Lordi - 'Killection'

A simply stunning work of musical art.

Love them or hate them, Lordi can't be ignored. The Finnish monstermen, after the somewhat controversial last album 'Sexorcism' that managed to even offend a large number of their own fans, have typically hit back with an "I don't care – it's entertainment FFS" attitude. Lordi have always been about sex, Horror and various dark and seedy themes. Now Mr. Lordi has come up with a brilliant idea of a compilation album of imagined seventies, eighties and nineties hit singles from a "What if...?" scenario, and pulled it off in sensational fashion!

Imagine if Lordi had existed since the early 1970s (instead of since 1992) and they'd had a string of hit singles up until the mid-nineties. Well, here is that imagined result! Utilising authentic and retro instruments, amps and studio techniques, including 24-track analogue tape and real Hammond Organs, with new bassist Hiisi (creepy lizard from Finnish folklore) replacing long-time bassist Ox in the studio to record this album.



The running order is different but highlights include 1975 with 'Blow My Fuse'. Mr Lordi's love of KISS making this a full-on KISS song that KISS never recorded, complete with Hammond Organ. The accuracy of the sound is stunning! 1977 brings us 'Carnivore' (but only on the vinyl version) which evokes 'Love Gun'. Then we hit 1979 with 'Zombimbo', another portmanteau idiosyncrasy that defines Lordi and takes us to the Disco era with a touch of 'I Was Made For Loving You' and not too dissimilar to what the fabulous Cats In Space (the greatest seventies band the seventies never saw!) are doing right now.

1984 is the start of the party anthem lyrics in 'Up To No Good' with classic eighties Sunset Strip riffing, continuing into 1985 with a Toto-inspired keyboard riff that many AOR bands would kill for on 'Cutterfly' – utterly fabulous! The end of the decade gives us another AOR stunner with 'Like A Bee To The Honey', written circa 1989 by none other than Paul Stanley and Jean Beauvoir and with a saxophone solo by Michael Monroe! The lyrics are a young boy's wet dream! The nineties feature the potentially controversial 'Shake The Baby Silent' – a Rob Zombie reference point that horror fans will get.

This is a remarkable vision and execution of a simple but fantastic idea carried to fruition by the brilliance and creativity of Mr. Lordi. A simply stunning work of musical art!

Carl Buxton