FED up with their “losers” tag at the Eurovision song contest, the usually nondescript Finns can hardly avoid being noticed this year. They will be represented by a group of men in repulsive monster masks, one of them wielding a blood-spurting chainsaw.

The heavy-metal band Lordi like to blow up slabs of meat on stage and are a departure from the wholesome fare more generally associated with a contest that launched the careers of Abba and Celine Dion.

And it’s a far cry from 1970, when Dana’s sickly-sweet All Kinds of Everything took the plaudits. Rather than “Snowdrops and daffodils, butterflies and bees”, Lordi’s entry, Hard Rock Hallelujah, includes “I got horns on my head, my fangs are sharp and my eyes are red”.

Finland’s religious leaders are among a growing army of critics who have warned that the monster mutants with giant retractable wings could inspire devil worship. But vocalist Tomi Putaansuu, a former film student who calls himself Lordi, denies any satanic leanings, despite the horns and black, 6in-long fingernails.

“Enjoying the music of evil-looking creatures isn’t the same as condoning evil,” he said. “We have the same aesthetic as horror films. The scarier the film, the more fun it is. And rock music should be all about fun.” The band never remove their masks in public.

Finland’s president, Tarja Halonen, has been urged to veto the choice and send a traditional Finnish folk singer to the contest instead. Even the Greek hosts are starting to have second thoughts — an anti-Lordi movement called Hellenes has appealed to the Finnish government to “say no to this evil group”.

Yet many Finns are attracted by the monsters. Lordi’s members include Amen, a mummy in a rubber loincloth, and Kita, an alien predator who plays flame-spitting drums from inside a cage. There is speculation that their use of flaming, dragon-encrusted swords appeals to latent warrior Viking instincts.

Besides, they can hardly do much worse than previous Finnish entries. Finland has come last a humiliating eight times in the contest.

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