Reigning Phoenix Music
Release: 21 March 2025
Genre: Heavy Rock
Links: https://www.lordi.fi/
Line Up:
Mr Lordi | vocals
Kone | guitars
Hiisi | bass
Hella | keyboard
Mana | drums
Tracklist:
1. SCG XIX The Hexecutioners
2. Legends Are Made Of Clichés
3. Syntax Terror
4.Skelephant In The Room
5. SCGTV Saturday Night Main Event
6. Killharmonic Orchestra
7. Collectable
8. SCGTV Monstersquad Action Figures
9.Fangoria
10. Hellizabeth
11. SCGTV The Hexecutioners Season Finale
12. Retropolis
13. Frighteousness
14. SCGTV Crazeee Ralph Promo
15. Limited Deadition
16. You Might Be Deceased
Before their Eurovision Song Contest victory that led to global fame, I was already a fan of this band. The great combination of super hard rock soundtracks and 80s horror movie themes in tracks like Blood Red Sandman with its video channelling The Evil Dead drew me in. As we listen to SCG XIX The Hexicutioners, album 19, my feet tap in anticipation of ‘what’s next’, with a knowing smile given that the opening track has always been the inner circle nod to fans, providing something to look forward to with each new release.
Legends Are Made Of Clichés comes next, a fitting title for a Lordi song. The band has consistently embraced every visualization, lyrical topic, and musical style that represents the expected elements of horror movies – components that would diminish the film if absent. Lordi’s music follows this pattern. It doesn’t aim to revolutionize the world, but that’s not its purpose. A Lordi album seeks to entertain and create an experience that’s as visual as it is auditory.
You’ll listen with a wide grin if you grew up with AOR, metal, and hard rock in the 80s, as obvious titles get the Lordi twist. Killharmonic Orchestra, anyone?
Midway through the album, with its loose theme of 80s tie-in themed toys, Collectable emerges as a surprisingly effective ballad. The Alice Cooper approach to ballads – something sinister rather than a love song – works equally well here. Possessed toys? How many movies feature that trope?
The track Fangoria deserves special mention – a magazine I greatly miss. Reading it as a teenager brought many great memories of visceral scenes, monsters, and bloodied corpses from movies I knew I had to watch.
Simply put, Lordi makes me want to grab some popcorn and sign up for a Shudder subscription! Great fun.
Score 9/10
Reviewed by Adrian Hextall
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