This year, two countries have chosen metal bands to represent them at Eurovision. Surprising? Not that much. franceinfo looks back at the most outstanding metal bands that took part in the famous competition.
Pop songs, electro with a hint of 90s dance and lycra costumes with sometimes questionable aesthetics. This is surely what you expected if you plan to spend the evening watching the Eurovision final on Saturday May 13. But beware: some of this year’s candidates may well disrupt your little program. Because for them, it will be rather saturated guitars, drums and throaty singing. No, you’re not dreaming, the 2023 Eurovision selection features not one but two metal bands.
Glam metal band Lord of the Lost will represent Germany and progressive metal band Voyager will compete for Australia. It may seem surprising, but not so much: it is not the first time that the angry cousin of rock has made its way to the selection of the famous competition. franceinfo comes back for you on the most outstanding metal candidates of Eurovision.
The First: Wig Wam (2005)
It was in 2005 that the public of Eurovision can headbang for the first time, with the Norwegians of Wig Wam and their song In your dreams. This first breakthrough could only come from the cold Scandinavian lands, where metal is as popular as pop in Western Europe. With her highly glam aesthetic (special mention to the singer’s skin-tight silver jumpsuit and semi-feather boa – why, by the way?) and catchy guitar riffs, Wig Wam climbed to ninth place in the contest.
The most famous: Lordi (2006)
Impossible to talk about metal at Eurovision without stopping on them: the Finns of Lordi. To everyone’s surprise, and particularly that of Michel Drucker who commented on the competition on French television that year, it was this particularly stylish heavy metal band that won the 2006 edition. Lordi is first and foremost a hit that you won’t be able to stop yourself from humming, a true hymn to metal: Hard Rock Hallelujah. But above all, they are costumes. When metalheads dress up, they don’t do it halfway, and Lordi proves it with his crazy latex monster full body suits (it must be pretty hot down there), and other pterodactyl wings that can be deployed in a shower of sparks . The story does not say if Michel Drucker made the devil’s horns.
Most Annoyed: AWS (2018)
In 2018, Hungary chose a metal band to represent it. Less visually spectacular than its Finnish co-religionists, AWS is also a lot more edgy musically. The guitar solos of the tube Viszlat Nyar smacks of hardcore and makes you want to pogoter in the pit more than to wave little flags. More metal, less accessible therefore, the group ranks 21st in the competition only. The Hungarians’ song is about a dying man addressing his child. Premonitory, since the singer of AWS died two years later of leukemia.
The most “nu-metal” (grated metal): Blind Channel (2021)
2021 is definitely a good vintage for fans of electric guitars at Eurovision (yes, there are some). The year of the victory of the Italian rockers of Maneskin is also that in which Finland, again, chooses to represent it a group of nu-metal or grated metal (like Linkin Park, not like cheese): Blind Channel. The chorus of their song, dark side, begins with “Put your middle fingers up” or “Raise your middle fingers in the air” in the language of Molière. Something to gently ruffle Michel Drucker. With their neat choreography punctuated with flames (never too many flames), the Finns rank sixth in the competition.
Glitteriest: Lord of the Lost (2023)
A whole program, and one of the most delightful: blood and glitter. This is the name of the song chosen by the group Lord of the Lost to represent Germany at Eurovision this year. Sequins therefore, big guitars, a mixture of clear vocals and saturated vocals. But also, and this is appreciable in a metal environment still doped with testosterone, a whole game around the genre clichés that the Germans proudly claim. And if that’s not enough to conquer the Eurovision audience, Lord of the Lost will be able to make up for it by triumphing in front of the Hellfest audience where he will perform next June.