Roots of Lordi

Kiss was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1973 by Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss. Known for their face paint and stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid-1970s with shock rock–style live performances that featured fire-breathing, blood-spitting, smoking guitars, shooting rockets, levitating drum kits and pyrotechnics. The band went through several lineup changes, starting with drummer Eric Carr replacing original drummer Peter Criss in 1980, with Stanley and Simmons remaining the only consistent members. The final lineup consisted of Stanley, Simmons, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer.

Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Kitee. The band was formed in 1996 by keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and former lead vocalist Tarja Turunen. The lineup grew with drummer Jukka Nevalainen and bassist Sami Vänskä. In 2001, Vänskä was replaced by Marko Hietala, who also took over the male vocalist role previously filled by Holopainen or guest singers. Nightwish has been successful in Finland since the release of their debut album, Angels Fall First (1997), and were later recognized internationally through the release of their albums Oceanborn (1998), Wishmaster (2000) and Century Child (2002).

Paul Stanley is an American musician and songwriter. He was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and a founding member of the hard rock band Kiss, which was active from 1973 to 2023. He was the writer or co-writer of many of the band's most popular songs. Stanley established the Starchild character as his Kiss persona.

AFM Records GmbH is a music label based in Schwalmstadt, Germany. They focus on the heavy metal musical genre, signing bands such as U.D.O., Doro, Lordi, Kotipelto, Masterplan, Nostradameus, Redlight King, and Annihilator.

Sabaton is a Swedish power metal band from Falun. The band was formed in 1999 by lead singer Joakim Brodén, bassist Pär Sundström, guitarists Oskar Montelius and Rikard Sundén, and drummer Richard Larsson, but has gone through multiple lineup changes with Brodén and Sundström remaining the only consistent members. The vast majority of their songs are about historical events, mainly wars and significant battles.