Oh, Lordi

Finns shocked by Eurovision band

Lordi's antics have caused a furore in Finland
Finland's controversial entry for this year's Eurovision Song Contest - a heavy metal band called Lordi (The Lord) - has upset many Finns.
The band members wear scary masks, which they refuse to take off, and the lead singer wields a chain-saw.

Their song Hard Rock Hallelujah is a radical departure from the folk songs usually associated with Eurovision.

Finnish online chatrooms are full of comments from people concerned about their country's reputation abroad.

Some Finns have even asked the president to intervene.

But Lordi was a people's choice: their hit got more than 42% of the votes cast by televoting in the Finnish final.

Devil's advocate?

Lordi, influenced by the American hard rock band Kiss and its lead singer Gene Simmons, has not escaped allegations of links with Satanism.

"Lord have mercy on us Finnish people now "
Father Mitro Repo
Finnish clergyman
Rumours have been fuelled by the group's refusal to give television interviews, to take off their masks or reveal their real names.

But in other media interviews, the rockers have stressed their tongue-in-cheek attitude to entertainment. As if to prove the point, they had a hit in Finland with a song called The Devil Is A Loser.

Hailing from Arctic Lapland, Lordi became a phenomenon in Finland with a platinum-selling debut album, Get Heavy, in 2002.

Their compilation album The Monster Show has been released in more than 20 countries.

The Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Greece on 20 May.

Father Mitro Repo, an Orthodox Christian clergyman in Helsinki, described the band's use of the name "Lordi" as "sacrilege".

"I think it's a stupid joke of Finland," he told the BBC's World Today programme, commenting on the country's Eurovision choice.

"Lord have mercy on us Finnish people now," he said, adding that the choice appeared to be a protest by youngsters annoyed that Finland had failed to score highly in Eurovision.

All right. Someone tell me...do people really give a shit about a bunch of douchebags in Deep Space Nine villain costumes singing (somehow more bad) Winger meets Queensryche covers? The mention of Kiss in the article and in Lordi's criticisms is a logical choice. Lordi is just another bad rip off of an idea that was tired 25 years ago.




Do you know these knobs? Sure, they were fun. And they were novel. But they were still a bunch of d-bags in costumes, cod pieces, and stupid face paint playing bad rock poorly. Everyone took them way too seriously. I can remember all the hooplah from the conservative cocks and the over-protective parents. And, on the other side, I remember my peers freaking for Kiss and trying to get their hands on silver claw boots. What a big deal they made about the love ballad "Beth" (Kiss' only top 10 tune , ironically). It was a rage because it was such a departure and it spoke to the hardships of the rock lifestyle (something akin to coal mining or deep sea salmon boat fishing, I believe). I remember blowing any chance I had of getting my mitts on this girl Melissa. We were in my beat to shit Lincoln Town Car, the front seats were reclined and late night FM radio (the King Biscuit Flour Hour) was playing. I was planning my move to get her too tight jeans around her ankles when she started welling up over Peter Chris giving us the Kiss Alive II version of Beth.
Her: Can you imagine being in the front row? Imagine hearing this live? I think he wrote this for his wife or something. Can you see him like serenading her?
Me: Yeah, I'm picturing this douchebag at the piano with his cat face painted on.



Don't you just love this one? How much H was he on to agree to this pose? Can't you hear the fucking photographer (Brit Accent): OK, now Peter let the smoke fill in behind you a bit, good, good, now hold the knife in front like you're fending off an attack. There's a good boy. Ok, just pull the belt around a bit so we can see the cuffs. Good-O.