Finnish Hard Rockers Lordi were elected to perform for their country at the Eurovision Song Contest with their song "Hard Rock Hallelujah" and managed to reach the finals, which will take place on Saturday night, 8 p.m. local time, in Athens, Greece. It will be broadcasted in all countries that are part of the European Broadcasting Union. In the semifinals, which took place tonight (May 18), Lordi managed to be one of ten acts out of 23 to reach the finals, a fate more popular mainstream acts like Kate Ryan (for Belgium) haven't met.

Metal Storm congratulates Lordi on this success and wishes all the best for Saturday!

Band profile:	Lordi
Event:	Eurovision Song Contest

Finland's eurovision song contest participant Lordi's performance jeopardized because of outrageous pyrotechnics bill - Tuska Open Air Metal Festival to the rescue

Scandinavia's premier metal festival, Tuska Open Air Metal Festival taking place in Kaisaniemi, Helsinki, Finland, during 30.6.-2.7. has decided to take action in assisting Finland's controversial Eurovision song contest participant, Lordi, with unrealistic pyrotechnics expenses.

Although Lordi representing Finland in the Eurovision song contest raised very blunt opinions from the start, things took a serious turn for the worse when Finnish National Radio received a cost estimate for the pyrotechnics required in Lordi's show. The German company who has the exclusive right in providing the special effects for the contest, presented the Finns with an estimate which is in no way compatible with the tariffs of past years, the final amount climbing to tens of thousands of Euros. Currently the Finnish National Radio (YLE) is pondering the option of pulling out of the contest altogether.

Tuska-Festival is no stranger when it comes to struggling with tariffs, therefore Tuska-organization is deeply concerned with the current situation. Pyrotechnics are a vital part of Lordi's show and performing without them makes no sense.

Tuska-Festival promoter Jouni Markkanen pointed out that if public funds aren't sufficient to put on a proper show, let's get the money elsewhere. Therefore Tuska-Festival will pay the first 5000 Euros of the pyrotechnic costs.

This is also intended as a challenge for others working within the music industry to do their share. Even smaller amounts help.

Tuska-Festival is Scandinavia's premier metal festival. This festival takes place right in the center of Helsinki, 2006 edition being the ninth consecutive annual Tuska-Festival. This year's line-up features the likes of Venom, Celtic Frost and Sonata Arctica along with 28 other metal artists. Lordi appeared at Tuska in 2003.

Additional Information:

http://www.tuska-festival.fi
http://www.yle.fi/eurovision

Source:	Tuska Festival
Band profile:	Lordi

The following update was posted at drakkar's site:

"Lordi have finished the main recordings last friday, but Kita and Mr. Lordi will still be working on the album´s intropart this week. Producer Jyrki Tuovinen started mixing the first songs on Monday.

Meanwhile, one of the forthcoming album´s very special guests is recording his part in the US, while another will come to Finland and visit the band in the studio. "We´re soooo excited about this, and honoured as hell!!!", says Mr. Lordi, "But we will not quite yet reveal the names... I´ve visited our forum, and some of the guesses there were pretty close... or not, hahahaha!"

NEW COSTUMES
Lordi will dress up in brand new costumes next year. Everything will be re-done from head to toe. The band says that it is nice to leave behind the "somewhat interresting" odor of the old costumes. The rumour has it that Amen will be losing a lot of "clothes". Girls, you´ve been warned.

FIRST RUSSIA, THEN SURPRISE
The band will shortly visit Russia to play two shows, in Moscow and in St. Petersburg. "It is a really welcomed change in the studio-routine, we´ll experiment how the russian vodka will affect the finnish monsters", the band says. Right after the band comes back, they will reveal a surprise that´ll drop the jaws of fans and foes alike. Be aware!"

Source:	drakkar.de
Band profile:	Lordi

The long awaited new horror video of the song "Under The Boards" is finally online!

(WARNING This video contains explicit gore and violence scenes not suitable for people under age of 18)

The story speaks about a psycho/medical serial killer who comes out at night to stalk his victims and then traps them in his clinic of horror: this video is much more similar to a short movie than to a 'normal' videoclip. We won't reveal too much yet, we're eager to shock your minds... just expect the most bloody, disturbing and sick metal video EVER!

the video can be found at: http://www.stormlord.net/new/video2004.html

www.stormlord.net

Swedish black metallers LORD BELIAL have set a June 20 European release date through Regain Records for their fifth album, "The Seal Of Belial".

The self-produced effort was engineered by Nicklas Rudolfsson and Andy La Rocque (KING DIAMOND) at Los Angered Recording studios in Gothenburg, Sweden and was mixed by Andy.

LORD BELIAL were recently rejoined by original drummer Micke Backelin following the departure of Daniel Moilanen (half-brother of former SHOTGUN MESSIAH guitarist Harry K. Cody) last October.

Upcoming LORD BELIAL shows:

Apr. 10 - Club Nocturnal - Gothenburg, SWE
May 01 - Club Adrian/Hvitfelt - Uddevalla, SWE
May 07 - Belsepub - Gothenburg, SWE
May 29 - Körpehölsfestivalen - Uddevalla, SWE

Band profile:

Lord Belial

Italian extreme metal act STORMLORD have posted a full-length MP3 of their new track "Under the Boards" at this location.

"Under the Boards" comes off the group's third album, "The Gorgon Cult", due in Italy on March 22 and in Europe/America in April through Scarlet Records.

The follow-up to 2001's "At The Gates Of Utopia" was recorded and mixed over a two-month period at The Outer Sound Studios in Rome with engineer Giuseppe Orlando (NOVEMBRE, NECRODEATH, DGM, THY MAJESTIE) and was mastered at the The Mastering Room in Sweden (IN FLAMES, DIMMU BORGIR, OPETH, SOILWORK).

"The Gorgon Cult" track listing:

01. The Torchbearer
02. Dance Of Hecate
03. Wurdulak
04. Under The Boards (195, M.A.)
05. Oath Of The Legion
06. The Gorgon Cult
07. Memories Of Lemuria
08. Medusa's Coil
09. Moonchild (IRON MAIDEN cover)
10. Nightbreed
11. A Sleeping River (bonus track, Japan only)

The CD will also contain a special multimedia section featuring the following:

- 10 unreleased tracks in high-quality mp3 format for over 43 minutes of extra songs. The material is taken from four of the members' side projects (RUN WITH WOLVES, OUTBREAK, VALAR, .0+1)
- The "I Am Legend" video clip in high-quality movie format. The song is taken from the previous album, "At The Gates Of Utopia"
- Tons of live and studio pictures
- Full detailed biography and members profiles
- Discography
- Links

Cover art was handled by J.P. Fournier, the talented artist behind the covers of such acts as IMPALED NAZARENE, IMMORTAL, DIABOLICAL MASQUERADE, YEARNING, MYSTIC CIRCLE, EDGUY, AVANTASIA, AXIS OF ADVANCE and IMPIETY.

According to the band, "The Gorgon Cult" is "the most obscure and extreme work of our career. Basically you'll find two different sides of STORMLORD in the new album: from a side, you can expect the typical STORMLORD fast and majestic songs, in their best expression ever! From another side, you'll travel to the darkest realm of the Gorgon with obscure, fast and atmospheric songs."