{"id":46826,"date":"2014-11-11T06:51:04","date_gmt":"2014-11-11T11:51:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=46826"},"modified":"2014-11-11T06:51:04","modified_gmt":"2014-11-11T11:51:04","slug":"lordi-scare-force-one-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2014\/lordi-scare-force-one-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Lordi | Scare Force One<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Alexandra Mrozowska<\/span>
\n– Senior Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"LordiWhile thinking about the bands in the history of rock who eagerly utilize theatricality of performance to build their image and then end up accused of \u201cstyle over substance\u201d kind of thing, you may come up with such names as KISS, GWAR or Alice Cooper. But having to choose who\u2019s a legitimate successor of the shock rock throne, Lordi is perhaps the first band name that comes to your mind \u2013 isn\u2019t it? The Finnish all-monster group has created quite a buzz around them in 2006, when their breathtaking performance of \u201cHard Rock Hallelujah\u201d on the Eurovision Song Contest showed people that a new and more edgy version of KISS was born. And if around that time you happened to be a misunderstood teenager your peers laughed at because you wore an acid-washed denim vest over a Twisted Sister t-shirt, Lordi were kind enough to prepare an acceptable visualization of your meticulously crafted revenge in the upcoming \u201cHard Rock Hallelujah\u201d video off The Arockalypse<\/em> album. Eight years later one has to admit still there\u2019s no sign of the \u201carockalypse\u201d coming, but perhaps a new Lordi album coming this fall may be thought of as a good start? Who knows! Released on AFM Records, the new effort of the Finns is called Scare Force One<\/em> in the best wordplay tradition they\u2019re known for.<\/p>\n

Scare Force One<\/em> starts with a sound of an explosion that develops into an eerie choir-laden intro \u201cArm Your Doors And Cross Check.\u201d Is the further listening experience to prove you\u2019d better treat the titled piece of advice \u2013 of some sorts \u2013 seriously? The next track \u2013 and the first track proper \u2013 starts with a deafening, gut-wrenching, eardrum-destroying yell \u201cAre you ready\u2026?\u201d and from now on there\u2019s no doubt about Lordi being back on track with the new album. A solid dose of meaty, modern-sounding metal riffs against wickedly melodic choruses of \u201cScare Force One\u201d prove the band hasn\u2019t evolved much from their earlier sound. What, perhaps, is more of an asset than a fault anyway \u2013 you\u2019d rather not expect Lordi to ever abandon their larger-than-life shock rock roots and grotesque lyrical aesthetics, right? If your answer to this is \u201cyes,\u201d then you should be perfectly content with purely theoretical (let\u2019s hope so!) advice of \u201cHow To Slice A Whore\u201d as well as the track\u2019s being laden with grinding guitars and pumping bass. <\/p>\n

With its disturbing circus-esque interludes and its message, \u201cHell Sent In The Clowns\u201d could have been labeled as the coulrophobiac\u2019s worst nightmare \u2013 yet at the same time being a perfectly crafted, melodic and somewhat catchy (Lordi style) slice of modern rock. \u201cHouse Of Ghosts\u201d have more or less the same eerie, ominous vibe to it that may remind you of Lordi\u2019s progenitor Alice Cooper\u2019s grisly endeavors \u2013 and that will send shivers down your spine if listened to in the middle of the night, sitting alone in the room with your headphones on \u2026 it\u2019s shock rock at its best, a ghoulish rock celebration led by the masters of ceremonies. <\/p>\n

In spite of its quite modern and heavy sound, \u201cMonster Is My Name\u201d could have been an outtake of KISS\u2019 Creatures Of The Night<\/em> session, followed-up by \u201cCadaver Lover\u201d that guarantees no rock scribe will ever ask Mr Lordi and his companions about their songwriting inspirations. Next is a short acoustic interlude entitled \u201cAmen\u2019s Lament To Ra II\u201d \u2013 entirely instrumental and surprisingly mellow \u2013 before the spectacle continues with \u201cNailed With The Hammer Of Frankenstein\u201d. It\u2019s no wonder this particular track was chosen to promote the album as the first single \u2013 with its larger-than-life sound, fast riffs and huge choruses, not even to mention the \u201cappropriate\u201d lyrics, it\u2019s the very quintessence of the band with the potential to top the success of now-forgotten \u201cHard Rock Hallelujah\u201d that was their rocket to stardom back in 2006.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe United Rocking Dead\u201d is again a song that would have sounded appropriately on any of Alice Cooper\u2019s albums. Or, one that wouldn\u2019t have been a choice too odd as for a soundtrack to an adaptation of Stephen King-penned book. It\u2019s a slow, monumental track much in vein of the ominous classics of Ozzy-fronted Black Sabbath. A keyboard-laden \u201cShe\u2019s A Demon\u201d gravitates towards slightly softer sound, making you imagine what would be the possible \u2013 and quite convincing \u2013 result if Lordi ever wandered off the beaten track towards more melodic rock-oriented spheres. \u201cHella\u2019s Kitchen\u201d is another interlude, a mixture of the voices and cries of children against sounds of a wicked music box \u2013 a perfect theme for a spooky Halloween party \u2013 preceding \u201cSir Mr Presideath Sir\u201d that constitutes the album\u2019s grand finale with its monstrous choruses and muscular riffs. And if you checked out the spoken part that is an epilogue to the album, you\u2019re sure the title of the entire material wasn\u2019t chosen accidentally\u2026<\/p>\n

Scare Force One\u2019s<\/em> title is most appropriate choice for some other reasons too, as the entire listening experience reminds one of a break-neck flight through heavy metal turbulence with no seat belt, no airsickness bag and real monsters in charge of an aircraft yoke. Or, even better perhaps, a roller-coaster ride down the haunted fair, where your clown-esque companions are more like Pennywise than a good old Bozo \u2026 thus, the album proves beyond any doubt the Finnish masked quintet returns in an excellent shape, still wonderfully grotesque and with a stock of theatrical shock rock gimmicks. But what counts the most is the fact that Lordi minus image still equals the great music (even though many a listener were rather disappointed with their previous endeavors). Scare Force One is therefore a generous slice of modern-day hard rock, heavy riffs and hooky choruses, equally convincing for the fans of the band\u2019s theatricality as well as those who don\u2019t look at the costumes and masks but simply dig Lordi\u2019s sound, obviously influenced by the likes of Alice Cooper, Twisted Sister, GWAR or W.A.S.P. To sum up, the necessary in-flight announcement here is that a journey on board of a Scare Force One is a highly recommended one anyway.<\/p>\n

Genre: Hard Rock, Metal<\/p>\n

Band:
\nMr. Lordi – vocals
\nAmen – guitars
\nOx- bass
\nHella – keyboards
\nMana – drums<\/p>\n

Track List:
\n1.\tSCG7: Arm Your Doors And Cross Check
\n2.\tScare Force One
\n3.\tHow To Slice A Whore
\n4.\tHell Sent In The Clowns
\n5.\tHouse Of Ghosts
\n6.\tMonster Is My Name
\n7.\tCadaver Lover
\n8.\tAmen\u2019s Lament To Ra II
\n9.\tNailed By The Hammer Of Frankenstein
\n10.\tThe United Rocking Dead
\n11.\tShe\u2019s A Demon
\n12.\tHella\u2019s Kitchen
\n13.\tSir Mr. Presideath Sir<\/p>\n

Label: AFM Records<\/p>\n

Website: www.lordi.fi<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 8.5\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Alexandra Mrozowska – Senior Columnist — While thinking about the bands in the history of rock who eagerly utilize theatricality of performance to build their image and then end up accused of \u201cstyle over […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":46827,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10848],"tags":[8645,2317,1103,10247,2267,10248],"class_list":{"0":"post-46826","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arcrvws2014","8":"tag-afm-records","9":"tag-cd-review","10":"tag-hard-rock","11":"tag-lordi","12":"tag-metal","13":"tag-scare-force-one"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46826","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46826"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46826\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46827"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46826"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46826"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}