To Beast or Not to Beast

Personnel: Lordi (vocals); Amen (guitars, background vocals); Hella (keyboards, background vocals); Maná (drums); Mr.Lordi , Jeremy Asbrock, Tracy Lipp, Clay Vann, Ralph Ruiz, Terry Leroi, Michael Wagener , Mark Slaughter (background vocals).
Audio Mixer: Michael Wagener .
Recording information: Lordi's Lair, Helsinki, Finland; WireWorld Studios, Nashville, TN.
Photographer: Petri Haggren.
Given their predilection for dressing up like crazy monsters and playing '80s-influenced hard rock, it's hard not to call Lordi a theatrical band. And for all the effort they put into making their appearance larger than life, they somehow find a way to make their music even more ridiculous, finding the reserves of strength necessary to make sure their albums are always over the top, a trend they continue with their sixth album, To Beast or Not to Beast. Though the album finds the band scaling back its '80s love, there's still plenty of rock & roll escapism for fans of the band to indulge in, and while serious metal fans might be turned off by its cartoonish qualities, those looking for some hard-rockin' fun will find what they're looking for here. ~ Gregory Heaney