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biography / portrait

Lordi was originally formed in 1992, when Mr Lordi started doing demos under this name, but the project was still more or less a one-man-band, with few extra members playing guitar solos and bass here and there. The now infamous monster masks and costumes iced the cake in 1994. In 1997 guitarist Amen joined the band, alongside with keyboardist Enary and G-Stealer on bass. After a full decade of sending demos to record labels, Lordi finally landed on a record deal in 2002 with BMG Finland. G-Stealer was replaced by Magnum on bass, and drummer Kita was the last one to join to complete the 5-member combo. The release of their first single Would You Love A Monsterman and the debut album Get Heavy both saw daylight that year. Before the album release, Magnum was let go and a new bass player Kalma took his place. Lordi's bold and shameless combination of 1980's influenced melodic heavy metal with the outrageous horror image immediately caught the attention of the rock media and genre fans around the world. The band´s live shows became known for their horror film-like theatrics and bombastic pyros. The band released their sophomore album The Monsterican Dream in 2004 and continued to tour in Europe, gaining fans and recognition around the world. In 2006 Lordi went through another major line-up change. The new keyboardist Awa joined the band and Ox became the new bass player. Lordi took part in the Eurovision song contest and won the whole competition as the first and only winner from Finland, with all-time record breaking points at the time in Eurovision history. The third album The Arockalypse was released within the same time frame, with the band's own idols Udo Dirkschneider (Accept, U.D.O.), Bruce Kulick (ex-KISS), Dee Snider and Jay Jay French (Twisted Sister) appearing as guest stars. The success of the victorious single Hard Rock Hallelujah launched Lordi to new heights of media exposure, fan recognition and success, that opened new doors for the band. Mr. Lordi's hometown Rovaniemi named a market place area in the city center the "Lordi Square". The Lordi brand was hot in the area of merchandising as well, with items such as Lordi postage stamps, Lordi candies and Lordi Cola coming out in the market. In 2007 Lordi toured outside Europe for the first time, for example in Japan and in USA, where they played on Ozzfest and toured with Type O Negative. The band also released their own horror film Dark Floors in February 2008. Late 2008 saw the release of Deadache, the band's fourth studio album. It was a bit darker and heavier than the previous Lordi material, with the new costumes and parts of the stage show designed and built with a little help from Weta Workshop in New Zealand, award winnig cimena special effects house. Lordi's fifth album Babez For Breakfast was released in 2010. The album was produced by one of the world's most famous heavy metal producers, Mr. Michael Wagener. Just weeks before the tour, the band's long time drummer Kita was let go and the new drummer Otus joined in the group.(source: www.lordi.fi)