Lordi seems to be getting finally some
good words from critics with their new album To beast or not to beast
(listen a sampler). For example Sue magazine gives it 9/10 and also features a long interview with Mr Lordi. It's more metal than the previous ones and makes
a clear difference to the precedent partyheavy album Babez for
breakfast in 2010. The band may finally be able to brush off the
Eurovision clowns image they have been suffering ever since 2006 by
some critics and fans. But they seem to have made a peace with that,
too, as they performed in the Irish antional selection 2013 and di
Hard rock hallelujah instead of the new The riff. I kinda like Candy for the cannibal and
The year 2012 was ment to be band's
jubilee year but it all changed when the drummer Otus died in
February. ”The news reached me before I was told about it” he
recalls. ”it wasn't surprising, the timing was. It was a fact he
wouldn't live to 60, but that he didn't even make it to 40 was a
surprise.” The band immediately postboned the new album and
cancelled their tour. ”We decided to go on. We did a couple of
summer gigs with Jimmy Hammer from Ironcross as the drummer. For me
and Ox it was a big deal to play with him!” But it wasn't over yet,
Awa decided to leave the band in the fall. ”She didn't leave us in
trouble, the time of her leaving was well planned, and we are still
good friends. She lives in Italy now and of course it would have been
too difficult in the future for rehearsals and gigs. Her replacement
Hella was already selected when Awa played her last gig, finding a
new drummer was more difficult!” In the end Mana was found and
joined the band shortly before the recording of this new album
started. And he is NOT Jimmy Hammer. The band is ready to rock Europe
with their coming tour again.
Mr Lordi himself is living again in
Rovaniemi, he says he never felt home in Helsinki and in the crowds,
even if he still can walk the streets like any heavy rocker as no one
knows how he looks like – so next time you see a rocker in leather
pants, a black ”Hotter than hell” hoodie smoking a pipe in a
cafe's terrace, look twice!
Meanwhile the documentary film of Mr
Lordi's life is in the making, directed by Antti Haase. ”The
cameras are always placed so that our faces aren't visible, otherwise
the whole thing would loose its meaning” tells Mr Lordi. ”I
believe this film is interesting, a car mechanic or a supermarket
cashier has no idea what it is to be a in a rock band and run this
monster opera!”. He has studied film making himself so he's heavily
involved with this project. The premiere is planned for spring 2014.
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