When it comes to the Eurovision Song Contest, Finland is better known for its failures than for its successes. There is no doubt, however, that this year's Finnish Eurovision entry will go down as one of the most engaging moments in the history of the competition. Win or lose--more probably win--the song Hard Rock Hallelujah and its performer Lordi will certainly be the one thing every viewer around the continent will remember from the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest Final, to be held on May 20 in Athens.

Hard Rock Hallelujah sounds nothing like most Eurovision entries. As the title promises, the song is melodic hard rock, a genre seldom associated with Eurovision. Lordi--the name applies both to the group and its lead singer--looks even less like an ordinary Eurovision contestant: more like a heavily made up monster hard rock band along the lines of KISS or Twisted Sister, or a group of characters from a gory 1980s splatter movie.

And yet it looks and sounds like a winning combination. Hard Rock Hallelujah is not only the most rocking Eurovision entry since ABBA's Waterloo back in 1974, it also has one of the catchiest tunes. And Lordi surely puts on the best show since Björn Ulvaeus rocked his star-shaped guitar 32 years ago: not only does the band put rock back into the Eurovision, it also puts fun back into rock.

Originally hailing from Arctic Lapland, Lordi became a phenomenon in Finland with the Platinum-selling debut album Get Heavy in 2002. Since then, the band has scored Finnish hits with the albums The Monsterican Dream (2004) and The Arockalypse (2006). The compilation album The Monster Show has also been released in more than 20 countries.

Enjoying the music of evil-looking creatures isn't of course the same as condoning evil. Although some people have misinterpreted Lordi's fascination with monsters and death, the band is by no means the Devil's advocate. Lordi has, after all, had a hit in Finland with a song called Devil Is A Loser.

"We have the same aesthetic as horror films. The scarier the film, the more fun it is. And rock music should be all about fun", Lordi says.

Europe, get ready to get scared.