Business warms to monster band Lordi

Christian groups in Finland denounced them as Satanists and the Greek Consumers' Union wanted them banned from the Eurovision Song Contest held in Athens in May.

But Finnish heavy rock sensation Lordi, whose members dress in armour and ghoulish skeleton and zombie masks, have become unlikely darlings of the business community since their shock victory at the annual music competition.

Experts say Finns have been impressed by a rare success story on the international stage.

"Lordi was a resounding winner by playing by its own rules," said Ari Vantanen, editor of Finnish rock magazine Sue.

"That is why it is such a big issue for Finns. It's also why Lordi markets well in Finland - Lordi products are pieces of national self-esteem."

And so the first biography of Tomi Putaansuu, the band's singer and lyricist, has been published.

Finnish brewery Olvi said its Lordi Cola will appear in shops early next month. Mr Putaansuu, a keen cola consumer, will design the labels for the new soft drink.

Pepsi was first to cash in on the band's success in May with advertisements on the sides of Helsinki trams saying Hard Drink Hallelujah, a play on the words of Lordi's Eurovision-winning song Hard Rock Hallelujah.

And fans show little sign of flagging despite the marketing, with Lordi's album The Arockalypse topping charts.

Lordi's transformation from pariahs to pop pinups was sealed by the Eurovision win.

Derided as a celebration of kitsch, the annual show nevertheless attracts a huge television audience and has helped launch another Scandanavian pop success, Sweden's Abba.

A week after the contest a national celebration was held in the main market square of Helsinki, and President Tarja Halonen praised Lordi's achievements.

And on Mr Putaansuu's home turf, in the Lapland city of Rovaniemi on the polar circle, the central plaza has been renamed Lordi Square. It has its own webcam enabling fans the world over to see the wall of fame featuring Lordi's handprints.