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…
With Humanimals – a title Swedish melodic hard-rockers Talisman used already back in 1994 – Lordi takes the shape of a fictional AOR/Melodic Rock band, something that’s always been in their comfort zone and something they have approached on many songs, even the harder stuff. The intro “SCG 3: Scarctic Circle Telethon” takes a punch at 80’s hypocritical TV-preachers which leads into the single “Borderline”, an upbeat and direct AOR stomper taken directly from 1984’s back-pocket. I’m thinking of bands like Urgent and Aviator more than Bon Jovi here. The melodies and the massively catchy chorus holds classic Lordi catchiness but the song is way more keyboard-oriented and glossy. Still, it’s a damn good tune.
Moving forward a few years and “Victim Of The Romance” takes us into 1987 with the big hooks, the slick production and the silky soundscape. There’s a Bon Jovi vibe inserted for sure with some of the poppier moments of Sammy Hagar fronted Van Halen and pinch of Europe to go with it. Strong melodies, radio-friendly hooks and another huge Melodic Rock chorus. Good one. “Heart Of A Lion” is totally 1986 with all the ingredients in the mix – a mountain of synths, ddrums and lots of guitars with a clean sound. And of course a mastodon chorus is present and I can’t help but to think of Europe’s The Final Countdown days here. I dig.
If I didn’t know any better I could have sworn Desmond Child had a hand in writing the chorus for “The Bullet Bites Back” – at times it comes across as a Slippery When Wet outtake. Back in 1987 this tune could have made Lordi megastars. It’s upbeat, stompy and straight ahead with an enormous hit-potential and impossible to get out of the brain once its there. Great stuff. “Be My Maniac” is equal parts 80’s Hard Rock and Pop with slick and memorable melodies and a smooth outlook yet rocking. The chorus jumps at you at once and delivers some sing-along melodies – very effective and sticky. Very good.
“Rucking Up The Party” is a mastodon 80’s Arena Rock number taken right from the American west-coast. It’s a happy-go-lucky party-rocker with direct riffing, monster hooks and a chorus that throws in some AOR-isms for catchiness’ sake. It’s a song to crack open a cold one (or ten) on hot summer nights with your buddies in tow. A good tune. Think Bon Jovi back in 1985, throw in a little Treat and pour a bit of Crazy Nights era Kiss and you get the idea of how Girl In A Suitcase sounds. It’s a stompy number with chunky guitars on a steady beat and a rocking structure yet with some inserted glossiness, big keyboards and a chorus made for the American charts back when. Great stuff indeed.
The uptempo “Supernatural” is built on classic Lordi Hard Rock when they go pop-metal but with a bigger 80’s Melodic Rock sound and a bigger keyboard-arrangement. It’s Lordi being Lordi but with a mid 80’s sound and an Alice Cooper Trash era vibe. Great. The brilliant Paul Stanley/Jean Beauvoir-penned “Like A Bee To The Honey” is taken from Killection and the closing title-track is grandiose power-ballad with a darker edge, bombastic and 80’s overblown. It might be somewhat eerie but also catchy as hell with one of those late 80’s refrains that made women faint and turned Hard Rock bands into superstars overnight back when. I’m a sucker for a great power ballad and this one’s one of those. Brilliant stuff.
As Lordi has always been a very melodic band where big melodies and big hooks are just as important as big guitars and a heavy sound this is an area this band knows their way around – and my guess is that they truthfully loves this genre of Hard Rock. Fact is, when it comes to the performance and the melody-arrangements, it’s easy to hear Lordi in here, it’s just a slicker and glossier version of the band where their Metal has been changed into Melodic Rock of the 80’s. They have also managed to produce an authentic 80’s Hard Rock album production-wise, polished more than gritty. This is very well-done with a whole bunch a great songs written.
8/10
Tracklist:
1. SCG 3: Scarctic Circle Telethon
2. Borderline
3. Victims Of The Romance
4. Heart Of A Lion
5. The Bullet Bites Back
6. Be My Maniac
7. Rucking Up The Party
8. Girl In A Suitcase
9. Supernatural
10. Like A Bee To The Honey
11. Humanimal
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