For some rock fans, it's hard to look past the ghoulish masks and costumes that the gentlemen (and gentlewoman) of Lordi hide behind. But if you dig a bit deeper into one of their albums, you'll discover that the band certainly can whip up a hook and a scream-a-long chorus, as evidenced by several standouts throughout their 2008 release, Deadache. As a follow-up to 2006's The Arockalypse (and not counting their silly horror movie, 2008's Dark Floors), Deadache follows the same game plan -- anthemic heavy metal that favors studio sheen over grit, and throws a surprise melody or two your way when you least expect it. For the sonic proof, check out such standouts as the album's lead-off single, "Bite It Like a Bulldog" (a song title that Lemmy Kilmister undoubtedly wishes he came up with), "Dr. Sin Is In," and "Girls Go Chopping." Of course, you won't be discovering a landmark metal album with Deadache, but for fans of melodic, anthemic, and/or theatrical metal, it's certainly worth inspecting. Overall, a downright gory good time. ~ Greg Prato

Rovi