Lordi () is a Finnish
hard rock
Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...
/
heavy metal band, formed in 1992
by the band's lead singer, songwriter and costume maker,
Mr Lordi
Tomi Petteri Putaansuu (born 15 February 1974), best known by his stage names Mr Lordi or Mr L, is a Finnish musician, businessman, special effect make-up artist, songwriter, painter, comics artist and graphic designer. He is best known as the ...
(Tomi Petteri Putaansuu). In addition to their melodic metal music, Lordi are also known for wearing monster masks and using horror elements with
pyrotechnics
Pyrotechnics is the science and craft of creating such things as fireworks, safety matches, oxygen candles, explosive bolts and other fasteners, parts of automotive airbags, as well as gas-pressure blasting in mining, quarrying, and demolition. ...
during concerts and music videos. The band rose to fame in 2002 with their hit single "
Would You Love a Monsterman?
"Would You Love a Monsterman?" is a song by Finnish rock band Lordi from their album ''Get Heavy''. It was also released as a single. The song reached number one on the Finnish charts in 2002.
"Would You Love a Monsterman?" was originally written ...
", and won the
Eurovision Song Contest 2006
The Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was the 51st edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Athens, Greece, following the country's victory at the with the song "My Number One" by Helena Paparizou. Organised by the European Broadcasti ...
with their song "
Hard Rock Hallelujah
"Hard Rock Hallelujah" is a song by Finnish hard rock band Lordi. It was released as a single in 2006, reaching the 1 spot in Finland and reaching the top 10 in eight other European countries. In the United Kingdom, the song peaked at No. 25.
L ...
".
Lordi has toured and recorded actively since 2002, and Mr Lordi upgrades the band's costumes and masks for each album. The band has gone through several line-up changes with Mr Lordi being the only consistent member of the band since their foundation. Members of Lordi have stated their desire for their unmasked faces to remain private. However, they have made a number of unmasked appearances in several news outlets.
History
Formation (1992–2002)
Lordi was formed in 1992 as a solo project by
Mr Lordi
Tomi Petteri Putaansuu (born 15 February 1974), best known by his stage names Mr Lordi or Mr L, is a Finnish musician, businessman, special effect make-up artist, songwriter, painter, comics artist and graphic designer. He is best known as the ...
. Lordi's very first demo album
Napalm Market was done in 1993. The album included a song "Inferno", which also got a music video, all done by Mr Lordi. In the music video Mr Lordi performed unmasked but he had made monster make-up for his friends who played secondary role in the video. After the video was done, Mr Lordi got an idea of a band of monsters. "Inferno" was later released in Finnish "Rockmurskaa" compilation album in 1995. In 1996 Mr Lordi organized a Kiss cruise for Finnish Kiss fans from Finland to Sweden. During the cruise he met musicians
Amen
Amen ( he, אָמֵן, ; grc, ἀμήν, ; syc, ܐܡܝܢ, ; ar, آمين, ) is an Abrahamic declaration of affirmation which is first found in the Hebrew Bible, and subsequently found in the New Testament. It is used in Jews, Jewish, Christia ...
and G-Stealer, and told them about his music project called Lordi. After the cruise they joined the band. One year later
Enary joined the band on keyboard and the band recorded their first album, ''
Bend Over And Pray The Lord
Lordi () is a Finnish hard rock/ heavy metal band, formed in 1992 by the band's lead singer, songwriter and costume maker, Mr Lordi (Tomi Petteri Putaansuu). In addition to their melodic metal music, Lordi are also known for wearing monster mas ...
''. At the time when the album was recorded, the band didn't have a drummer and they used MIDI drum tracks in place of a real drummer.
Ari 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 planned to release in early 1999, but Anaconda Records went bankrupt shortly before the planned release date and the album was never released.
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 Magnum, whom Mr Lordi had met via Kiss Army Finland. In 2000, drummer
Kita joined and the band got their first drummer.
''Get Heavy'' and success in Europe (2002–2004)
After several failed attempts at obtaining a recording contract, Lordi signed a record deal with
Bertelsmann Music Group
Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) was a division of a German media company Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Sony Corporation of America on 1 October 2008. Although it was established in 1987, the music com ...
(BMG) Finland in 2002. In July, the band released their first official single, "
Would You Love A Monsterman?
"Would You Love a Monsterman?" is a song by Finnish rock band Lordi from their album ''Get Heavy''. It was also released as a single. The song reached number one on the Finnish charts in 2002.
"Would You Love a Monsterman?" was originally written ...
", which rose to number one in Finland
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 official album,
though debut recording ran into several problems.
In autumn 2002, bassist Magnum was fired and replaced by 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'' is the debut album by Finnish hard rock band Lordi, released in 2002. Although the bass guitarist Kalma appears on the cover artwork, all bass guitars were played by the former bass guitarist Magnum, who left after the recording an ...
'' was released in November, with a cover design loosely based on
Kiss
A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
's ''
Love Gun
''Love Gun'' is the sixth studio album by American hard rock band Kiss, released on June 30, 1977. Casablanca Records and FilmWorks shipped one million copies of the album on this date. It was certified platinum and became the band's first top ...
'' album. The original first sketch of the cover was based on
Kiss
A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
's ''
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort
larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...
'' 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 ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
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
Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Kitee. The band was formed in 1996 by lead songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and former lead singer Tarja Turunen. The band soon picked up drummer Jukka Neva ...
's support 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.
''The Monsterican Dream'' (2004–2006)
![LordiMoscow](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/LordiMoscow.jpg)
At the beginning of 2004, Lordi began recording their second 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 Dream
''The Monsterican Dream'' is the second studio album by Finnish metal band Lordi, released in 2004. It features an overall heavier sound with a more grim look to the band than Lordi's first album.
The album was re-released in Finland as a "Limit ...
''. Two songs from the album, "My Heaven is Your Hell" and "
Blood Red Sandman
Lordi () is a Finnish hard rock/ heavy metal band, formed in 1992 by the band's lead singer, songwriter and costume maker, Mr Lordi (Tomi Petteri Putaansuu). In addition to their melodic metal music, Lordi are also known for wearing monster mask ...
", had 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 album went gold two years after release.
In February 2005 Lordi's first compilation album ''The Monster Show'' 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. Mr Lordi, while interviewing the band
Kiss
A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
for Inferno magazine, gave the band's bassist/vocalist,
Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz; he, חיים ויץ, ; born August 25, 1949) is an Israeli-American musician. Also known by his stage persona The Demon, he is the bassist and co-lead singer of Kiss, the hard rock band he co-founded with Paul ...
, a copy of Lordi's debut album, ''
Get Heavy
''Get Heavy'' is the debut album by Finnish hard rock band Lordi, released in 2002. Although the bass guitarist Kalma appears on the cover artwork, all bass guitars were played by the former bass guitarist Magnum, who left after the recording an ...
'' (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.
Mr Lordi
Tomi Petteri Putaansuu (born 15 February 1974), best known by his stage names Mr Lordi or Mr L, is a Finnish musician, businessman, special effect make-up artist, songwriter, painter, comics artist and graphic designer. He is best known as the ...
, tried 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'' is the third studio album by Finnish heavy metal band Lordi. It includes 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 ...
'' album. Kalma left the band just before Lordi entered the
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...
qualifier.
Two new members joined the band, bassist OX and keyboardist
Awa
Awa (or variants) may refer to:
People
* Awa (given name), notable people named Awa or Hawa
* Awá (Brazil), an indigenous people of Brazil
* Awa-Kwaiker, an indigenous people of Colombia and Ecuador
Languages
* Awa language (China) or Wa (Va) ...
. This change in members spawned more alterations to the band's costumes.
''The Arockalypse'' and Eurovision (2006–2008)
Lordi's third album ''
The Arockalypse
''The Arockalypse'' is the third studio album by Finnish heavy metal band Lordi. It includes 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 ...
'' was released on 1 May 2006. On 20 May 2006, Lordi made history by winning the
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...
held in Athens with the song "
Hard Rock Hallelujah
"Hard Rock Hallelujah" is a song by Finnish hard rock band Lordi. It was released as a single in 2006, reaching the 1 spot in Finland and reaching the top 10 in eight other European countries. In the United Kingdom, the song peaked at No. 25.
L ...
", becoming the first Finnish group to win the contest and consequently the first rock/metal act to win;
Finland would then send power metal band Teräsbetoni in 2008. The song scored 292 points, which was then an all-time points record.
Pasi Rantanen
Pasi Rantanen (born 30 October 1969, in Helsinki, Finland) is a Finnish singer best known for his power metal band Thunderstone, of which he was a member from the band's creation in 2000 until 2007. He rejoined Thunderstone in 2013 as a full-tim ...
from the band
Thunderstone performed backing vocals, wearing a
Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz; he, חיים ויץ, ; born August 25, 1949) is an Israeli-American musician. Also known by his stage persona The Demon, he is the bassist and co-lead singer of Kiss, the hard rock band he co-founded with Paul ...
Kiss mask.
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,
Kalma, was seen as a guest 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
William Martin Aucoin (December 29, 1943 – June 28, 2010) was an American band manager, well known for his work with the rock band Kiss and Billy Idol.
Biography
Born in 1943 in Ayer, Massachusetts, Aucoin attended Northeastern University a ...
, 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
The Eurovision Song Contest 2007 was the 52nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Helsinki, Finland, following the country's victory at the with the song "Hard Rock Hallelujah" by Lordi. Organised by the European Broadcasti ...
held in
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
, 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 – The Lordi Motion Picture'' is a 2008 English-language Finnish horror film that features members of the hard rock band Lordi playing the monsters. Band frontman Mr Lordi also designed the film's logo. The film was released in Feb ...
'', which premiered on 8 February 2008. In July 2007, Lordi toured
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
with the
Ozzfest
Ozzfest is an annual music festival tour of the United States and sometimes Europe and later Japan, featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Sharon Osbourne and her husband Ozzy Osbourne, both ...
festival, but ended up cancelling off-date shows during that tour.
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. with the band
Type O Negative
Type O Negative were an American gothic metal band formed in Brooklyn, New York City in 1989 by Peter Steele (bass, lead vocals), Kenny Hickey (guitar, co-lead vocals), Josh Silver (keyboards, backing vocals), and Sal Abruscato (drums, percussi ...
, beginning on 12 October 2007 and ending on 31 October 2007. At the end of the tour the band returned to Finland to record the theme song, "Beast Loose in Paradise", for the 2008 film, ''Dark Floors''.
''Deadache'' (2008–2010)
![Lordi en Barcelona9](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/Lordi_en_Barcelona9.jpg)
Lordi began recording their fourth album in the spring of 2008 and the album was released on 29 October 2008. The album, ''
Deadache
''Deadache'' is the fourth studio album by Finnish hard rock band Lordi, released in Finland on 29 October 2008. For the release of the album the band renewed their monster outfits. ''Deadache'' was released during the same week in about thirty ...
'', 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.
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
''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien. NBC aired 2,725 episodes from September 13, 1993, to February 20, 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and music ...
'' on 6 November 2008.
''Babez for Breakfast'', band's 20th anniversary and Otus' death (2010–2012)
Mr Lordi
Tomi Petteri Putaansuu (born 15 February 1974), best known by his stage names Mr Lordi or Mr L, is a Finnish musician, businessman, special effect make-up artist, songwriter, painter, comics artist and graphic designer. He is best known as the ...
spent a week in Los Angeles with Jeremy Rubolino and former
Kiss
A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
guitarist
Bruce Kulick
Bruce Howard Kulick (born December 12, 1953) is an American guitarist and since 2000 a member of the rock band Grand Funk Railroad. Previously, Kulick was a long-time member of the band Kiss (19841996). He was also a member of Union with John Cor ...
writing two new tracks, "Cut Off My Head" and "Call Off The Wedding". In March 2010
Mark Slaughter
Mark Allen Slaughter (born July 4, 1964) is an American singer and musician, and one of the founders of the glam metal band Slaughter.
Career
Slaughter was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 4, 1964. Before the formation of Slaughter, he fr ...
and Bruce Kulick played in a part of their new song. ''
Babez for Breakfast
''Babez for Breakfast'' is the fifth studio album by Finnish hard rock band Lordi, released on 10 September 2010. As is traditional for the band, their costumes were renewed for the release of this album. The album was produced by Michael Wagen ...
'' was recorded in
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
, and produced by legendary
Michael Wagener
Michael Wagener (born 25 April 1949) is a German former music producer, mixer, and engineer from Hamburg, best known for his work with many top glam metal and heavy metal bands in the late 1980s. He is particularly renowned for his multi-amping an ...
. The first single, called "
This is Heavy Metal
''Babez for Breakfast'' is the fifth studio album by Finnish hard rock band Lordi, released on 10 September 2010. As is traditional for the band, their costumes were renewed for the release of this album. The album was produced by Michael Wage ...
", from the album was released in August 2010, with the album following in September.
On 4 October 2010 it was announced that drummer
Kita had left the band, and on 16 October, OX posted on his Twitter account they had found a new drummer. On 26 October 2010 it was announced on Lordi's website that
Otus
Otus may refer to:
* Otus (education), a K-12 educational technology company
* HMS ''Otus'', two ships in the Royal Navy
* ''Otus'' (bird), genus of owls
* Otus (mythology), giant in Greek mythology, brother of Ephialtes, one of Aloadae
* Otus ...
had become their new drummer. Otus joined the band just before Lordi's ''Europe for Breakfast'' tour started.
In 2011
Mr Lordi
Tomi Petteri Putaansuu (born 15 February 1974), best known by his stage names Mr Lordi or Mr L, is a Finnish musician, businessman, special effect make-up artist, songwriter, painter, comics artist and graphic designer. He is best known as the ...
took part in Finnish TV-series "
Kuorosota" and because of that reason the band could not make a long tour. However, they played on a few metal festivals.
On 15 February 2012 it was announced that Otus had died. Due to the death of Otus, Lordi cancelled all their concerts scheduled for the beginning of 2012, but they had some summer festival concerts that they couldn't cancel. Lordi got help from Jimmy Hammer, the drummer of Finnish band Ironcross, who played drums for Lordi's 2012 concerts. Jimmy Hammer used a monster disguise to fit in the band, and was only called as "the drummer". His identity was told after.
In September 2012, ''Scarchives Vol. 1'', a compilation CD+DVD, was released to celebrate Lordi's 20th anniversary. The CD contains previously unreleased old Lordi songs, including all the songs from the unreleased album from 1997, ''Bend Over And Pray The Lord''. The DVD contains Lordi's very first concert in Helsinki 2002. The video was edited by Otus.
Keyboardist
Awa
Awa (or variants) may refer to:
People
* Awa (given name), notable people named Awa or Hawa
* Awá (Brazil), an indigenous people of Brazil
* Awa-Kwaiker, an indigenous people of Colombia and Ecuador
Languages
* Awa language (China) or Wa (Va) ...
left the band in fall of 2012. She was seen for the last time during Lordi's 20th anniversary concert, at Simerock in Rovaniemi, Finland on 11 August.
''To Beast or Not to Beast'' (2012–2014)
Lordi began recording their sixth studio album on 1 September 2012 with two new members,
Mana
According to Melanesian and Polynesian mythology, ''mana'' is a supernatural force that permeates the universe. Anyone or anything can have ''mana''. They believed it to be a cultivation or possession of energy and power, rather than being a ...
as the new drummer and
Hella
''Hella'' is an American slang term that originated in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is used as an intensifying adverb such as in "hella bad" or "hella good" and was eventually added to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' in 2002. It is possibl ...
as the new keyboardist. This album was recorded at WireWorld Studio in
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
, and produced and mixed by
Michael Wagener
Michael Wagener (born 25 April 1949) is a German former music producer, mixer, and engineer from Hamburg, best known for his work with many top glam metal and heavy metal bands in the late 1980s. He is particularly renowned for his multi-amping an ...
, like the previous one. The first single from the new album, "
The Riff
''The Riff'' was an Australian music video request television show that aired 6 days on Channel hosted by Billy Russell, Danny Clayton, Carissa Walford and Marty Smiley. The show ran from 2013 to 2015.
See also
* List of Australian music t ...
", was released digitally on 8 February 2013. The studio album ''
To Beast or Not to Beast
''To Beast or Not to Beast'' is the sixth studio album of Finnish hard rock band Lordi, released on 1 March 2013. As is traditional for the band, their costumes were renewed again for the release of this album.
The album was produced and mixed by ...
'' was recorded in March 2013.
After the release of the single the band took part in Wok WM competition in Germany. The album was released on 1 March 2013. A European tour in support of the new album, "Tour Beast Or Not Tour Beast", started in April 2013. The tour also included one concert in Japan.
Lordi started the recordings for their seventh studio album on 2 June in Finnish Finnvox studios with the producer Mikko Karmila. On July the band moved to secret place in Lapland to continue the recordings.
On 28 June in
Savonlinna
Savonlinna (, , ; sv, Nyslott, lit=New Castle) is a town and a municipality of inhabitants in the southeast of Finland, in the heart of the Saimaa lake region, which is why the city is also nicknamed the "Capital of Saimaa". Together with Mikkel ...
, Finland the first official Lordi-exhibition was opened, ''The Other Side of Lordi''. There Lordi's former costumes and stage props were shown, including Lordi's album cover artworks (painted by Mr Lordi).
Mr Lordi
Tomi Petteri Putaansuu (born 15 February 1974), best known by his stage names Mr Lordi or Mr L, is a Finnish musician, businessman, special effect make-up artist, songwriter, painter, comics artist and graphic designer. He is best known as the ...
and
Amen
Amen ( he, אָמֵן, ; grc, ἀμήν, ; syc, ܐܡܝܢ, ; ar, آمين, ) is an Abrahamic declaration of affirmation which is first found in the Hebrew Bible, and subsequently found in the New Testament. It is used in Jews, Jewish, Christia ...
visited the exhibition during the opening night.
''Scare Force One'' (2014–2016)
![ESC2016 Grand Final Interval Act 16](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/ESC2016_Grand_Final_Interval_Act_16.jpg)
On 31 July 2014, the group announced that the title of their seventh studio album would be "
Scare Force One
''Scare Force One'' is the seventh studio album by Finnish rock band Lordi. It was released on 31 October 2014 via AFM Records.
The album's name and cover artwork is a pun on Air Force One.
Track list
Personnel
Credits for ''Scare Forc ...
". The album was recorded in June, and was released on 31 October in Europe, 3 November in North America, and 26 November in Japan with a bonus track. The first single from the album, "
Nailed by the Hammer of Frankenstein", was released digitally on 19 September.
On 1 November Lordi performed at The Circus in
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
to promote the release of the album. The three-month-long European tour "Tour Force One" started on 1 February 2015 and ended in early April.
In early 2015, it was announced via Facebook that
Hella
''Hella'' is an American slang term that originated in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is used as an intensifying adverb such as in "hella bad" or "hella good" and was eventually added to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' in 2002. It is possibl ...
was pregnant. The band's guitarist,
Amen
Amen ( he, אָמֵן, ; grc, ἀμήν, ; syc, ܐܡܝܢ, ; ar, آمين, ) is an Abrahamic declaration of affirmation which is first found in the Hebrew Bible, and subsequently found in the New Testament. It is used in Jews, Jewish, Christia ...
, later confirmed that Hella would be replaced for the summer festivals. In summer 2015, Hella's temporary replacement, Nalle (Finnish for Teddy Bear), was seen for the first time at
Rovaniemi
Rovaniemi ( , ; sme, Roavvenjárga ; smn, Ruávinjargâ; sms, Ruäʹvnjargg) is a city and municipality of Finland. It is the administrative capital and commercial centre of Finland's northernmost province, Lapland, and its southern part Per ...
. In November Lordi played 2 gigs in Russia (Saint Petersburg and Moscow), still with Hella.
On 27 February 2016, Lordi performed "Hard Rock Hallelujah" in the Finnish Eurovision final, as special guests.
On 14 May 2016, Lordi appeared in the interval act for the
Eurovision Song Contest 2016
The Eurovision Song Contest 2016 was the 61st edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Stockholm, Sweden, following the country's victory at the with the song "Heroes" by Måns Zelmerlöw. Organised by the European Broadcasting ...
, in a musical number satirising Eurovision songs.
''Monstereophonic (Theaterror Vs. Demonarchy)'' (2016–2018)
In late 2015, the band had announced that a new album was in the works. Recording began in December, but was halted after the death of Mr. Lordi's father.
In April 2016, recording began again, with producer Nino Laurenne, who had previously produced
Deadache
''Deadache'' is the fourth studio album by Finnish hard rock band Lordi, released in Finland on 29 October 2008. For the release of the album the band renewed their monster outfits. ''Deadache'' was released during the same week in about thirty ...
in 2008.
In interview for "Spark TV", Mr. Lordi stated that the new album will be released in September. The album, untitled at the time, was described by Mr. Lordi as a "split album". The first six songs of the album will sound like normal Lordi songs, while the last six songs will be more
progressive and will follow a
concept
Concepts are defined as abstract ideas. They are understood to be the fundamental building blocks of the concept behind principles, thoughts and beliefs.
They play an important role in all aspects of cognition. As such, concepts are studied by s ...
. A promotional tour for the album called "European Monstour-2016" began in October 2016.
The single from the album, "Hug You Hardcore", was released in August 2016. A music video for the song was later released. Lordi announced the title of the eighth album,
Monstereophonic (Theaterror vs. Demonarchy) on 13 July, which was released on 16 September.
Later the band announced that they would be touring North America and Canada for the first time in 2017. The tour began on 2 February and concluded on 4 March.
''Sexorcism'' and departure of OX (2018–2020)
![Lordi Rockharz 2019 32](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Lordi_Rockharz_2019_32.jpg)
On 9 March 2018, the band announced the name of the ninth album ''
Sexorcism'' along with its album cover. It was released on 25 May 2018. The band promised that it would be possibly their "most controversial" record to date. Their single from the album "Your Tongue's Got the Cat" was released on 13 April 2018. The second single off of the album titled "Naked in My Cellar" was released 4 May 2018 along with a music video.
Following four festival shows in the summer, a tour in support of the album called "Sextourcism" began in Europe on 9 October in Amstelveen, Netherlands and concluded on 28 December in Helsinki, Finland.
Lordi announced their third live DVD ''
Recordead Live – Sextourcism in Z7
''Recordead Live – Sextourcism in Z7'' is the third DVD by Finnish heavy metal band Lordi. The show was recorded on 23 November 2018 at Z7 Konzertfabrik in Pratteln, Switzerland, during the band's tour in support of their ninth studio album, '' ...
'' on 17 May 2019, which was recorded on 23 November 2018 in Pratteln, Switzerland during their tour. It was released on 26 July 2019.
OX had announced on 14 March 2019 that he would be departing the band after performing with them for the summer festivals that year. His final show with the band took place at the Reload Festival in Sulingen, Germany on 23 August 2019.
The band later introduced their new bass player, Hiisi. Hiisi's first show with the band took place at the Ice Hall in Helsinki on 13 December 2019 as the band was the opening act for
Beast in Black.
''Killection'', ''Lordiversity'' and Amen's departure (2020–2022)
![Hiisi en Barcelona 2020](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/Hiisi_en_Barcelona_2020.jpg)
On 27 September 2019, Lordi announced the title of their tenth album ''
Killection
''Killection'' is the tenth studio album by the Finnish hard rock band Lordi. It was released on 31 January 2020, via AFM Records. The band stated that the album is considered a 'fictional compilation' and would contain songs you would normally ...
''. It was released on 31 January 2020, followed by a European tour titled "Killectour" in support of the album the same year. The band have said that this album is considered a 'fictional compilation' album and would contain songs you would normally hear in the early 1970s to mid-1990s. Their single from the album "Shake the Baby Silent", was released on 8 November 2019. Their second single off the album, "I Dug a Hole in the Yard for You", was released on 29 November 2019 along with a music video. The third single off the album, "Like a Bee to the Honey", was released on 17 January 2020.
During the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, the band performed a special livestream called "Scream Stream" on 22 May 2020 at the Paha Kurki Rockhouse in the band's hometown of Rovaniemi, performing various hits and rarities played by request as well as answering questions from fans.
It was announced on 25 March 2021 that Lordi would be performing at the
Eurovision Song Contest 2021
The Eurovision Song Contest 2021 was the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Rotterdam, Netherlands, following the country's win at the with the song "Arcade" by Duncan Laurence. The Netherlands was set to host the , ...
, joining five other previous winners in
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...
on 22 May 2021, performing their Eurovision-winning song "Hard Rock Hallelujah" for the ''Rock the Roof'' interval act.
On 6 April 2021, it was announced that Lordi would be releasing no less than seven studio albums in October 2021. In the statement regarding the albums, the band said: "The albums will sound all different from each other, they're all in different styles and fictional eras in the ''Killection'' timeline. Five of the seven albums are already done, by the way, and number six is well on the way."
On 19 August 2021, the band released their single "Believe Me", and simultaneously announced ''
Lordiversity
''Lordiversity'' is a box set by the Finnish hard rock band Lordi. The box set contains their eleventh to seventeenth studio albums: ''Skelectric Dinosaur'', ''Superflytrap'', ''The Masterbeast from the Moon'', ''Abusement Park'', ''Humanimals' ...
'', a box set that consists of the band's eleventh to seventeenth studio albums: ''Skelectric Dinosaur'', ''Superflytrap'', ''The Masterbeast from the Moon'', ''Abusement Park'', ''Humanimals'', ''Abracadaver'' and ''Spooky Sextravaganza Spectacular''. The boxset was released on 26 November 2021. The second single, "Abracadaver", was released on 24 September 2021. The third single, "Borderline", was released on 22 October 2021, along with a music video. On 24 November 2021, the fourth single "Merry Blah Blah Blah" was released. The fifth single "Demon Supreme" was released on 17 December 2021. The sixth single "Day Off of the Devil" was released on 7 January 2022.
On 5 May 2022, it was announced that Amen had departed from the band. Mr Lordi released a statement the following day regarding this, clarifying that he had asked Amen to leave the band at the end of February 2022 due to growing tensions. Kone was later named as the new guitarist on 30 May 2022. Kone's first show with the band took place at the Rock in the City Festival in Kuopio, Finland on 10 June 2022.
Upcoming eighteenth studio album (2022–present)
On 21 November 2022, Lordi had announced that they had signed with the record label, Atomic Fire Records. Along with that news, they simultaneously added that their upcoming eighteenth studio album which finished recording is set to be released in Spring 2023.
Style
Band's music style
![Amen LIVE](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Amen_LIVE.png)
Lordi's music is formed by
hard rock
Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...
and
heavy metal music
Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With roots in blues rock, psychedelic rock and acid rock, heavy metal bands developed a ...
elements. 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 is the combination of rock music or heavy metal music with highly theatrical live performances emphasizing shock value. Performances may include violent or provocative behavior from the artists, the use of attention-grabbing imagery ...
. The band was mostly influenced by
Kiss
A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
, but also by
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...
and
Twisted Sister
Twisted Sister was an American heavy metal band originally from Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey, and later based on Long Island, New York. Their best-known songs include " We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock", both of which were associated with m ...
.
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'' is the debut album by Finnish hard rock band Lordi, released in 2002. Although the bass guitarist Kalma appears on the cover artwork, all bass guitars were played by the former bass guitarist Magnum, who left after the recording an ...
'', represented a large part of traditional hard rock music, but by the release of their ''
The Monsterican Dream
''The Monsterican Dream'' is the second studio album by Finnish metal band Lordi, released in 2004. It features an overall heavier sound with a more grim look to the band than Lordi's first album.
The album was re-released in Finland as a "Limit ...
'' 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'' is the third studio album by Finnish heavy metal band Lordi. It includes 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 ...
'', Lordi shifted back toward hard rock, eschewing horror themes and special effects. Their 2008 studio album, ''
Deadache
''Deadache'' is the fourth studio album by Finnish hard rock band Lordi, released in Finland on 29 October 2008. For the release of the album the band renewed their monster outfits. ''Deadache'' was released during the same week in about thirty ...
'', included more typical horror elements, leaning once again toward the heavier side of the spectrum. ''
Babez for Breakfast
''Babez for Breakfast'' is the fifth studio album by Finnish hard rock band Lordi, released on 10 September 2010. As is traditional for the band, their costumes were renewed for the release of this album. The album was produced by Michael Wagen ...
'' 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. ''
To Beast or Not to Beast
''To Beast or Not to Beast'' is the sixth studio album of Finnish hard rock band Lordi, released on 1 March 2013. As is traditional for the band, their costumes were renewed again for the release of this album.
The album was produced and mixed by ...
'' focuses completely on heavy metal, and was the band's heaviest album. Their 2014 album, ''
Scare Force One
''Scare Force One'' is the seventh studio album by Finnish rock band Lordi. It was released on 31 October 2014 via AFM Records.
The album's name and cover artwork is a pun on Air Force One.
Track list
Personnel
Credits for ''Scare Forc ...
'', contains elements of heavy metal while still maintaining the melodic rhythm of hard rock. The band's 2016 album, ''
Monstereophonic'', is a "split album" consisting of two parts. Part one of the album (''Theaterror'') contains hard rock, while part two (''Demonarchy'') is
conceptual
Conceptual may refer to:
Philosophy and Humanities
*Concept
*Conceptualism
*Philosophical analysis (Conceptual analysis)
*Theoretical definition (Conceptual definition)
*Thinking about Consciousness (Conceptual dualism)
*Pragmatism (Conceptual pr ...
, and much more
progressive than any of Lordi's earlier content.
Costumes and masks
![Lordi-Toulouse](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Lordi-Toulouse.jpg)
Lordi members have stated that their costumes were inspired by
Kiss
A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
and the
horror genre. Mr Lordi himself has said that without Kiss, Lordi probably would not exist.
The monster masks and costumes the band use are made of
foam latex
Foam latex or latex foam rubber is a lightweight form of latex containing bubbles known as cells, created from liquid latex. The foam is generally created though the Dunlop or Talalay process in which a liquid latex is foamed and then cured in a m ...
, with some other materials like canvas, metal and leather.
The masks and costumes of Lordi are all and always made by Mr Lordi himself.
As a professional make-up artist and sculptor, Mr Lordi has the necessary knowledge to produce those things easily. The band members do each other's makeup. The band updates their outfits and masks for each new album.
It takes the other band members about one hour to put their masks and costumes on, though it takes Mr Lordi two to three hours to put on his.
He has also said that the materials for suits costs "a few hundred euros".
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. Previously during interviews, Lordi members spoke only English to the cameras, not their native Finnish. In a brief segment on the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
, they were shown lounging beside a pool in full sunlight, while wearing their monster costumes.
Pyrotechnics, and horror elements are important parts of Lordi's stage show, designed and mostly created by Mr Lordi. Lordi's pyrotechnics are inspired by
, while the horror elements are largely derived from horror movies with some influence from
. Their stage platform is also equipped with monster actors, zombies, dolls, tricks, and sometimes stage dancers. Mr Lordi is also known to use a two-headed axe.
In 2009 the band made some new special effects with big help from
of New Zealand. The workshop has also designed scenery for movies such as ''
''.
Despite the band's strict approach in relation to their costumes, multiple newspapers have published unlicensed photos of the band members without makeup. On 15 March 2006, the Finnish tabloid ''
'' published a photograph of Mr Lordi in civilian clothing, with his face partially showing.
On 24 May 2006, the Finnish tabloid magazine ' (Seven Days) published an old picture of Mr Lordi's face on the front page, and two days later another tabloid, ''
'' ("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 any more. 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.
, Finland, the hometown 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.
After the Eurovision victory, all the members of the line-up at the time got tributes from their hometowns.
, the Finnish postal service, issued a Lordi postage stamp in May 2007 in recognition of their Eurovision win. Itella 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.
was named after Lordi.
A restaurant named "Lordi's Rocktaurant" was opened in Rovaniemi, Finland which featured the theme of the band, with stage props and costumes the band used.
The restaurant opened in 2006 on Koskikatu street near Lordi's Square and received international attention.
The restaurant later expanded to the Rinteenkulma shopping centre in 2008. In 2011, the restaurant closed down after its rental contract had run out, as well as reported financial difficulties in the year before.