
Onlookers often judge Lordi's material once they notice their physical appearance and music don't quite fit together, but that's not the point here. In theory, music should take precedence over all, not a bunch of glitzy costumes. But, unfortunately, that isn't always the case because hostility toward Lordi looms large in the metal community, particularly when listeners take the five-piece more seriously than they should. As a general rule of thumb, never take men (and a woman!) in monster suits seriously. In fact, if you're doing that, I reckon you need to take a good look in the mirror and reassess yourself.
Lordi knows damn well that their music isn't going to be given any amount of consideration by self-serving aficionados, so they soldier ahead undeterred. Plenty of people, including myself, find Lordi's throwback approach to hard rock and metal charming enough to revisit for the god-knows umpteenth time, but, for others, the idea might not be that warm cup of tea on a cold, winter day.

But while To Beast or Not to Beast is undoubtedly in the same vein as past releases, the production is a step in the wrong direction, feeling recessed, as if behind a brick wall. Envision standing just outside your favorite venue, intently listening to Morbid Angel crank out another blazing number on their current tour. It's roughly that type of sound: muffled, murky, and anachronistic.
Turn the time machine a few years back, though, and you'll notice The Arockalypse and Deadache were primed for a new century, not only musically, but production-wise, too. That's really To Beast or Not To Beast's biggest letdown, which was also the case with Lordi's previous effort, Babez for Breakfast. The music is excellent; it's just a little short on aesthetic power.
With all that said, there isn't much else to add; Lordi is going to be Lordi, and what you see is what you get. They aren't going to magically mature like fine wine with age. Instead, they'll continue to focus on zombies, rocking police officers, and horror-inspired lyricism, as well as their biggest talent, great songwriting. Cheers to "immaturity," and combining monsters and bombastic choruses, Lordi. Screw the haters.
-TMA
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