Lordi

Deadache

[1/5]

Call them the Finnish GWAR if you want-even though vocalist Mr. Lordi claims to never have heard of Richmond’s rubber-clad scumdogs when he formed his own monster-themed metal band in 1996-but Lordi are more like KISS re-packaged in custom foam-latex with Euro-style synths and all the superfluous merchandising (Lordi Cola, Lordi credit cards, Lordi “bitch tees”) you’d expect from a pack of shameless carpetbaggers who exploded into international superstardom by beating out a canned Russian ham to win the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest. Make no mistake: Lordi are rock royalty in their homeland, and a nascent entertainment force even here in the States. Unfortunately, their fourth full-length, Deadache, is their flattest, most uninspired retread yet. Equal parts recycled Rob Zombie electro-groove and shitty keyboard pomp, over-produced tracks like “Girls Go Chopping” and “Bite It Like A Bulldog” manage to summon the unmistakable sound of rank commercialism. (THE END) J. Bennett