Finnish heavy metal monsters Lordi, the winners of the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest, are to release a fourth album, the first single of which has been digitally released today. To the band's great disappointment, the Black Swan Festival, scheduled for 27th September in the UK has been cancelled.

The album, entitled Deadache, will be released in October, however the first single from it, Bite it Like a Bulldog, comes out today , 1st September digitaly and will be released physically on the 3rd. A special edition, designed by Mr Lordi himself, was released earlier in August for the 550 anniversaryof the city of Espoo in Finland. The group describes the album as "having a horror theme, but with a classic rock sound." The song Bite it Like a Bulldog has been played on Finnish radio since mid-August. Earlier this year, the sound of Lordi also featured in the Finnish horror film Dark Floors.

The band were very disappointed to be informed that their first appearance in the UK this year, in the Black Swan Festival, scheduled for 27th September was cancelled by the organisers. "It's been way too long since we last played in the UK, " says Amen. " After the release of the new album, there will be a European tour. If for any reason Uk is not on the list, I will pack my guitar and hit the local malls to play private gigs for all the fans out there!" he concludes.

The first two dates of the tour have already been announced for Berlin on 10th October, where they will be headlining Popkommand for Clin in the Czech Republic on 29th November.

The band has also got new outfits for the new album, which will be presented for the first time live, together with the entire album, Deadache, in a club gig in Helsinki. You can check out the band's new look here.