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Lordi () is a Finnish
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
band. Formed in 1992 by the band's lead singer, songwriter and costume maker
Mr Lordi Tomi Petteri Putaansuu (born 15 February 1974), known professionally as Mr Lordi, is a Finnish musician, businessman, make-up artist, special effect make-up artist, songwriter, painter, comics artist and graphic designer. He is best known as the ...
(Tomi Petteri Putaansuu), Lordi are known for wearing monster masks and using horror elements with
pyrotechnics Pyrotechnics is the science and craft of creating fireworks, but also includes safety matches, oxygen candles, Pyrotechnic fastener, explosive bolts (and other fasteners), parts of automotive airbags, as well as gas-pressure blasting in mining, q ...
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 Broadcas ...
with their song "
Hard Rock Hallelujah "Hard Rock Hallelujah" is a song by Finnish rock band Lordi. It in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006, held in Athens, resulting in the country's only ever victory in the contest. It reached the 1 spot in Finland and reached the top 10 in eight o ...
". 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


1992–2002: Formation

Lordi was formed in 1992 as a solo project by
Mr Lordi Tomi Petteri Putaansuu (born 15 February 1974), known professionally as Mr Lordi, is a Finnish musician, businessman, make-up artist, special effect make-up artist, songwriter, painter, comics artist and graphic designer. He is best known as the ...
. Lordi's first demo album '' Napalm Market'' was done in 1993. The album included the 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 roles in the video. After the video was done, Mr Lordi got an idea of a band of monsters. "Inferno" was later released in the 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 (, ; , ; , ; , ) 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 Jewish, Christian, and Islamic practices as a concluding word, or as a respons ...
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''. 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 The KISS Army is the official fan club for the American rock band Kiss, as well as the unofficial name used to refer to Kiss fans in general. It was started unofficially in 1975 by Bill Starkey and Jay Evans. The membership form displayed for t ...
Finland. In 2000, drummer Kita joined and the band got their first drummer.


2002–2006: ''Get Heavy'', success in Europe and ''The Monsterican Dream''

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 c ...
(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 the debut recording ran into several problems. In the autumn of 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 studio album by Finnish 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 ...
'' was released in November, with a cover design loosely based on
Kiss A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...
'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 touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...
's ''
Destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...
'' 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 () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...
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 Neval ...
'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 with joint concerts in Germany and Lordi also raised their profile in Germany. 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 rock band Lordi, released in 2004. The album was re-released in Finland as a "Limited Edition" on DVD, which included Lordi's short film ''The Kin''. Track listing Limited editio ...
''. Two songs from the album, "My Heaven is Your Hell" and " Blood Red Sandman", 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 its 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 the spring of 2004, around the release of ''The Monsterican Dream'' album. Mr Lordi, while interviewing the band
Kiss A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...
for Inferno magazine, gave the band's bassist/vocalist,
Gene Simmons Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz; ; born August 25, 1949) also known by his stage persona "The Demon", is an Israeli-born American musician. He was the bassist and co-lead singer of the hard rock band Kiss (band), Kiss, which he co-founded wit ...
, a copy of Lordi's debut album, ''
Get Heavy ''Get Heavy'' is the debut studio album by Finnish 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 ...
'' (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), known professionally as Mr Lordi, is a Finnish musician, businessman, make-up artist, special effect make-up artist, songwriter, painter, comics artist and graphic designer. He is best known as the ...
tried to persuade Kalma to stay and 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 rock 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 Sweden ...
'' album. Kalma left the band just before Lordi entered the
Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...
qualifier. Two new members joined the band, bassist OX and keyboardist Awa. This change in members spawned more alterations to the band's costumes.


2006–2008: ''The Arockalypse'' and Eurovision

Lordi's third album ''
The Arockalypse ''The Arockalypse'' is the third studio album by Finnish rock 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 Sweden ...
'' was released on 1 May 2006. On 20 May 2006, Lordi made history by winning the
Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...
held in Athens with the song "
Hard Rock Hallelujah "Hard Rock Hallelujah" is a song by Finnish rock band Lordi. It in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006, held in Athens, resulting in the country's only ever victory in the contest. It reached the 1 spot in Finland and reached the top 10 in eight o ...
", 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 Teräsbetoni is a Finnish heavy/power metal band. Their first album, ''Metallitotuus'', was released in 2005 and has so far sold more than 32,000 copies. Teräsbetoni has been strongly influenced by bands such as Manowar. The direct translation ...
in
2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
. 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-ti ...
from the band Thunderstone performed backing vocals, wearing a
Gene Simmons Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz; ; born August 25, 1949) also known by his stage persona "The Demon", is an Israeli-born American musician. He was the bassist and co-lead singer of the hard rock band Kiss (band), Kiss, which he co-founded wit ...
Kiss mask. Lordi opened the fall of 2006 with the 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, on 31 October 2006, 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. Early life, family and education Aucoin was born in 1943 in Ayer, Massachusetts. He had tw ...
, best known as the original manager of Kiss, became Lordi's manager. In the spring of 2007, Lordi created the Bringing Back the Balls tour, which toured 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 () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...
, 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'', which premiered on 8 February 2008. In July 2007, Lordi toured
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
with the
Ozzfest Ozzfest was an annual music festival tour of the United States and sometimes Europe and later Japan, featuring performances by many heavy metal music, heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Sharon Osbourne and her husband O ...
festival, but ended up canceling 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 was an American gothic/doom 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 ...
, 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''.


2008–2012: ''Deadache'', ''Babez for Breakfast'' and Otus' death

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 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 co ...
'', 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 of a 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 television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the second installment of the ''Late Night (franchise), Late Night'' franchise originally established by David Letterman. Hosted by Conan O'Brie ...
'' on 6 November 2008.
Mr Lordi Tomi Petteri Putaansuu (born 15 February 1974), known professionally as Mr Lordi, is a Finnish musician, businessman, make-up artist, 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 touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...
guitarist
Bruce Kulick Bruce Howard Kulick (; born December 12, 1953) is an American guitarist best known as a former guitarist of the band Kiss (band), Kiss (19841996). He was also a member of Union (band), Union with John Corabi from 19972002, Blackjack (American ba ...
writing two new tracks, "Cut Off My Head" and "Call Off The Wedding". In March 2010 Mark Slaughter and Bruce Kulick played in a part of their new song. '' Babez for Breakfast'' was recorded in
Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
, and produced by legendary
Michael Wagener Michael Wagener (born 25 April 1949) is a German retired record producer, mixer and engineer from Hamburg, best known for his work with many popular American hard rock and heavy metal music, heavy metal bands in the late 1980s. He is particularly ...
. The first single, called " This is Heavy Metal", 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 o ...
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), known professionally as Mr Lordi, is a Finnish musician, businessman, make-up artist, 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 at a few metal festivals. On 15 February 2012, it was announced that Otus had died. Due to the death of Otus, Lordi canceled 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 "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 first concert in Helsinki 2002. The video was edited by Otus. Keyboardist Awa left the band in the fall of 2012. She was seen for the last time during Lordi's 20th anniversary concert, at Simerock in Rovaniemi, Finland on 11 August.


2012–2018: ''To Beast or Not to Beast'' to ''Monstereophonic''

Lordi began recording their sixth studio album on 1 September 2012 with two new members, Mana as the new drummer and Hella as the new keyboardist. This album was recorded at WireWorld Studio in
Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
, and produced and mixed by
Michael Wagener Michael Wagener (born 25 April 1949) is a German retired record producer, mixer and engineer from Hamburg, best known for his work with many popular American hard rock and heavy metal music, heavy metal bands in the late 1980s. He is particularly ...
, like the previous one. The first single from the new album, " The Riff", was released digitally on 8 February 2013. The studio album '' To Beast or Not to Beast'' 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. In July the band moved to a secret place in Lapland to continue the recordings. On 28 June in
Savonlinna Savonlinna (, , ; ) is a town in Finland, located in the eastern interior of the country. It lies in the Finnish Lakeland, the South Savo region. The population of Savonlinna is approximately , while the Savonlinna sub-region, sub-region has a pop ...
, 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), known professionally as Mr Lordi, is a Finnish musician, businessman, make-up artist, special effect make-up artist, songwriter, painter, comics artist and graphic designer. He is best known as the ...
and
Amen Amen (, ; , ; , ; , ) 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 Jewish, Christian, and Islamic practices as a concluding word, or as a respons ...
visited the exhibition during the opening night. On 31 July 2014, the group announced that the title of their seventh studio album would be " Scare Force One". 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 () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...
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 was pregnant. The band's guitarist,
Amen Amen (, ; , ; , ; , ) 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 Jewish, Christian, and Islamic practices as a concluding word, or as a respons ...
, later confirmed that Hella would be replaced for the summer festivals. In the summer of 2015, Hella's temporary replacement, Nalle (Finnish for Teddy Bear), was seen for the first time at
Rovaniemi Rovaniemi ( , ; ; ; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Lapland (Finland), Lapland. It is located near the Arctic Circle in the northern interior of the country. The population of Rovaniemi is approximately , while the Rovaniemi su ...
. In November Lordi played 2 gigs in Russia (Saint Petersburg and Moscow), still with Hella. In late 2015, the band announced that a new album was in the works. Recording began in December but was halted after the death of Mr Lordi's father. 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 (Måns Zelmerlöw song), Heroes" by Måns Zelmerlöw. Organis ...
, in a musical number satirising Eurovision songs. In April 2016, recording began again, with producer Nino Laurenne, who had previously produced
Deadache ''Deadache'' is the fourth studio album by Finnish 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 co ...
in 2008. In an 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 A concept is an abstract idea that serves as a foundation for more concrete principles, thoughts, and beliefs. Concepts play an important role in all aspects of cognition. As such, concepts are studied within such disciplines as linguistics, ...
. 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.


2018–2020: ''Sexorcism'' and departure of OX

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 on 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 rock 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, '' Sexorc ...
'' 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 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 Beast in Black is a Finnish Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Helsinki in 2015 by guitarist and songwriter Anton Kabanen. The band's blend of power metal, 80s pop, and electronic music, as well as their energetic live performances, h ...
.


2020–2022: ''Killection'', ''Lordiversity'' and Amen's departure

On 27 September 2019, Lordi announced the title of their tenth album ''
Killection ''Killection'' is the tenth studio album by the Finnish 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 hear ...
''. It was released on 31 January 2020, followed by a European tour titled "Killectour" in support of the album the same year. The band has 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 and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, 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 (song), Arcade" by Duncan Laurence. The Netherlands was se ...
, joining five other previous winners in
Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...
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 rock band Lordi that contains their eleventh to seventeenth studio albums: ''Skelectric Dinosaur'', ''Superflytrap'', ''The Masterbeast from the Moon'', ''Abusement Park'', ''Humanimals'', ''Abracada ...
'', 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.


2022–present: ''Screem Writers Guild'' and ''Limited Deadition''

On 21 November 2022, Lordi announced that they had signed with the record label, Atomic Fire Records. Along with that news, they simultaneously added that their eighteenth studio album would be released in Spring 2023. The album's title, '' Screem Writers Guild'', was announced on 1 January 2023, although the title was previously announced in the band's biography Lordiary. The track list for the album was later revealed on 26 January 2023, along with the first single, "Lucyfer Prime Evil". The album was released on 31 March 2023. Two more singles were released to promote the album: "Thing in the Cage" and "Dead Again Jayne". Following the release of the album, Lordi joined
Sabaton A sabaton or solleret is part of a knight's body armour, body armor that covers the foot. History Sabatons from the 14th and 15th centuries typically end in a tapered point well past the actual toes of the wearer's foot, following poulaines, f ...
as an opening act for the European leg of their tour, "The Tour To End All Tours". Lordi were later featured on the front cover of the fashion magazine
Vogue Scandinavia ''Vogue Scandinavia'' is the Scandinavian edition of the American fashion and lifestyle monthly magazine ''Vogue''. The magazine has been published since August 2021 and is the twenty-sixth local edition of ''Vogue''. History In June 2020, '' ...
. On 29 June 2024, Mr Lordi confirmed in an interview with Chaoszine that their nineteenth studio album was already finished, and would be released in Spring 2025. The band released a standalone single, "Made of Metal", in collaboration with OnePlus on 5 August 2024. The band later announced their nineteenth studio album, '' Limited Deadition'', which was released on 21 March 2025.


Style


Musical style

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 touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...
, but also by
Alice Cooper Vincent Damon Furnier (born February 4, 1948), known by his stage name Alice Cooper, is an American rock singer and songwriter whose career spans sixty years. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusion ...
,
Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most ...
, and
Twisted Sister Twisted Sister was an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in 1972 in Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey, and later based on Long Island, New York (state), New York. Their best-known songs include "We're Not Gonna Take It (Twisted Sister song ...
. 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 Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...
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 studio album by Finnish 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 ...
'', 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 rock band Lordi, released in 2004. The album was re-released in Finland as a "Limited Edition" on DVD, which included Lordi's short film ''The Kin''. Track listing Limited editio ...
'' 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 rock 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 Sweden ...
'', 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 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 co ...
'', included more typical horror elements, leaning once again toward the heavier side of the spectrum. '' Babez for Breakfast'' saw the band once again shift back to the traditional hard rock elements, with even greater exposure to the 1980s than the band's previous albums. '' To Beast or Not to Beast'' focuses completely on heavy metal, and was the band's heaviest album. Their 2014 album, '' Scare Force One'', 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, and much more progressive than any of Lordi's earlier content.


Costumes and masks

Lordi members have stated that their costumes were inspired by
Kiss A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...
and the
horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction **Psychological horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Christmas horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Analog horror, a subgenre of horror fiction * ...
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 ...
, 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 cost "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 The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
reporting about the band attending 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 Broadcas ...
, they were shown lounging beside a pool in full sunlight, while wearing their monster costumes.


Stage show

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
Kiss A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...
, while the horror elements are largely derived from horror movies with some influence from
Alice Cooper Vincent Damon Furnier (born February 4, 1948), known by his stage name Alice Cooper, is an American rock singer and songwriter whose career spans sixty years. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusion ...
. 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 the Weta Workshop of New Zealand. The workshop has also designed scenery for movies such as ''
The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an Epic (genre), epic high fantasy novel written by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's book ''The Hobbit'' but eventually d ...
'', ''
King Kong King Kong, also referred to simply as Kong, is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. The character has since become an international pop culture icon,Erb, Cynthia, 1998, ''Tracking Kin ...
,'' and ''
30 Days of Night ''30 Days of Night'' is a three-issue vampire comic book miniseries written by Steve Niles, illustrated by Ben Templesmith, and published by American company IDW Publishing in 2002. All three parties co-own the property. The series takes place ...
''.


Unmasked by the media

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 ''
Ilta-Sanomat is one of Finland's two prominent tabloid-size evening newspapers and the largest paper in the country. Its counterpart and biggest rival is '' Iltalehti''. According to the National Media Research done in 2019, ''Ilta-Sanomat'' is also the bi ...
'' 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, '' Katso!'' ("Look!"), published unmasked pictures of the other four band members. Both magazines were heavily criticized by their readers for publishing these pictures, which led to swift apologies from both magazines and promises not to publish unmasked pictures of Lordi anymore. 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.


Tributes

Lordi's Square Lordi's Square (, known as the ''Sampo Square'' until 2006) is a square in central Rovaniemi, Finland. Next to the square are located a shopping centre called ''Sampokeskus'' and a small boulevard. The square is especially popular in summer as a ...
, in the center of
Rovaniemi Rovaniemi ( , ; ; ; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Lapland (Finland), Lapland. It is located near the Arctic Circle in the northern interior of the country. The population of Rovaniemi is approximately , while the Rovaniemi su ...
, 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 the Rovaniemi city center. After the Eurovision victory, all the members of the line-up at the time got tributes from their hometowns.
Itella Group (previously during 1994–2007 and during 2007–2015), trading internationally as Posti Group Corporation, is the main Finnish postal service delivering mail and parcels in Finland. The State of Finland is the sole shareholder of th ...
, 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.Cola named after rock group Lordi
-
BBC News Online BBC News Online is the website of BBC News, the division of the BBC responsible for newsgathering and production. It is one of the most popular news websites, with 1.2 billion website visits in April 2021, as well as being used by 60% of the U ...
- Published 17 August 2006. Retrieved 9 June 2007.
The 2.6.17-rc5 version of the Linux kernel was named after Lordi. A themed restaurant named "Lordi's Rocktaurant" opened on Koskikatu Street near Lordi's Square in Rovaniemi in 2006, with stage props and costumes the band used.Laine, Senni
Lordin hirviöravintola avattiin näyttävästi
''
Kaleva Kaleva or Kalevi may refer to: * CWT Kaleva Travel, a travel management company based in Finland * Kalevi (mythology), the great king of Kainuu in Finnish, Karelian and Estonian mythology * ''Kaleva'' (wasp), a wasp genus in the subfamily Pteromal ...
'' 16 December 2006. Accessed on 28 January 2015.
The restaurant expanded to the Rinteenkulma shopping center in 2008, but closed in 2011 after its rental contract ran out, having reportedly been in financial difficulties the previous year.


Band members

Current *
Mr Lordi Tomi Petteri Putaansuu (born 15 February 1974), known professionally as Mr Lordi, is a Finnish musician, businessman, make-up artist, special effect make-up artist, songwriter, painter, comics artist and graphic designer. He is best known as the ...
(Tomi Putaansuu) – lead vocals (1992–present), drums (1992–2000), guitar, bass (1992–1996) * Hella – keyboards (2012–present) * Mana – drums (2012–present) * Hiisi – bass (2019–present) * Kone – guitar (2022–present) Touring * Jimmy "The Drummer" Hammer – drums (2012) * Nalle – keyboards (2015, 2017, 2023, 2025) Former * G-Stealer (Sami Keinänen) – bass (1996–1999) * Magnum (Sami Wolking) – bass (1999–2002) * Kalma (Niko Hurme / Nick Gore) – bass (2002–2005) * Enary (Erna Siikavirta) – keyboards (1997–2005) * Kita (Sampsa Astala)– drums, vocals (2000–2010) *
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 o ...
(Tonmi Lillman) – drums (2010–2012; his death) * Awa (Leena Peisa) – keyboards (2005–2012) * OX (Samer el Nahhal) – bass (2005–2019) *
Amen Amen (, ; , ; , ; , ) 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 Jewish, Christian, and Islamic practices as a concluding word, or as a respons ...
(Jussi Sydänmaa) – guitar (1996–2022)


Timeline


Discography

Studio albums *''
Get Heavy ''Get Heavy'' is the debut studio album by Finnish 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 ...
'' (2002) *''
The Monsterican Dream ''The Monsterican Dream'' is the second studio album by Finnish rock band Lordi, released in 2004. The album was re-released in Finland as a "Limited Edition" on DVD, which included Lordi's short film ''The Kin''. Track listing Limited editio ...
'' (2004) *''
The Arockalypse ''The Arockalypse'' is the third studio album by Finnish rock 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 Sweden ...
'' (2006) *''
Deadache ''Deadache'' is the fourth studio album by Finnish 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 co ...
'' (2008) *'' Babez for Breakfast'' (2010) *'' To Beast or Not to Beast'' (2013) *'' Scare Force One'' (2014) *'' Monstereophonic'' (2016) *'' Sexorcism'' (2018) *''
Killection ''Killection'' is the tenth studio album by the Finnish 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 hear ...
'' (2020) *''
Lordiversity ''Lordiversity'' is a box set by the Finnish rock band Lordi that contains their eleventh to seventeenth studio albums: ''Skelectric Dinosaur'', ''Superflytrap'', ''The Masterbeast from the Moon'', ''Abusement Park'', ''Humanimals'', ''Abracada ...
'' (2021) ** '' Skelectric Dinosaur'' ** '' Superflytrap'' ** '' The Masterbeast from the Moon'' ** '' Abusement Park'' ** ''
Humanimals ''Humanimals'' is the debut album released by San Diego–based alternative rock band Grand Ole Party. It was released on August 7, 2007, on iTunes and was released on DH Records, February 5, 2008. The album was engineered by Jason Cupp at Eldo ...
'' ** '' Abracadaver'' ** '' Spooky Sextravaganza Spectacular'' *'' Screem Writers Guild'' (2023) *'' Limited Deadition'' (2025)


Filmography

* ''The Kin'' (2004) * '' Dark Floors'' (2008) * ''Monsterman'' (2014)


See also

*
List of best-selling music artists in Finland These are the lists of the music artists that have the highest certified record sales in Finland (and/or sales explicitly confirmed by Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland in their database). The lists consist of albums and singles (vinyl, CD, ...


References


Citations


Sources

* *


External links


Official websiteLORDI Army - international fan club
* {{Authority control Eurovision Song Contest winners Finnish heavy metal musical groups Finnish hard rock musical groups Finnish musical quintets Musical groups established in 1992 Bands with fictional stage personas Masked musicians Nuclear Blast artists Musical groups from Helsinki GUN Records artists English-language musical groups from Finland