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Lordi
Deadache
(The End Records)
Okay, okay…I know I’ve probably said this before, but if loving nearly all forms of music, regardless of the genre, is truly a crime, then lock me up and throw away the key, for I am guilty as charged. Seriously, I’ll listen to almost anything at least twice. Basically, if it catches my ear for longer than a day or two, I’ll consider myself a fan of that particular artist or group. Is this an admirable trait for a music journalist (or, for that matter, a wanna-be music journalist) to have? Not really, but then again, there’s already enough half-wits out there proudly proclaiming that everything--and I mean everything--sucks harder than my Junior and Senior Prom dates combined. Needless to say, it should come as absolutely no surprise whatsoever that I’ve once again found myself deeply ‘enthralled’ with the latest sonic offering from the musical anomaly best known as Lordi.
On the stellar Deadache (2008), an expertly assembled thirteen song collection of deliciously intricate Hard Rock and Heavy Metal, each track, beginning with the thunderous first single “Bite It Like A Bulldog”, and the maddeningly infectious (if not outright anthemic) “Girls Go Chopping”, instantly commands the rapt and undivided attention of even the most jaded and unimaginative of listeners, myself most definitely included. Wisely refusing to conform to the downtrodden ‘…tried and true…’ formulas so often embraced by the would-be crème de la crème of the genre’s elite, the group boldly forges ahead via a razor-sharp array of towering vocals, blistering fretwork and refreshingly grandiose rhythms. Obviously intent on drawing attention to their already notorious public profile, the group easily surges ahead with a rumbling, adrenaline-laced vengeance.
Continuing with the predictable, albeit highly effective, “Man Skin Boots”, and the bone-chilling ‘…Lighthouse Ghost…’ lament “The Ghosts Of Heceta Head”, the delightfully ghoulish combination of vocalist Mr. Lordi (Tomi Petteri Putaansuu), guitarist Amen (Jussi Sydänmaa), bassist OX (Samer El Nahhal), keyboardist Awa (Leena Maria Peisa) and drummer Kita (Sampsa Astala) steamroll ahead at a carefully calculated pace. Wholeheartedly embracing their more than considerable influences without sacrificing the originality and Bill Aucoin-led marketing savvy that initially earned them notoriety in their native Finland, the group wastes little--if any--time effectively reaffirming their oft-debated reputation as a legitimate creative and commercial force not to be ignored by exponentially increasing the focus on songwriting and overall execution.
Produced and mixed by acclaimed Thunderstone/ex-Antidote guitarist Nino Laurenne (Ari Koivunen and Omnium Gatherum, to name only a few), other standouts, including the quasi-Speed Metal-tinged “Raise Hell In Heaven”, and the equally impressive closer “Missing Miss Charlene” (which succeeds, oddly enough, despite that lack of a strong lead vocal), once again finds the fiendish fivesome at their campy, tongue-in-cheek best, a much-welcomed factor that makes the mighty Deadache one of 2008’s most genuinely unexpected surprises. As a result, with the majority--if not all--of the decidedly wares contained herein undoubtedly appealing to both die-hard completists and the uninitiated alike (particularly those not ‘…turned off…’ by the group’s costumes, lyrical themes and/or content), one can only speculate what the future holds for the Eurovision 2006 champions.
So is it really that freakin’ good? That, my friend, depends entirely on who you ask. But whatever you do, do not dismiss the arguably cartoonish fivesome as little more than a user-friendly European GWAR or Kiss ‘…knock-off…’. Undeniably the group’s most thoroughly accessible effort to date (easily surpassing the chart-topping tour-de-force that was 2006’s The Arockalypse), the end result(s) of the group’s obviously painstaking efforts are seemingly destined to only add to their already uniquely dedicated--if not outright bloodthirsty--international following. Thus, if you’ve once again found yourself in search of a slightly left-of-center alternative to the hopelessly puréed, Pop and Hip Hop-fueled menagerie that is so often the mainstream, then this might just be the foam latex-clad cure for what ails you. Trust me, my friends, you won’t be disappointed.
Todd Newton/Todd Blomfelt
Select Discography
Deadache (2008)
Bringing Back The Balls To Stockholm (DVD) (2007)
Market Square Massacre (DVD) (2006)
The Arockalypse (2006)
The Monster Show (2005)
The Monsterican Dream (2004)
Get Heavy (2002)