LORDI Introduce New Members

Finland's LORDI have revealed their new outfits for the "Arockalypse" touring cycle. The new "meaner and leaner" look of the monstersquad sees the band introducing leather, metallic studs and — of course — foam rubber. The band wanted to have lighter and more flexible new costumes, with live appearances especially in mind. The faces have also gone through a renewal phase. For example, Amen has not only lost a lot of his clothes, but the skin of his jaw as well.

In other news, LORDI have added two new "creatures" to the squad: keyboardist Awa and bassist Ox.

"The group is tighter now and more focused than never before," the band said in a statement. "Everyone can and will put their 100%. The future is exciting in many ways for us now, and we are hungrier than ever!"

Awa joined the band in October. She came into the group at a time when the band was still in the studio, and she played all the keyboards and piano parts on the new album, "Arockalypse". The Russian fans have already met her, as Awa's first gigs with LORDI were the Moscow and St. Petersburg shows in November. Ox joined the group in October as well. He rehearsed with the rest of the band, having personal guidance from previous LORDI bassist Kalma the whole time. So, for about a month, the band's lineup at the rehearsal loft had a real "stereo-bass" effect, with two bass players simultaneously punishing their amps (!).

As the new members come in, it sadly means that Enary and Kalma are no longer part of the group.

"It feels bad to let bandmates go", said LORDI maniman Mr. Lordi. "But sometimes the situations take a turn to the direction that no one wants them to. Things can develop into something that the band just can't cope with. No one wanted these separations to happen, but shit happens. When you can't turn away from trouble anymore — tough decisions have to be made. The band will go on and it needs all its individuals to work together smoothly."

Enary, who joined LORDI in 1997, was asked to leave the group in August. The band explained that the personal chemistry in the group became somewhat unbearable. Kalma, who joined LORDI in 2002, wanted to leave the group's performing lineup himself due to personal reasons.

LORDI's upcoming album, "The Arockalypse", will feature guest appearances by TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider (on the album's intro, entitled "SCG3 Special Report") and guitarist Jay Jay French (on "Chainsaw Buffét"),as well as former ACCEPT frontman Udo Dirkschneider (on "They Only Come Out at the Night") and ex-KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick (on "Snowing in Hell").