Sometimes when bands want to stretch out a bit and go a little crazy, they decide to put out a double album. Or a triple album. Or release two albums at the same time. Then we have Finish monster-rockers Lordi. They went completely off the rails and decided to release ten records at the same time. Their record-company probably wondered if they had gone completely mental and said no. Of course. Seven albums at the same time, however, was fine. That said, all albums will be released separately as well.
The idea behind this move came in the backwater of their last album Killection: A Fictional Compilation Album (2020), an album where the band schizophrenically mixed genres with each song to make it sound like, well a compilation album by different bands. So why not go all in and make a whole album with each genres on each album and release them all in one box, they thought. A killer idea thought everyone except for the record company as it financially is a complete nightmare to try to pull off a stunt like that especially in an age when few people buy records. I also wonder how on Earth someone can write so many songs in one batch without tampering with the quality. I mean it was only a year since Killection came out…
SUPERFLYTRAP
This is where Lordi goes 70’s Disco/Pop on us. The intro is funny as hell as it’s a piss-take on ridiculous 70’s porno movies. “Oooh, it’s the pizza guy…”. Now Disco might not be my choice of pleasure but you know what? This is actually really damn good. “Macho Freak” opens the album danceable with a late 70’s disco-pop swing while the single “Believe Me” takes Disco and mixes it with a slice of 50’s Pop and a chunky of ABBA with a Hard Rock guitar solo to go with it. The chorus is catchy as hell and screams hit. They boogie down with a floor-filler called “Spooky Jive” that holds some huge grooves, “City Of The Broken Hearted” throws in some AOR-melodies for good measure and the foot-stomping “Cast Out From Heaven” borrows the bass-lines from Rolling Stones’ “Miss You” and some memorable pop meets AOR melodies in the spot-on chorus.
“Zombimbo” is taken from the Killection album, a great stomper but the best track on the record must be the closing ballad “Cider Ghost Choir”. It starts out slow, dark and even jazzy but turns out more grandiose and bombastic in the big, power ballad flirtatious refrain. The tune holds a Classic Rock touch, a nod towards 70’s Alice Cooper but very little here goes as disco. Brilliant. Lordi goes Disco might be enough to put any fan off but in reality, there are enough Pop and Rock thrown in here as well – at times I get a Night Flight Orchestra vibe. But don’t knock it til you try it because Lordi knows what they’re doing here – and they’re damn good at it too.
8/10
1. SCG Minus 6: Delightful Pop-Ins
2. Macho Freak
3. Believe Me
4. Spooky Jive
5. City Of The Broken Hearted
6. Bella From Hell
7. Cast Out From Heaven
8. Gonna Do It (Or Do It And Cry)
9. Zombimbo
10. Cider Ghost Choir
ABRACADAVER
This album takes a whole other turn as it takes Lordi into 90’s Metal and even Thrash – a ballsy and muscular record indeed. “Devilium” opens hard, edgy and robust where Lordi blends Accept and Judas Priest – heavy yet with clear melodies while both the title-track and the following “Rejected” is a fist-in-the-gut Metal with Thrash Metal riffing, hard and heavy and headbang-friendly – very kicking and in-your-face. “Acid Bleeding Eyes” is darker and takes a more modern Metal twist, not a far cry from Dee Snider’s latest albums while the edgy and gritty “Beast Of Both Worlds” blends the Thrash of Testament with the chuggy riffage of 80’s Priest. Can’t go wrong with that – and they don’t.
The Killection pick here is the classic Metal and raw-riffed “Evil”, a damn good one. The album closes with “Vulture Of Fire”, a punchy metal-blaster with razor-sharp riffing, a strong melody and a prominent hook in the in-your-face chorus which goes into the darkening “Beastwood” outro. Lordi knows their Metal well and they sure can write a meaty Thrash-riff but while I really dig the record one song at the time, the whole album back to back tends to be a bit samey plus I like my Metal, be it Thrash or Heavy, with a hook and memorable melodies which all the songs here doesn’t sport, even though many of them do. A good album, no more no less.
6/10
1. SCG Minus 2:– Horricone
2. Devilium
3. Abracadaver
4. Rejected
5. Acid Bleeding Eyes
6. Raging At Tomorrow
7. Beast Of Both Worlds
8. I’m Sorry I’m Not Sorry
9. Bent Outta Shape
10. Evil
11. Vulture Of Fire
12. Beastwood
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