After the first episode of my new category Songs of My Life was about Ultravox, 1980’s pop and a story around Indian tennis and Olympic Games happening many years later, my second Song of My Life is very different: it is hard rock, it is about Finland – and in contrast to Hymn, to which I have a very personal story about, the song in this episode changed a whole country literally in three minutes. This second episode is about Finland and one of the most remarkable Eurovision Song Contest victories ever – Hard Rock Hallelujah by Lordi in 2006.
Lordi – Hard Rock Hallelujah: The Story of The Song
The story of the band Lordi is beginning in 1992 in Rovaniemi, where Mr. Lordi grew up and learned a couple of instruments. His civil alter ego also head of the Finnish KISS fan club. He is also the designer of the opulent costumes of the band – for that reason, Mr. Lordi taught himself make-up artisting. In the first years, Mr.Lordi was a solo project, before Amen (guitar) and G-Stealer (bass) joined him in 1996 – two years later, the line-up has been completed by Kita (drums) and Enary (keyboards). Lordi, Amen, Kalma (bass), Kita and Awa (keyboards) were the line-up of the band for the The Arockalypse album, which also contained Hard Rock Hallelujah and Bringing Back the Balls to Rock (2006).
During the Finnish qualification for the European Song Contest, the Finnish spectators could initially chose between those two songs, the vote for Hard Rock Hallelujah had a comparably small majority. The final round of the qualification, however, was dominated by Lordi, who won the Finnish preliminaries with 42% of the votes.
Lordi thus represented Finland in Athens in May 2006. Due to their unconventional genre (regarding the Eurovision Song Contest) and the monster costumes, the had quite a lot of PR. They had no problems to pass the semifinal and were the seventeenth act to compete in the ESC final at the OAKA Olympic Indoor Hall. In the finals, they won the Eurovision Song contest with 292 points (second placed was Russian Dima Bilan with 248 points). Only Albannia, Monaco and Armenia (apart from Finland itself, of course) did not assign points to Finland. The 12 point vote from Greece sealed the Finnish victory. If you know the Finnish mentality, the best way to feel what that meant to the country in my point is to watch the original commentary in Finnish of the deciding votes (or all three sections), which are luckily still available on YouTube (see above).
Market Square Massacre
After the band came back to Helsinki, the Market Square was crowded with some 90,000 people. This concert is referred to as Market Square Massacre and was sold as such as DVD merchandise after the free open air show.
Lordi is still regularly releasing music and performing. The key fan bases are Germany and Finland. The 2020 album Killection was Top 10 in Finland and #13 in Germany. Mr. Lordi and Amen are still in the band line-up, which is constantly acting with five musicians, now Mana (drums), Hiisi (bass) and Hella (keyboards). The saddest moment of band history is the death of drummer Otus, who has only been touring with the band from 2010 to 2012, when he died suddenly and surprisingly.
Lordi – Hard Rock Hallelujah: My Story of The Song
There are these days in your life, about which you just remember every bit even after many, many years. 20th May 2006 is one of these days in my life. I sat with a friend in my flat in Cologne, we were watching the Eurovision Song Contest in TV. Since 1998 latest, when I was at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, when Guildo Horn represented Germany our country, I was a huge fan of that contest. On top, I have been a Lordi fan for more than three years at this time. On 11th January 2003, when Lordi supported Nightwish in Oberhausen, I fell in love with the hard rocking monsters and finally even enjoyed them more than the headlining Tarja Turunen and her band at that evening.
But back to this television day. I am sure that Cologne-Merheim, the borough in which I lived at that day, got every high point vote for Lordi, as I just could not stop partying. With the Greek vote, the evening has been just perfect. The song really changed the nation – and I felt it the next times I visited Finland (where I, still today, have quite a bunch of really close friends). A Lordi Square in Rovaniemi or the Lordi Coke – the band was present everywhere.
I am still following Lordi as one of my favorite bands and regularly visit concerts of them. Unfortunately, I haven’t been gifted that to take concert pictures of them yet. Their music accompanied me my whole life, though – not just Hard Rock Hallelujah, which is always remembering me of that musical wonder in Athens in 2006. Kiitos, guys!
Lordi – Hard Rock Hallelujah: Spotify & Lyrics
Here is the Spotify link to Hard Rock Hallelujah:
You may, for example, find the lyrics of the track here.
Songs Of My Life Playlist
I created a playlist with all the Songs Of My Life songs so far. It will be updated with very new episode:
Finland at Flyctory.com
Here are all postings on Flyctory.com about Finland:

My Favorite Eurovision Song Contest Songs
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Lordi – Screem Writers Guild
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ISTAF Indoor Duesseldorf (29th January 2023)
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Dark Sarah – Attack of Orym
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 06 January 2023)
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Flyctory.com Best Ones 2022
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 16 December 2022)
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 09 December 2022)
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Amberian Dawn – Take a Chance (A Metal Tribute To ABBA)
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Food I Had Onboard V (September 2022 til November 2022)
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Bank of Finland Museum
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 21 October 2022)
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 16 September 2022)
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 09 September 2022)
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Helsinki SkyWheel
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Bad Baron – Ace of Hearts
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Helsinki Korkeasaari Zoo
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 05 August 2022)
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Helsinki Sightseeing Cruise with Royal Line
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Helsinki Tropicario
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Blind Channel – Lifestyles of the Sick & Dangerous
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Helsinki Design Museum
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 10 June 2022)
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Oodi Helsinki – The Modern Library (Pictured Story)
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 3 June 2022)
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Holiday Inn Helsinki City Centre
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Food I Had Onboard II (Nov 21 til Mar 2022)
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 11 Feb 2022)
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Flyctory.com Best Ones 2021
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Flyctory.com – My Favorite Songs 2021
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 17 Dec 2021)
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Lordi – Lordiversity (Full Box Review)
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Lordi – Spooky Sextravaganza Spectacular (from: Lordiversity)
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Lordi – Abracadaver (from: Lordiversity)
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Lordi – Abusement Park (from: Lordiversity)
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Lordi – The Masterbeast From The Moon (from: Lordiversity)
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Lordi – SuperFlyTrap (from: Lordiversity)
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Lordi – Skelectric Dinosaur (from: Lordiversity)
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Expo 2020 Dubai – The Mobility District Pavilions
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Davis Cup Finland vs. India: Finland in the lead after Day 1 Singles
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Averlanche – Life’s Phenomenon
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Nightwish – Human :||: Nature
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Hotel Korpilampi (Espoo, Finland)
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Lordi – Killection
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Marko Hietala – Pyre Of The Black Heart
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SB-Pro Nurmijärvi – Classic Tampere 4:2 (0:1, 4:1, 0:0)
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Flyctory.com – My Favorite Songs 2019
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WFCQ 2019: Russia – Finland 1:18 (1:2, 0:13, 0:3)
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CC 2019: Men’s Final: Storvreta IBK – SC Classic 3-10 (1-3, 1-3, 1-4)
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CC 2019: Women’s Place 3: SB-Pro Nurmijärvi – Piranha Chur 5-3 (2-1, 0-1, 3-1)
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CC 2019: SB-Pro Nurmijärvi – 1. SC TEMPISH Vitkovice 4-5 SD (2-0, 1-4, 1-0, 0-1)
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CC 2019: SC Classic – Floorball Köniz 7-1 (3-0, 1-1, 3-0)
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Hilton Helsinki Kalastajatorppa (Hotel Review)
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SB-Pro Nurmijärvi – Koovee Tampere 11-3 (4-0, 3-2, 4-1)
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Women WFC 2017 Finals: Sweden – Finland 6:5 SO
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Flyctory.com on Hard Rock and Metal
Here are all postings about Hard Rock and Metal:


Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 26 May 2023)
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Oryad – Sacred & Profane
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 19 May 2023)
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 14 April 2023)
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 07 April 2023)
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Vass / Katsionis – Cynical Silence
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 31 March 2023)
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Lordi – Screem Writers Guild
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Black Hawk – Soulkeeper
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 17 March 2023)
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Night Demon – Outsider
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Bad Bones – Hasta El Final!
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 10 March 2023)
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Those Damn Crows – Inhale/Exhale
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Dark Sarah – Attack of Orym
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Black Star Riders – Wrong Side of Paradise
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 06 January 2023)
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Flyctory.com – My Favorite Albums / EPs 2022
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 09 December 2022)
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 28 October 2022)
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 14 October 2022)
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 7 October 2022)
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Slipknot – The End, So Far
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Silent Knight – Full Force
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Bad Baron – Ace of Hearts
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 12 August 2022)
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 05 August 2022)
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H.E.A.T. – Force Majeure
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 22 July 2022)
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 15 July 2022)
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 08 July 2022)
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 24 June 2022)
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 17 June 2022)
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April Art – P.O.K.E.R.F.A.C.E.
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 10 June 2022)
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Motionless In White – Scoring The End Of The World
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 3 June 2022)
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Def Leppard – Diamond Star Halos
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 20 May 2022)
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Wucan – Heretic Tongues
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Famyne – II: The Ground Below
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 29 April 2022)
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 22 April 2022)
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 15 April 2022)
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 08 April 2022)
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Askara – Lights Of Night
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Papa Roach – Ego Trip
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Joe Satriani – The Elephants of Mars
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 01 April 2022)
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Disconnected – We Are Disconnected
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Circle of Friends – The Garden
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Spotlight – Flyctory.com meets CJ of Paleface (29th March 2022)
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 25 March 2022)
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Paleface – Fear & Dagger
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 11 March 2022)
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Der To – Hand aufs Herz
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Sunrunner – Sacred Arts of Navigation
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Messa – Close
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 04 March 2022)
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Crowbar – Zero and Below
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 25 Feb 2022)
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Gutrectomy – Manifestation Of Human Suffering
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Thunderor – Fire It Up
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Corey Taylor – CMFB… Sides EP
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 18 Feb 2022)
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Matt Pike – Pike vs the Automaton
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Ard – Take Up My Bones
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Goodbye June – See Where The Night Goes
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 11 Feb 2022)
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Slash feat. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators – 4
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 04 Feb 2022)
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The Sleeper – Radiant
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Great American Ghost – Torture World EP
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 14 Jan 2022)
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Flyctory.com – My Favorite Albums / EPs 2021
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Flyctory.com – My Favorite Songs 2021
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 24 Dec 2021)
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Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 17 Dec 2021)
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Fuer den Faehrmann – Blutmond EP
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Volbeat – Servant Of The Mind
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Hämatom – Die Liebe ist Tot
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Lordi – Lordiversity (Full Box Review)
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Lordi – Spooky Sextravaganza Spectacular (from: Lordiversity)
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Lordi – Abracadaver (from: Lordiversity)
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Lordi – Humanimals (from: Lordiversity)
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Lordi – Abusement Park (from: Lordiversity)
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Lordi – The Masterbeast From The Moon (from: Lordiversity)
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Lordi – SuperFlyTrap (from: Lordiversity)
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Lordi – Skelectric Dinosaur (from: Lordiversity)
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Navian – Cosmos
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Running Wild – Blood on Blood
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Hulkoff – Ragnarök
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Bodyguerra – Fire & Soul
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Alcatrazz – V
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Creeping Death – The Edge of Existence EP
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Naraka – In Tenebris
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Rage – Resurrection Day
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Iron Maiden – Senjutsu
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Danko Jones – Power Trio
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Freakstorm – Storm Inside My Heart
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All Good Things – A Hope In Hell
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Mentalist – A Journey Into The Unknown
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CueStack – Diagnosis:Human
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Existent – Kartenhaus EP
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Buckcherry – Hellbound
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Helloween – Helloween
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Cleopatrick – Bummer
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Anchors & Hearts – Guns Against Liberty
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SILVER LAKE by Esa Holopainen – SILVER LAKE by Esa Holopainen
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Mental Cruelty – A Hill To Die Upon
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Pop Evil – Versatile
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Manntra – Monster Mind Consuming
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Evanescence – The Bitter Truth
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As Everything Unfolds – Within Each Lies The Other
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Burn Down Eden – Burn Down Eden
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The L.A. Maybe – Dirty Damn Tricks
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Silent Winter – Empire of Sins
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Thunder – All The Right Noises
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Heart Healer – The Metal Opera by Magnus Karlsson
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Orden Ogan – Final Days
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A Day To Remember – You’re Welcome
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Definition of Insanity – Into The Abyss
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Dreamshade – A Pale Blue Dot
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Erik Cohen – Northern Soul
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Flaming Wrekage – Cathedral of Bones
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Damon Johnson & The Get Ready – Battle Lessons
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Mentally Blind – Stage: Zero
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Korpiklaani – Jylhä
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(Over) 400 Media Reviews on Flyctory.com – your most popular ones
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Accept – Too Mean To Die
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Michael Schenker Group – Immortal
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Tragedian – Seven Dimensions
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Wig Wam – Never Say Die
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Bashdown – Pushing the Envelope
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John Diva & The Rockets Of Love – American Amadeus
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Flyctory.com – My Favorite Albums / EPs 2020
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Flyctory.com – My Favorite Songs 2020
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Majestica – A Christmas Carol
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Sodom – Genesis XIX
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AC/DC – Power Up
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Orianthi – O
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Averlanche – Life’s Phenomenon
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Solstafir – Endless Twilight of Codependent Love
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Paradise in Flames – Devil’s Collection
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The Struts – Strange Days
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Benediction – Scriptures
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Artificial Eden – Artificial Eden
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Ace Frehley – Origins Vol. 2
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Thundermother – Heat Wave
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U.D.O. & The German Armed Forces Concert Band – We Are One
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Beyond the Black – Horizons
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Asking Alexandria – Like a House on Fire
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Paradise Lost – Obsidian
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Axel Rudi Pell – Sign of The Times
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Nightwish – Human :||: Nature
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Joe Satriani – Shapeshifting
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Gotthard – #13 (Album Review)
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Böhse Onkelz – Böhse Onkelz (2020 Album)
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Ozzy Osbourne – Ordinary Man
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Seven Spires – Emerald Seas
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Sepultura – Quadra
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Richie Kotzen – 50 for 50
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Lordi – Killection
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Kirk Windstein – Dream In Motion
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Marko Hietala – Pyre Of The Black Heart
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Skull Koraptor – Chaos Station
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Shadowmass – Shadowmass (Album Review)
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Frog Leap – An Amazing Project Back On Tour 2020
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Project Renegade – Order of The Minus
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Lacuna Coil – Black Anima
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Steel Panther – Heavy Metal Rules
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Black Star Riders – Another State of Grace
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Tarja – In the Raw
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Hammerfall – Dominion
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Avantasia – Moonglow (Album Review)
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My Favorite Songs 2018
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Doro – Forever Warriors // Forever United (Album Review)
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Title Picture: The Arockalypse album cover