR contributed some influence, you’d get a band that looked and sounded like LORDI. Musically, LORDI have more in common with KISS or BATTLE BEAST because their music –while hard-edged – is usually more hard rock than metal. The horror image is rounded out by masks, costumes and stage names that represent their characters.

The lineup features Mr. Lordi- “The Unholy Overlord”- (vocals), Amen- “The Mummified One”- (guitars), Ox- “Half Man, Half Ox”- (bass), Hella- “The Living Doll”- (keys) and Mana- “Pastor of The Dead”- (drums).

The first half of the album is titled Theaterror and features some of LORDI’s catchiest songs. They are all up-tempo and gloriously over-the-top. “Let’s Go Slaughter He-Man (I Wanna Be The Beast-Man In The Masters Of The Universe)” sounds as awesome as you would expect, and imagines the listener as part of the He-Man universe. The incredibly addictive first single “Hug You Hardcore” ventures into R-rated territory; check out the video on KNAC.COM HERE. “Down With The Devil” is another up-tempo, catchy track, and one of my favorites on the album. “Sick Flick” fantasizes the casting of a horror movie while “None For One” tells the tale of a family torn apart by a murderous child. The only time LORDI come close to a ballad is the dirge “Mary Is Dead”, which recounts the disappearance of a woman named Mary. This first half of the album is very satisfying, and contains some of the band’s most memorable songs.

Demonarchy is the title of the second half of the album. This heavier side of the band should appeal to fans who want to hear the band progress to more extreme material. You get the best of both worlds on this album, the classic hard rock sound of Theaterror, and the aggression of Demonarchy, which is a concept that tells the story of The Undead Son, The Bloodsucking Count, The She-Wolf and The Witch.

After an intro, the track “Demonarchy” blasts out with double bass and crunching riffs aplenty. “The Unholy Gathering” slows things down, but doesn’t sacrifice the heaviness. “Heaven Sent Hell On Earth” tells of the witch’s life. It builds slowly, then finds Mr. Lordi hitting some killer notes and Mana playing double bass drums again. Amen shines on guitar and Hella’s keys provide some really cool atmosphere. In fact, her keyboard playing really fits the songs throughout the album. “And The Zombie Says” is about The Undead Son and is one of the best tracks on this half of the album. This is a pulsing heavy metal anthem with blazing guitars and a killer bassline from Ox.

“Break Of Dawn” is the heaviest track on the album and will satisfy your metal thirst and have your head banging. “The Night The Monsters Died” is the longest track, and is kind of a coda for the entire album. There are several sections to this track that make for an interesting finale.

Monstereophonic contains 14 total tracks, and is over an hour in length. The past few albums were produced by the legendary Michael Wagener, but Monstereophonic was produced by Nino Laurenne, who produced the band’s Deadache album in 2008. Great job by him here. Monstereophonic will be released on digipak, black double vinyl and colored double vinyl. Bottom line, LORDI have the chops and well-written songs that are fun to listen to, with catchy, over-the-top choruses and ‘monster’ riffs. North American fans will have a chance to see LORDI live early in 2017. They will be touring the US and Canada during February and March.

4.3 Out Of 5.0

Pre-order your copy of Monstereophonic in the KNAC.COM More Store right HERE.