With the release of the Lordi Reel Monsters, we sat down with the main monster-man himself, Mr. Lordi.
He takes us through how his designs come to life, his favourite rock album and what it was like working on their very first game as a band.
Keep reading to find out more.
What can your fans expect from Lordi Reel Monsters?
I think the fans can expect a true Lordi experience. Every single detail in this game is personally supervised by me. So I hope the fans will appreciate the whole effort that has been put into this. So it is a real Lordi slot game.
Two original songs were created just for the slot, Reel Monsters and Better Hate than Never. Was the process of writing exclusively for the gameplay different from writing a song for your album?
Well, because I write all the time, I write new music all the time.
For me, it’s no different where it’s gonna be created. Whether it is created for, a Lordi album or for a game you know like this for example. It doesn’t differ anyway in the process. Except for the fact that the lyrics have to be a bit toned down than what I would usually write.
But other than that, Lordi is Lordi. There’s no difference. Because what I write is what I write, what comes out comes out.
What was it like it collaborating with Play’n GO?
It was pretty interesting for me personally because this is the first time that Lordi as a band, or me personally.
We’ve never been involved in anything like this before. Not in the gaming world, well basically in any sense. So it was pretty interesting yeah.
All of your costumes are awesome, if you could choose to wear one of your bandmate’s costumes for a day, which would it be and why?
I would absolutely wear Hella’s costume because I think I would carry that so well. You know, strutting away and shaking my butt.
I think I would be one hot momma.
Any messages to your fans who haven’t been to a Lordi concert for a while?
Well, I haven’t been to a Lordi concert in a while either! So, just hang in there.
We’ll meet again sooner than you think. I think this is actually a good breather for me, at least, personally.
This break has been, pretty good. There’s new energy now.
You really showed us how Monster Rock is done at the 2006 Eurovision with Hard Rock Hallelujah. When was written?
The song itself was written in 2005 I think springtime? The main theme of the song for me is the actual intro of the song, the keyboard organ intro, that's where the whole idea came from. And for me, I don’t remember anything specific about that song. It was just one song among the others.
How long did it take to write it?
I really don’t remember how long it took. Usually, I write fast, so probably a few hours? I’m a fast writer. I write a song in one go. I don’t usually go back to the song like next day and start tweaking it.
Although with Hard Rock Hallelujah I did change the verse later on. You know some months later when the demo was already done. But a few hours like every other song. Like every song, I’ve ever written.
Are there differences between the Eurovision and the album version?
It’s much different.
It’s one minute shorter. Because in Eurovision you have to have a strict 3-minute song. You cannot go one second over that. So, the intro is cut from the Eurovision version and, also, the so-called C part or bridge is cut. I mean it’s different, and I think for me personally, the song is better in its original form.
The album version is better because that is how it was written.
Can you tell a bit about the special Hard Rock Hallelujah video which was recorded in your hometown?
When it came time for Finland to host next year’s Eurovision, which was of course 2007, they wanted us to be the opening act. One of the key ideas was there to not only represent Finland but also Lapland and the whole Nordic area here, through us. So we’re shooting another version of Hard Rock Hallelujah with the director. It was a good, pretty big production for its day.
I think it was the most expensive music video ever in Finland, at least at the time. I think, maybe it still holds the record. For example, in the video there was the explosion of the whole frozen lake. That is not CGI, that’s real. The lake was blown off and the ice was, actually, blown up. All the fire effects were real and really shot in camera. Yeah, it’s a cool video. I had lots of fun doing it. But then again, I love making videos.
If you had to pick, which would be your favourite Lordi album?
Humanimals
OK, what about one underrated Lordi song?
All of them.
All of them are underrated because they all should be billboard Number 1 if you ask me. Because almost all of them are written by my favourite writer. Myself.
We love your aesthetic. We know you design the costumes; do you design anything else?
I do.
I do all the graphics in Lordi. Every single thing you see, I design the costume, makeup, masks. Every single piece of merchandise you see is designed by me. And as well as the album cover artwork which is painted by me, all the booklets, everything, all the graphics are done by me.
Everything you see in Lordi is through these little hands.
Tell us a secret, what’s your pre-performance ritual?
I try to make myself pretty so I have a 3-hour ritual before every show.
I put on some lipstick. And some eyeliner.
What’s your favourite music memory as a fan?
Well, there are plenty of those music memories.
But I would say some concerts and for me one of my favourite memories actually is playing on the same stage with Alice Cooper and KISS, opening up for them in New Zealand, that’s was great. There was a festival called ‘Rock to Wellington’ and in a stadium, or something like that, the bill of the day was Lordi, Alice Copper and KISS and so that was kinda like a dream come true for me. That’s a good memory.
Another more personal memory that I have, I was there at Twisted Sister’s final European show back in the day. I was watching the show on stage and one of the biggest moments there was when during the guitar solo, Dee Snider runs up to me, gives me a hug during the solo and says, ‘Dude you can take it from here’. And then he ran back to the stage and continued singing. So it really choked me up, that was such a cool thing to hear from your idol.
Favourite rock album, GO!
Destroyer. Because it's the best.
I mean for me it's a nostalgic thing, it is the first KISS album that I owned. I don't know necessarily if it's musically the best one. But, that's what I always say because it has God Of Thunder which is the most important song in my life. Period. So, it has that, and it has the best album cover in the world.
Not only by KISS but it is the best album cover and the whole atmosphere, and the song selection Destroyer is just unbeatable.
What's your favourite city to tour？
Ah all of them or none of them, when you’re on tour, you really don’t see the cities. When you're in a band you don’t see the cities unless you have an off day there. You see the venues, you see the stages, and you see the backrooms but you don’t see the cities. Because I'm asleep when we arrive at the venue and it's already dark when we leave the venue so I don’t know, they're all the same.
QUICKFIRE ROUND!
Where are the craziest fans?
Where are the craziest fans? I would say the Czech Republic. They are insane, in a good way.
Batman or Joker?
Joker
He-man or Skeletor?
Ha! Come on, Skeletor of course!
What makes Skeletor the coolest?
His looks, it's not his voice, it's his looks.
If you liked reading this, you can check out the full interview here
