Sara Hammerzmith

Lordi’s new album was released today, and I got it! So I thought I should write a little review on it.

Lordi is a finnish hardrock band, which was formed in 1996 when the first line up of member met on the cruise that was arranged by the Kiss Army to see Kiss in Sweden.  They released their first CD, “Get Heavy” in 2002 and their single “Would You Love a Monster Man?” got to be a huge succsses. But it was first in 2006 the band got it’s real break-through, in the Eurovision Song Contest where they won the contestwith their “Hard Rock Hallelujah!” with the highest score ever in ESC history (292 points). They became extremly popular and their album “The Arockalypse” (released 2006) sold three-times platinum all over the world, and now they’re back with a new album, after making the horromovie “Dark Floors“.

October 29th was this CD released, and here is my thought of it.
SCG VI is a opening that reminds me a lot of the rythm going on in ” A Nightmare On Elm Street” ( One, Two, Freddy’s coming for you) and is a great follow up on the 3 previous Scartic Circle Gatherings.
“Girls Go Chopping” is a good opening song, it’s heavy in the way a Lordi song is and bring the thoughts back to “Brining Back The Balls To Rock”, with a mix of “Bring It On”. Really good, it increases your expectations on the CD. The next song up is their first single of the CD, “Bite it Like A Bulldog“. I wasn’t too fond about this one I have to say, But it doesn’t suck either.

I’d rather say that the next track, “Monsters Keep Me Company” is the first song to prove that this might have something to set against “The Monsterican Dream” (which is in mine opinion the best album). This is a long, and slow (but still fast) song, and I just don’t know what to say about it. The refrain is catchy and the music has this little “horrorpeak” in it. A little “It Snows In Hell” over it. “Man Skin Boots” is next up, and thats a little bit faster song, which reminds me a lot about Slaughter songs, don’t ask me why. I wouldn’t really rate this one as one of my favourites, and nor do “Dr. Sin is In” which is the next track, no, it’s first at ” The Ghosts of The Heceta head” as I once again can feel this “now-we’re-ready-to-bring-up-the-fight-against-Monsterican Dream“. This is a catchy song, which makes me think a little of “Beast Loose In Paradies” (why isn’t this song on the record?). 

“Evilyn” on the other hand is a song I can’t really just.. no. But the increasing of the tempo in the end really makes it better. But it still doesn’t have THAT. “The Rebirth of the Countess” is an instrumental song by Awa, as “Magistra Nocte” althought this have som French speaking about.. the rebirht of Awa, I believe.  Since this is a pretty calm song, you really get into that mood, so I believe I’m not the only one that might have jumped in the roof when the nest track “Raise Hell in Heaven” begins, I’d say the song is something like “Dynamite Tonite” and “Wake the Snake“. Not in my taste with other words.

The titletrack is the next song up, and this is my favourite on the CD! Though it feels like I heard the intro somewhere before, I just don’t know where. This song is pretty much like “Supermonstars” and got a catchy refrain that is easy to sing along to, and I can already imagine this being the song EVERYONE is going to jump to, the entire song. God, I love it. I can’t really say the same about the next song, but at this point the “quality” of the CD has rised, it’s gotten better. “Missing Miss Charlene” about a missing little girl (I think?) is also among my favourites. Catchy, and scary on the same time. A song that reminds me a lot of the opening of Sailor Moon, don’t even bother asking, because I don’t even know why. These statements “A Monster stole miss Charlene” makes it scary.

On my version of the record (there are different versions) there are an extra track, called “The House“. It’s a really good song, but it got this refrain that for some reason SCREAMS countrymusic! But does this make it bad? I’d say the other way around.

So what do I think of this album? It’s a really good album, it was reall worth the waiting! I can’t WAIT to come to a Lordi concert and hear some of these tracks live! Of course, it doesn’t beat The Monsterican Dream, but, it’s better than both The Arockalypse and Get Heavy.

Tracklist:
1. SCG VI
2. Girls Go Chopping
3. Bite It Like A Bulldog
4. Monsters Keep Me Company
5. Man Skin Boots
6. Dr Sin is In
7.The Ghosts Of the Heceta Head
8. Evilyn
9.The Rebirth of The Countess
10. Raise Hell In Heaven
11. Deadache
12. The Devil hides behind her Smile
13. Missing Miss Charlene
(14. The House)

Favourite Track: Deadache
Least Favourite: Evilyn
Points: 4 / 5

Since I thought I’d change directios of the blog, and start write more about music, I so will do. I’ll begin writing about H.E.A.T’s debutCD, H.E.A.T.

The band was formed in the beginning of January of 2007, and they had a vision to create something unique, but aswell to follow their heroes footsteps, making melodic rockmusic that could be taken directly from the 80’s, but still beeing influenced by todays music. They want to make people understand what it’s all about while theire living their dream.
(Source: www.heatsweden.com)

At April 30th, 2008 they released their debutalbum called H.E.A.T, and that was what I was supposed to talk about.
The CD begins with an intro containg talking, which is just increasing your excitements over the CD, before it continues with “There For You” which is a great “opening” on the CD, a song that is very powerful, and especially the part in between the refrain and the verse is something in my style. “Never Let Go” shows a little bit more agressive side of the band, with desperate song. The tempo gets slowed down a little bit while continueing into “Late Night Lady“, which is has a little bit more punky sound, and reminds me a lot of “Unskinny Bop” by Poison.

At this point we reached the part of the CD as I like best. This part is the ones where you really can feel the influences from the 80’s. “Follow Me” sounds as it would’ve been taken out of a horsemovie, nothing bad, I personally love horsemovies. As it would be from “Spirit – The Stallion of the Cimarron“. Moving on to “Cry” which is a beautiful “powerballad”.

Moving on to “Feel it Again” and we’re back into the 2000th centuary, but still have one foot in the 80’s. The CD starts to loose it’s face a little bit now, especially as they move on to “Straight Up” which is a punky song, but personally I just can’t like this one. I’ve been listening to this record a few times, but still this is the song I can’t connect to.

After having this little “Downgoing” the next track, “Bring The Stars” is taking us back to the middle part of the CD, where it’s heavily influenced by the 80’s, and this is a really good song! This songs reminds me a lot of Hannah Montana though, and I think that anyone that watched channel 5 a few weeks ago and saw the advertisment for the Hannah Montana concert would also hear the similarities.

This could have been a good ending of the record, yet there are two more tracks. The little cocky “You’re Lying” and “Feel The Heat“. I think both of these tracks “Drags” down the CD a bit, yet I believe it’s good that they’re quitting with a strong song as “Feel The Heat“.

So what do I think overall? This is a really good record, and I can’t really imagine it being different either, even if I wasn’t into all the tracks. If you’re into bands as Mötley Crüe, Poison, Vixen, TNT and Danger Danger, you should really get this record!

H.E.A.T