AMG Review of Deadache

Greg Prato
All Music Guide

For some rock fans, it's hard to look past the ghoulish masks and costumes that the gentlemen (and gentlewoman) of Lordi hide behind. But if you dig a bit deeper into one of their albums, you'll discover that the band certainly can whip up a hook and a scream-a-long chorus, as evidenced by several standouts throughout their 2008 release, Deadache. As a follow-up to 2006's The Arockalypse (and not counting their silly horror movie, 2008's #Dark Floors), Deadache follows the same game plan -- anthemic heavy metal that favors studio sheen over grit, and throws a surprise melody or two your way when you least expect it. For the sonic proof, check out such standouts as the album's lead-off single, "Bite It Like a Bulldog" (a song title that Lemmy Kilmister undoubtedly wishes he came up with), "Dr. Sin Is In," and "Girls Go Chopping." Of course, you won't be discovering a landmark metal album with Deadache, but for fans of melodic, anthemic, and/or theatrical metal, it's certainly worth inspecting. Overall, a downright gory good time.