Lordi
Get Heavy

THE REVIEW

"Speak ill of me, as long as you speak of me."

This must have been what Tomi Petteri Putaannsuu thought in the late '90s when an idea as ridiculous as it was brilliant flashed through his mind. Revamping the KISS formula, that is, putting theatricality and image at the forefront, along with shocking performances and typically '80s melodies, in the style of bands like W.A.S.P., Twisted Sister, Alice Cooper, Lizzy Borden, easily catchy yet powerful. It was with this premise that Lordi was born in 1994, a Finnish band founded indeed by Putaansuu, known as Mr. Lordi, who immediately set an existential point for the group, the show had to be everything. Therefore, taking up the idea that KISS had in the '70s, Lordi equipped themselves with costumes and makeup, along with an immense passion for horror movies.

In 2002, Lordi's debut saw the light, titled "Get Heavy", with a cover skirting on decency, but with songs that would dispel any doubts from skeptics. It's worth mentioning that every single track was composed by the frontman and singer Mr. Lordi long before he called upon the other members, tracks that at the time were not released by the record company due to some lyrics not quite suitable for a youthful audience, and which were changed before the release of this debut.

Although the stylistic and musical maturity of Lordi in this work is not yet complete, "Get Heavy" still contains well-crafted and suitably engaging songs. Just listen to the compelling "Devil Is A Loser", which in the future will be a highlight at the band's concerts, and "Would You Love A Monsterman?", whose video I absolutely recommend watching. More anthemic and powerful is "Rock The Hell Outta You", which features excellent drumming, while "Last Kiss Goodbye" highlights the keyboards, which especially in the chorus serve as the backbone of the entire song. With a similar band, one might not expect ballads, but "Icon of Dominance" presents itself as a well-executed slow song, with an exceptional bass supporting the gritty and cavernous voice of the singer, it feels like listening to a Journey or Bon Jovi track, but supercharged. I consider "Hellbender Turbulence" and "Biomechanic Man" as two unnecessary fillers, with only the latter featuring some interesting elements in the chorus, but nothing more. Let's call it more of a missed opportunity. It's again the keyboards taking center stage in "Monster, Monster", another song that in the early years of the band will prove to be their cornerstone along with "Devil Is A Loser", though it's a shame that it's no longer performed today.

The band's career was, of course, prolific, also thanks to their participation in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2006, resulting in a completely unexpected win. Many criticisms obviously arose and more will surely come about pursuing a musical career essentially based on stage costumes and, if you will, copying ideas that previous bands had, which brought them deserved success. But that's also what the music world is like, in my opinion, and as long as the goal is to entertain, I don't see what's wrong with that. This "Get Heavy" may not be a masterpiece of the genre, it may not be influential, but one thing is certain. It will give you a little less than an hour of healthy fun, and I think sometimes you can't ask for anything better. Or can you?