I'm a little bit biased when it comes to theatrical "shock rock" bands, those who know me know that if there are costumes and catchy tunes, I'm there. So seeing Lordi tonight is a match made in heaven.
Like many, I first encountered Lordi back in 2006 witnessing their win with 'Hard Rock Hallelujah', the first win for a metal act in the contest. Eighteen years later, we are here tonight at the O2 Institute in Birmingham for their headline show with Crimson Veil and All For Metal.
Crimson Veil, the progressive metal band from Brighton, are new into the touring world, but a great fit for the bill tonight with an aesthetic that resembles a pagan ritual, cladded in headdresses and flowers on stage. The stage being prepped for the later bands potentially held them back a tad, but they worked with the room they had.
Next up we have All For Metal, hailing from Germany. Another band with a strong thematic approach. If I said the words Thor's Hammer, Leather and Valhalla, you can guess the theme here. The band's frontmen duo provided a perfect contrast of a raspier, guttural vocal adjacent to a clean power metal approach. Despite their "battle-ready" appearance, the show had a humorous quality that the audience loved, and it left many of us, myself included, wanting to see more later on.
We didn't have to wait for long until we heard the loud sound of 'God of Thunder' by KISS being played over the speakers. Standing at the side of the stage and singing along with Gene Simmons was a member of the band's entourage, Ralph Ruiz. He was dressed in monk robes and gave a threatening glare as he sang every word before heading onstage to introduce the band.
Though the stage may be a bit small for their production (the smallest of the tour it was later described), the band take to the stage followed by Mr. Lordi bursting through a Lordi-branded archway. Starting with 'Unliving Picture Show', we are reminded of how Lordi brings not just theatrics and costumes, but damn catchy tunes. Show a picture of the band to any non-rocker on the street and they would probably expect to hear something along the lines of what they'd call "pig squealing black metal", but Lordi are far from that, there are synths, melodies and catchy macabre themed lyrics that reminisce of 80's horror rock bands.
"So we are in Birmingham, this is where Ozzy is from right?" asks Mr. Lordi, before telling the crowd a tale of when the Prince of Darkness himself hid in their dressing room one time to avoid his personal trainer.
Throughout the set, there is an opportunity for props, such as a jumping scarecrow leaping from the archway at the end of 'Scarecrow' and a smokey snake for 'Wake The Snake'. Between the original material, Mana, Hiisi, Kone and Hella took turns for a solo, but this wouldn't just be an opportunity for each member to show off their skills, but to entice the audience with a medley from iconic films. Drummer Mana took on the "Star Wars" medley, including the main theme, the Cantina Band song and the Imperial March, spinning drum fronts and lightsabre sticks included. Hiisi's bass solo was the fitting Jurassic Park theme which brought back Ralph Ruiz onto the stage dressed as John Hammond before being mauled by the bassist.
The night's peak moment finally arrived with the much-awaited 'Hard Rock Hallelujah'. Very clever to save the best for the last, ensuring that the crowd gets the full experience of the event. The wait was certainly worth it as the audience reached its pinnacle. All in all, I haven't been to a show that I felt has catered to my personal interests as much as this for a long time, but putting my unbiased head on, Lordi are absolutely a must-see for any person with a love for the fusion of hard rock and theatrics.
Setlist:
Unliving Picture Show
Lucyfer Prime Evil
My Heaven Is Your Hell
Blood Red Sandman
Mana Solo
Scarecrow
Thing in the Cage
Hella Solo
The Children of the Night
Who's Your Daddy?
Wake the Snake
Hiisi Solo
Kalmageddon
Kone Solo
Inhumanoid
Devil Is a Loser
Would You Love a Monsterman?
Hard Rock Hallelujah
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