I’ve known Lordi for quite a while now. I must say I have to thank the Eurovision Song Contest for that, as I had never heard of them before that. Actually, they were one of the first Hard Rock bands that I started listening to back in the day, and besides their famous ‘Hard Rock Hallelujah’, they surely had way more amazing songs. I was quite the fan of their latest album as well, so finding out there is a new album coming was a great surprise!
The intro surely is setting the tone, as it’s more horror sounding, creepy, just like we know Lordi. The intro leads up to ‘Let’s Go Slaughter He-Man (I wanna be the beast man)’, which does sound amazing immediately. The sound is more uplifting, but it still has a nice pace to it, and it makes me want to sing along right away. The chorus is catchy, and it is a nice welcome to the newest Lordi album. I honestly can’t wait what more this album will bring me!
From a somewhat more cheery sounding song, we switch to deep riffs on ‘Hug You Hardcore’, which is quite different, but not the kind of different that would bother me. The harmonies which lead up tot he chorus sound amazing together, and though the chorus isn’t too big or bombastic, it fits the song perfectly. The guitar riffs and the vocals fit the atmosphere the music have created, and it feels like a complete piece.
‘Down With The Devil’ reminds me of some of the older songs by Lordi, though it meets the newer style of Lordi in the chorus. It’s a perfect mixture of what we were used to, to what they are now. It doesn’t sound too heavy, though, but it is a song which makes me want to dance and sing along, which is a good sign to me! The chorus is easy to get into, something which is easy to sing along with, and rather catchy as well!
The next track, ‘Mary is Dead’ starts of a little slower, not having the quicker pace which the previous songs had. It does have a more eerie atmosphere to it, which is especially created by the vocals on this song. The lyrics are intriguing, making me want to listen tot hem closely and follow the ‘story’ they tell. The music fits perfectly with the lyrics and the vocals, making the tune a complete piece of art.
The pace is quickened, as we’re led onto ‘Sick Flick’. The chorus is truly energetic, embracing the harmonies with rougher vocals, fitting the energy of the music perfectly. I would say the chorus is the highlight of the song, as I feel like the verses have more of a lack of energy, compared to the chorus. Still, it’s a rather nice song to listen to.
The next song, ‘None for One’ is once again a song with a faster pace, though not as fast as some of the previous tracks on the album. During the verses it slows down a bit more, but this simply sets the setting of the song. The chorus is one to easily sing along with, and is rather catchy as well. The guitars sound amazing on this song as well, and the solo is truly a welcoming one. I would say this is one of the greater songs on the album, though I must say so far, I have not been let down yet.
‘Demonarchy’ has, just like ‘Let’s go Slaughter He-Man’, a nice intro to it. It is a lot more nicely sounding than the first intro, as it’s a lot softer, gentler, and actually a beautiful piece. However, near the end it starts to sound a little rougher, while it then flows onto ‘Demonarchy’. ‘Demonarchy’ is something truly different from what we’ve heard on the album before. It’s rough, it’s heavy, and it’s fast. It rips through the speakers, but I must say it’s a nice kind of fast and rough. While I feared the chorus would slow down a little, I am surprised to hear that the roughness continues, the guitar riffs simply continue to be fast. While this song was a surprise to me, I must say that I’m crazily impressed!
The next track, ‘The Unholy Gathering’ surely is slower than the previous, but it continues the somewhat rougher sound to it. However, short after the intro it slows down a tad, and the eerie vocals sound once again. It’s a nice difference to the previous track. The chorus is bombastic, breaking the eerie feel of the start of the track, but welcoming nonetheless. However, though it starts off slower, later in the song, it picks up the pace, which seems to fit the song better than the slower start. Once again, this is a surprising piece on the album, but a good one at that!
‘Heaven Sent Hell On Earth’ is again to be called heavy and rough, which is quite a surprise to me again. Yet, it slows down later on. Right after, the screams rip through the track again, leading into the chorus, which is bombastic and catchy. It truly is a mixture of styles, but they work perfectly well together!
‘And The Zombie Says’ is another more rougher and heavier track upon the album, but not as rough as the previous couple of tracks. Still, it does show its difference to the first half of the album. It’s a nice song, though I must say it’s not as intriguing as the previous songs I’ve heard. It’s not as catchy, and I feel like the chorus doesn’t have the same energy as the previous choruses had. Still, I can’t say I dislike the song, but I did expect more out of it.
With another rough and fast song, ‘Break of Dawn’ is matching the pace of ‘Demonarchy’, though in difference to ‘Demonarchy’, it does lose its speed during the chorus. While I was fearing this happening in ‘Demonarchy’, I did not fear it in this song. It’s because the setting in this song is different, as the intro was slower as well, setting the tone of the song. The softer chorus fits the song perfectly, and I quite enjoy the combination of it all – the music, the vocals and the pace. It all seems to fit like a glove!
The last song, ‘The Night The Monsters Died’, is less heavy, and quite catchy, as it truly concludes the album. The title doesn’t lie – the song is about the night the monsters died, which is almost saddening! I truly love the setting of the song, fitting the lyrics and the chorus perfectly. The sound and the vocals are amazing, and I can say it’s the perfect song to end the album with.
The title becomes clear after having heard the album fully. It does show a difference between the first half and the second half of the album, whereas the first half of the album is the more catchy side of Lordi, with more uplifting songs, while the second half of the album is rough, heavy and fast. It’s a nice contrast to add, showing that Lordi is still capable of creating such songs. It did come as a surprise to me, but I have embraced this album as a nice surprise. I am amazed by the outcome of this album, and I will certainly put this on a few more times this week!