REVIEW: Lordi – Sexorcism
So, Ladies and Gentlemen – here we are. Two years, well, not two years perhaps, but finally – a new Lordi album has seen the light of day. I’ll admit I am amongst those fans who have been a bit taken aback by the sudden change in themes from the band, but I’ve always decided to not take anything out in advance. Well, not too much anyway. “Sexorcism” is the ninth studio album from Finnish monster rock band and is said to be their most controversial album yet. I guess we shall see about that huh?
As per usual, I prepare you for potential use of my own names of the songs if I deem the title to complicated for my little brain to process. But you are used to that by now, aren’t you?
So, let’s get to it huh? The album opens with an intro of a priest chanting unhearable verses, like one is performing an (s)exorcism, before launching into a “Demonarchy” like guitarriffs and upbeat, cheerful melodylines, musical accessories and anthemlike chants that makes up the opening track, as well as the titletrack “Sexorcism”.
The track serves as a good opening phrase to what we are about the experience on the album as a whole. “Kittycat” is the second song, which launches us straight back to “Deadache”, and more specifically “Missing Miss Charlene” with some spices from Reckless Love’s “Back To Paradise” in the verses, calling for a very familiar yet different kind of song, but in every good possible way.
Starting from here it gets a little weaker. While “Romeo Ate Juliet” is a heavier and faster song, with the “classic” kind of horror lyrics we are used to with Lordi, it still falls somewhat flat on the album, for me. It feels like a lot could have been done, but wasn’t.
Same goes for “Naked In My Cellar” – the music video song, even though I really DO, for some reason, enjoy Mr Lordi’s newfound Ozzy Osbourne voice. I can imagine this song being real fun live though, despite all.
This continues on with “The Beast is Yet To Cum” – and it finally comes back alive with “Polterchrist”, with an eerie intro sung by a girl named Isabella, evolving into a lowkey, yet rough constipated-sung kind of verse, exploding in a crowdfriendly and adrenaline kicking chorus. The lyrics are haunting as well – precisely the type of thing I’d expect and want from this band.
However, the album really does pick up it’s pace then the intro from heavens appears – it sounds like a perfect mix of the epicness found in HammerFall’s “Crimson Thunder” and anything 80’s. The song itself seem to be a “Sick Flick” 2.0, following a similar theme. I feel this song might be one of those under dog songs that will grow to be very, very popular.
From here it’s a bit of a lukewarm soup. While both “Rimskin Assassin” and “Hell Has Room” has their own shares of comedy as well as musical craftmanship (the solo in “Rimskin Assassin” is marvellous), it leaves much to be wished for.
However, the pace IS in fact picked up a bit for the last three songs – “Hot and Satanned” being a typical revenge kind of song with enough musically erotic elements to make sure I’ll sign up for those damned pole dancing classes come this fall. And if a song makes you do that, you know it’s the shit. “Sodomesticated Animal” follows the line of being very typical Lordi with an extremly crowdfriendly chorus and the whole album is then wrapped up with the calm, eerie and very cosy “Haunting Seasons” which sums up the album perfectly.
Quite frankly, I feel that this album is all over the place. It has some really, and then I mean really, good songs and material, but the bits and pieces that weren’t all too great falls flat. There is most definitely an increase in sexually loaded songs as compared to before, but it’s not quite as bad as I would have expected it to be – so calm down you all. It’s not quite as controversial as I’d have expected it to be, but what is and what is not?
Musically I think it’s going in the same kind of veins as it has previously, with some of the newer elements from “Demonarchy” finding it’s way into the making of this. What I’m very keen on is all the accessories added here and there, which adds a lot more interest to the songs. Well done!
Favorite song: Tie between “Your Tongue’s Got the Cat” and “Hot and Satanned”. For several reasons.
Least Favorite: “The Beast is Yet To Cum”
Dance-friendliness: 6/13
Headbang-friendliness: 9/ 13
Crowd-friendliness: 9/13
// Sara
Sara Hammerzmith 
May 21, 2018 at 6:10 am
So is “Romeo Ate Juliet” about a high school boy eating up his promdate? I hope so. I enjoy the horror and bringing back the balls to rock type lyrics, but the perverse and profane direction the band has veered toward is not my thing. The Demonarchy songs and story were great, but I may have to check this one out on Spotify before I commit to buying the vinyl or CD.