LORDI - To Beast of Not to Beast

“To beast or not to beast”, this is the question!

I’ve chosen Lordi, because they are my beloved band and I am in fact extremely curious, since they’ve recently undergone a drastic line-up change after the departure of Awa (keyboards) and the death of Otus (drums).  Since their last album, released two years ago, was a bit iffy in my opinion, since it tried a rather strange transition to some sort of commercial heavy metal or something of the sort, I am curious whether this album will be a step forward or a free fall into commercialism.

We’re Not for the Kids(We’re Worse) is the song that opens this album. I like the aggressive blast beat in the beginning, bringing to mind the start of a black metal song, giving out, with riffs reminiscent of thrash metal, an idea of rebellion. The song itself is a stab at parents who think heavy metal is a negative influence on kids.

From that rebellious attitude we move to a somehow darker atmosphere with the second song, “I Luv Ugly”.

The keyboard intro that would feel at home in a horror movie, a sprinkling of interesting guitar riffs and an epic “horde” chorus, as well as “cute-little-thing-who-will-chew-your-head” lyrics make this song a symbol for Lordi’s typical brand of hard rock.

The third song is my favourite. It’s called “The Riff” and had been released as a single before the album. The name is pretty interesting, but the lyrics “Rock your heart off” and the keyboards weigh more in the song than the main riff.

The “metal badass” attitude changes radically when things get darker with a mini ballad, “Something Wicked This Way Comes”. This song will give you cold shivers down the spine, due to its sombre and ponderous atmosphere and the lyrics that seem to describe an apocalyptic vision.

From slow to aggressive, with “I'm the Best”. I know, the title sounds a bit strange, but it perfectly embodies the longstanding Lordi badass attitude. The instrumental part is a work of genius, but the lyrics leave a bit to be desired …

“Horrorfiction” combines elements of well-known horror movies while making fun of people who are overly obsessed with them.

On “Schizo Doll” I only liked the chorus and the sick voice of a haunted doll, but this song, as “Happy New Fear”, which I will only use as a message, are nothing new, while not a total let down, they could definitely do better.

Then we have “Candy for the Cannibal”, with a rather interesting keyboard sound, funny lyrics, and a sadistic and romantic atmosphere.

 “Sincerely with Love” comes with rather indifferent lyrics, and the keyboards and drums cover too much of the melody.

“SCG6: Otus Butcher Clinic” is the most interesting song of the album. It is the first SCG(Scartic Circle Gathering) that is not an intro but an outro, an d the keyboards combined with horror sounds and the drum solo are a very beautiful tribute to the band’s former drummer Otus, who died last year.

It is clear that the line-up change has brought drastic musical changes in the band, but the new members, Mana (tobe) and Hela (clape) do their job quite competently. I could say that the band has made up for “Babez for Breakfast” but some songs are a bit stagnant, and this is not good. I hope this line-up remains stable, and I look forward to seeing my favourite band in new costumes and with a new album in 2 years’ time.

Abramax Nota: 9