Finnish hard rock legend Lordi presented its new eighteenth studio album "Scream Writers Guild" on the last day of March. The record is the first to be released under the band's new label Atomic Fire Records. The album has been described as non-conceptual, but containing a "cinematic horror movie" theme throughout It is also the first studio album for new guitarist Kone, who replaced the band's original guitarist Amen. The description of the record was so promising that we couldn't resist the temptation to contact the band members and ask a couple of questions about the new release, the scandals and rumors related to the musicians and, of course, talk about the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest.
Funny story, I remember your music from when I was in high school. There were a couple of clips on TV. And at that point it was so great to have that kind of music playing on TV. It was such an amazing feeling of something like "oh, these guys obviously don't fit into the usual social norms, but they've succeeded! Maybe I can do that, too?" Do you remember yourself when you were much younger? Maybe you were looking for personal reference points in some famous people, too?
Mana: I was introduced to KISS when I was maybe 4 years old and they looked like comic book heroes and I never had a feeling that I could be like that or like one of them. They were so out of this world and that is the thing that creates the magic around a band. I also wanted to be a jedi but pretty soon realized that it's not gonna happen. Sad world.
Should we expect something unusual from the new album? Maybe Lordi prepared a lullaby for monsters? Or a cover version of a couple of ABBA songs?
Hella: There for sure are some unusual things! Listen to ‘The Bride’ or ‘End Credits’ and tell us what you think?
I think it's impossible to shock people nowadays... How do you think your new album will still be able to shock people and make some noise?
Mana: I'm afraid the shock element with this band has been used already. BUT we do have a new shockingly good guitar player.
Hella: I hope just sounding good is shocking enough!
You spend quite a lot of time in your stage outfit/personas. Have you ever noticed that in real life you adopt the stage habits or habits of your characters? Or maybe your characters are a collection of your darker sides of personality?
Hella: I’d say my character is much braver than I am and loves to stand out. Maybe I have adopted some of that over the years.
Mana: I think the person on stage should always keep separate from the guy off stage. If you can't do that then you may have a some sort of narcissistic personality disorder and you should get help.
Do you ever get the feeling that you have become hostage to your stage images? Don't you feel that these beautiful and terrible masks limit your creative expression?
Hella: In some ways yes, but then again it also opens up different kind of freedom to express myself, so in the end I’d say what the masks bring is on the plus side.
Mana: The mask is definitely a bliss. Would be terrifying to be a known face in the real world.
Is it hard to be a public person in a time when people (including people who are not always kind to you) are watching your every move, listening to your every word, and it's so easy to be accused of sexism, racism, or wrong political views?
Hella: Talking about the benefits of the masks, we are quite free to be fully private people without them.
Mana: If you don't want to end up in a political conversation then just don't express your views in public. And if you express stupid views; sexism or racism then you should be ready to face the consequences. If you get canceled because you're a misogynist or racist then it's fully deserved.
What is the most ridiculous rumor or what is the biggest scandal associated with the band that you can recall?
Hella: First thing popping my mind is documentary that was filmed around the time me and Mana joined the band. Was quite shocking to see the final product, how the documentarian chose a complitely different perspective to the band – different from what was agreed or what everyone expected, even to the point that it wasn’t anymore the truth.
Mana: One of the incidents, which happened when me and Hella were not in the band, occurred in Moscow where they did a huge live TV show in the Red Square. They were given two options; either do acoustic or playback. Obviously this band doesn't do acoustic shows, so they chose playback. Little did they know that the songs were to be played on CD which is a very unstable format. All you need is a tiny speck of dust and the disc will start skipping. And of course that's exactly what happened during the first song! Mr. Lordi tried to explain to the microphone that this is what happens when you do playback instead of live, but the microphone was a dummy (a toy). Hah! And because of that some people still believe that all we do is playback, which of course is not true.
Which album's production was the most expensive for the band? And which album or song's production was the most memorable?
Mana: I don't have the numbers, but I believe the ones done by Michael Wagener (Babez For Breakfast & To Beast Or Not To Beast) might be the most expensive ones. Not necessarily because Michael was expensive, but because we had to fly to the States and live there for a while. And for that reason To Beast Or Not To Beast is the most memorable to me because it was such a fantastic experience. And of course because it was the first album for me with this band, but to get to work with such a legendary producer. Unreal!
Name the top 5 things fans shouldn't give you...
Hella: Vodka, meat, pantyhose, sunglasses (I always loose them) or anything too expensive.
Mana: Flu, diarrhea, anthrax, letter bomb or a evil curse.
From time to time I ask different musicians what are 7 things that could make the world a better place. What are 7 things that could make the world a better place?
Hella: I’m sure at least a chance to have the following ones could make a diffrence: peace, health, safety, home, love, happiness, chocolate.
Mana: 1. If you're religious, don't force it to others 2. If you have money, give it to those who don't 3. Do to others what you want them to do to you 4. Don't invade sovereign countries 5. Don't abuse animals. 6. If you have problems, talk to people. 7. Love, don't hate.
Your music has a lot of references to the music of the 70s and 80s and 90s. Are there any modern bands that inspire you?
Hella: I personally get inspired by new music all the time.
Mana: There's so much new stuff coming all the time that it's impossible to keep up, but I just found a relatively new Canadian band called Crown Lands. Check it out if you're into prog rock.
There aren't many collaborations with other musicians on Lordi albums. However, we would be interested to know what is the craziest collaboration you could imagine?
Hella: Hmm can’t think of what could be the craziest…
Mana: I'd say Paul McCartney. My head would literally explode.
Have you ever been upset by comparisons to other bands? Or offended by comments like "oh, it's just another copy of Kiss"?
Hella: I see all the time Lordi getting compared to Gwar. It’s not offending though, should’t worry too much what people think but just concentrate your own thing instead.
Mana: I'm always honored if we're compared to Kiss. Those are our gods after all. And I know that we have our own sound and it's not all Kiss.
With the ESC finals coming up, we would be very interested to know who you will be cheering for at this year's contest? What are your favorites among the musicians?
Hella: To be honest, haven’t really followed ESC yet this year. But go Finland and K??rij?!
Mana: I always pick a favorite during the show and I don't have a clue about the songs in advance. I hope the best song wins. That usually doesn't happen. Hah!
And lastly, what will your message be to your fans?
Hella: Hitting the road with Sabaton next week, see you all soon!!
Mana: Thank you for your endless support!
Jenet Bonishi
