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^^Queen Nefertiti^^
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« Vastaus #183 : 08.05.2007 12:57:07 » |
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Not just a bunch of pretty faces
The masks, armour and jets of flame that are part of Lordi’s show are not tricks to compensate for a lack of talent. The band members, who never appear in the media unmasked, are serious musicians, some of them classically trained. The five-person band is made up of Mr Lordi, Kita, Amen, OX and Awa.
© Petri Haggrén
Mr. Lordi
Mr Lordi (Tomi Putansuu), now in his early 30s, formed the band in 1992. Ten years later, Lordi’s debut album Get Heavy sold platinum in Finland. Their compilation album The Monster Show has been released in more than 20 countries. The Arockalypse, their newest CD, features guest appearances by Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider and guitarist Jay Jay French.
When Lordi was approached by the Finnish Eurovision board, the band wondered if there had been a mistake. But they agreed to perform and were selected as Finland’s entry. Many Finns were upset at the time, as they felt it would be bad publicity for the country to be represented on the international stage by rockers who they feared might be Satan worshippers. (In Finland, there is endless discussion about Suomi kuva, which roughly translates into "Finland’s image" abroad).
However, the band had a hit song in 2002 called "Devil is a Loser" and have gone on the record saying they are not devil worshippers.
"We have the same aesthetic as horror films. The scarier the film, the more fun it is. And rock music should be all about fun," says Mr Lordi, himself a film school graduate, on the band’s website. Lordi takes inspiration from bands such as American glam rockers KISS, whose painted faces and outrageous costumes are part of their appeal.
For the most part, support for Lordi has been overwhelming from the beginning. When it was announced that Lordi had made the semi finals and that the Finnish Broadcasting Corporation (YLE) could not afford to pay for the group’s elaborate pyrotechnics show, Finnish organisations, private citizens and two of Finland’s largest heavy metal festivals, Tuska Open Air and Sauna Open Air offered to pay for the band’s explosive show.
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