Lordi have joined forces with PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) to support the organisation’s ongoing campaign against animal testing.
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The Finnish heavy metal band – who won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2006 with ‘Hard Rock Hallelujah’ – posed for a new poster declaring that “animal testing is horrifying”, using their garish, horror-themed costumes and imagery to bolster the message. Pictured below the band is a rabbit that appears to have an unidentified device screwed into its scalp.
Have a look at the poster below:
In addition, Lordi have encouraged fans to show support for the European Citizens’ Initiative, launched by PETA in tandem with more than 100 animal protection groups, as well as brands like Dove and The Body Shop, to call on the European Union “to uphold and strengthen the animal testing ban for cosmetics”.
In a press release issued by PETA, the org explained that “despite setting a global precedent, the ban is being undermined by new and unnecessary animal testing requirements for cosmetics ingredients that have been safely used for years”.
It continued: “The ECI also calls for the transformation of EU chemicals regulations without the addition of new animal tests and for the establishment of a plan to end all animal experiments.”
In a statement of their own, Lordi said: “The EU ban prohibiting cosmetics testing on animals is under threat because the Helsinki-based European Chemicals Agency is demanding that thousands of animals be subjected to cruel tests. This goes against everything the ban stands for, and it’s up to each one of us to save this important piece of legislation.
“Animals’ lives are worth more than a lipstick or a bottle of shampoo – only real monsters think otherwise. So, if you’re an EU citizen, join us in signing this European Citizens’ Initiative.
Lordi’s collaboration with PETA comes as the latest in a growing number of campaigns that see the animal rights org buddy up with musicians. Earlier this month, for example, AFI frontman Davey Havok partnered with PETA for a series of ads in which he speaks out against animal testing.
Last year, Billie Eilish was named PETA’s Person Of The Year for “seizing every opportunity to point out that vegan fashion and foods are kinder to the animals and the planet we share with them”. In 2020, Iggy Pop donated his song ‘Free’ to PETA, allowing it to soundtrack a video highlighting the psychological and physical impacts on monkeys kept in laboratory cages.
Despite the numerous collaborations, though, PETA still has a fractured relationship with the entertainment industry. In recent years, they’ve called out the likes of Kanye West and The Game, The Offspring, Lil Pump, Cardi B, Drake and Rihanna. Earlier this year, they called for a criminal investigation into treatment of animals in Jackass Forever, claiming that the film likely broke state animal protection laws during a number of its stunts.
Meanwhile, 2021 saw Lordi release seven new albums – all recorded over the span of nine months – in a box set titled ‘Lordiversary’. The band described them as the albums they would have written if they existed between the early 1970s and the mid-1990s, with each disc in the set given a fictional “release year” between 1975 and 1995.
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