Two decades after LORDI became the first Finnish band to win Eurovision with "Hard Rock Hallelujah" — scoring a then-record 292 points in Athens in 2006 — frontman Mr. Lordi has opened up about the fierce backlash the band received from the heavy metal community.
"The backlash that we got was pretty interesting. And looking back, it was quite cruel to have that from your own camp," Mr. Lordi told an interviewer. "Those daggers, they go deep in your heart — they really go deep."
The Finnish horror-metal act faced widespread ridicule from metal fans who viewed Eurovision as a pop spectacle incompatible with the genre's identity. Despite their victory, many metalheads refused to accept LORDI as legitimate representatives of heavy music.
"It's like a default setting, like a false setting of a human — once you get some thought in your head, it is really difficult for you to let go," Mr. Lordi reflected.
Time, however, appears to have brought perspective. "I'm actually proud that we are part of Eurovision history and I am proud that Eurovision is part of this band's history," he said.
LORDI are set to return to the Eurovision stage on May 16, 2026, performing at the grand final in Vienna as part of the contest's 70th anniversary celebration. The band had always believed they could place well: "We already knew that if we go to Athens, we have a good chance of qualifying in the top five or minimum top 10." The rest, as they say, is history.