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Children of Bodom

Genre: Melodic Death Metal  |  Status: Active  |  Viewed: 40697 times

Horns Up for Children of Bodom

CHILDREN OF BODOM: Bassist And Guitarist Check In From The Road; Battle With The Finger Fairy Continues

09 October 2008

CHILDREN OF BODOM bassist Henkka T. Blacksmith and guitarist Roope Latvala have checked in from the bands US tour with the following update: Henkka: "I dont know what it is, but Ohio was crazy! I personally had two of the craziest nights of the tour in that state. First Columbus, showday, and then Cleveland, where we had a day off. We went to see AMORPHIS and those guys pulled off a great show. Then they mixed some hell of a drinks in their bus. I think it was the late night Jagerbombs that did the trick. Or the always so good (but dangerous) Fisu. Anyway, was fun and somehow we got back to the hotel (?). In Columbus, after the show some of us got invited to a house party for beers and drinking games. I wanna thank the hosts for their hospitality, if they ever read this. We had

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Biography

In the last eight or so years, CHILDREN OF BODOM that darted to international fame with their debut, 1997s "Something Wild", has gone from being "this amazing band from Finland" to a household name in the metalscene. And that, of course, is obvious given the intensity, sheer quality of their material and the flawless execution.

Formed in 1993 and hailing from the city of Espoo, Finland, this young Finnish group took their name from one of the biggest murder mysteries in the history of their home town and Finnish crime: the murders at the Lake Bodom. After starting out as a thrash-metal combo, the founding members Alexi Laiho (guitars and vocals), Jaska Raatikainen (drums), Henkka Seppälä (bass) and Alexander Kuoppala (guitars) soon found elements of classic heavy metal creeping into their music. After taking in keyboardist Janne Wirman to complete their line-up, they honed their combination of old schoold black metal, classic heavy, and death metal vocals into the sharpest instrument of its kind and headed out to a studio record a demo tape.

After Spinefarm Records received CHILDREN OF BODOMs demo, it didnt take long for the company to figure out what they had in their hands back in late 1996. Soon the band was signed and ready to knock a few heads off.

The self-titled debut single "CHILDREN OF BODOM" went straight to number 1 on the Finnish charts and sold platinum. The debut full-length album "Something Wild" was released in Finland in 1997. The Bodoms supported Dimmu Borgir at the band's Helsinki show in November and were hailed as the new kings of Finnish underground metal by the press. Licensing deal with Nuclear Blast for central Europe was inked quickly and soon after Middle Europe the album was also released in Japan and Thailand.

Soon CHILDREN OF BODOM was flying all over Europe and writing new material that would become the "Hatebreeder" album, which was released in February 1999. On "Hatebreeder" their music had found its true shape: the album was faster, heavier and more versatile than "Something Wild". The single "Downfall" went gold and ruled the Finnish charts.

During the summer 99 CHILDREN OF BODOM toured Finland and Europe. In June they did three sold out gigs in Japan with Dark Tranquillity and SINERGY and recorded the live CD: "Tokyo Warhearts-Live in Japan". "Tokyo Warhearts" came out as a limited digibook-edition in Europe in October and all the 20.000 copies of it were almost immediately sold out. The buzz around the band was reaching new heights.

In 2000 the single "Hate Me!" went #1 at the Finnish charts and sold gold in Finland in just a couple of weeks. Platinum sales soon followed. While the single was topping the charts, CHILDREN OF BODOM finished their studio sessions at Peter Tägtgren's Abyss Studio, and the third album "Follow the Reaper" saw the light of day on the 30th of October 2000.

"Follow the Reaper" was a glorious mixture of their debut album's heavy riffing raw sound, combined with "Hatebreeder" monstrous technical metal acrobatics. The most noticable thing however was how much the band had improved as a unit and in bringing the personal levels of musicianship to a new high.

On "Hate Crew Deathroll", which was released in January 2003, not only did the band take their songwriting into new levels of aggressivity and heaviness but the way the songs were carried out pummeled everything they -or anyone, for that matter- had done into dust.

On "Hate Crew Deathroll" Alexi Laiho spits out his lyrics with vitriolic hate, the guitars (courtesy of Alexi and Alexander Kuoppala) shred everything in their wake with razorsharp precision while the rhythmsection (the demolition duo of Henkka T. Blacksmith & Jaska W. Raatikainen) pounds away like the world is about to end. As a final coup de gracé come the keyboards of Janne Warman, making sure the path of destruction is complete with the fervour and precision of a seasoned executioner on a killing spree.

In the Summer of 2003, Alexander Kuoppala left the band and was replaced by Roope Latvala, whose stellar playing had already graced countless of Finnish metal records. Being perhaps the most widely acclaimed metal guitarist in Finland ever, Roopes flexible playing style and strange sense of harmony was a strong influence on CoB by the way of his early nineties speed metal band STONE.

In 2004 the band tested their new line-up on a four-track EP and a separate DVD-EP "Trashed, Lost & Strungout" that gave a little taster of the future alongside with two great cover songs. The EP was an introduction to a new-found drive, a rougher edge, still sounding definitely and unmistakeably very CoB.

After the relase of the successful mini-album, CHILDREN OF BODOM barricaded themselves into studio Hästholmen, Helsinki, to record their next full-length album together with producer / mixer / engineer guru Mikko Karmila. The result was "Are You Dead Yet?", title of which is merely rhetorical: the fourth studio album from the trailblazing Finnish metal hate crew is killer stuff throughout.

CHILDREN OF BODOM have come a long way since their humble beginnings, and today stand tall in the all time extreme metal hall of fame, commanding the respect and awe of both fans and colleagues alike. CHILDREN OF BODOM have been hugely influential, but still, eight years down the road east and west alike, remain the leaders of the genre. "Are You Dead Yet?" is all the proof you need.

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Members

Current members

Name Instrument Member from
Alexi Laiho Guitars,Vocals 1993 -
Roope Latvala Guitars 2003 -
Janne Warman Keyboards 1997 -
Henkka Seppälä Bass 1995 -
Jaska Raatikainen Drums 1993 -

Former members

Name Instrument Member from
Alexander Kuoppala Guitars 1993 - 2003
Jani Pirisjoki Keyboards 1995 - 1997
Samuli Miettinen Bass 1993 - 1995

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Promopictures of Children of Bodom

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Livepictures of Children of Bodom

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Fanart

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News related to Children of Bodom

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Tourdates

  • 07.11.08 / Helsinki, Old Ice Hall w/SLIPKNOT / Finland
  • 08.11.08 / Tampere, Ice Hall w/SLIPKNOT / Finland
  • 10.11.08 / Oslo, Spektrum w/SLIPKNOT / Norway
  • 12.11.08 / Stockholm, Hovet w/SLIPKNOT / Sweden
  • 13.11.08 / Copenhagen, KB Hallen w/SLIPKNOT / Denmark
  • 14.11.08 / Hamburg, Markthalle, Headlining / Germany
  • 17.11.08 / Winterthur, Eishalle Deutweg w/SLIPKNOT / Switzerland
  • 18.11.08 / Milan, Palasharp w/SLIPKNOT / Italy
  • 20.11.08 / Amsterdam, HMH w/SLIPKNOT / Netherlands
  • 21.11.08 / Paris, Zenith w/SLIPKNOT / France
  • 22.11.08 / Paris, Zenith w/SLIPKNOT / France
  • 23.11.08 / Saarbrucken, Garage w/SLIPKNOT / Germany
  • 24.11.08 / Dusseldorf, Phillipshalle w/Slipknot / Germany
  • 25.11.08 / Offenbach, Stadthalle w/Slipknot / Germany
  • 26.11.08 / Stuttgart, Schleyerhalle w/Slipknot / Germany
  • 28.11.08 / Wien, Stadthalle w/Slipknot / Austria
  • 29.11.08 / Munchen, Zenith w/Slipknot / Germany
  • 01.12.08 / London, Hammersmith Apollo / UK
  • 02.12.08 / London, Hammersmith Apollo / UK
  • 03.12.08 / London, Hammersmith Apollo w/Slipknot / England
  • 05.12.08 / Cardiff, Arena / UK
  • 07.12.08 / Birmingham, NIA / UK
  • 08.12.08 / Glasgow, SECC / UK
  • 09.12.08 / Manchester, MEN Arena / UK
  • 11.12.08 / Newcastle, Metro Arena / UK
  • 12.12.08 / Sheffield, Arena / UK
  • 14.12.08 / Antwerp, Lotto Arena w/Slipknot / Belgium
  • 15.12.08 / Luxembourg, Rockhal w/Slipknot / Germany

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Discography

Albums

Something Wild

  • Label: Spinefarm Records
  • Released: 1997

CHILDREN OF BODOM on Record Shop X

View all lyrics from "Something Wild"

Reviews for "Something Wild"

Metal Observer

Hatebreeder

  • Label: Nuclear Blast
  • Released: 1999

CHILDREN OF BODOM on Record Shop X

View all lyrics from "Hatebreeder"

Reviews for "Hatebreeder"

Metal Observer

Follow The Reaper

  • Label: Nuclear Blast
  • Released: 2001

CHILDREN OF BODOM on Record Shop X

View all lyrics from "Follow The Reaper"

Reviews for "Follow The Reaper"

Living For Metal , Metal Observer

Hate Crew Deathroll

  • Label: Spinefarm Records
  • Released: 2003

CHILDREN OF BODOM on Record Shop X

View all lyrics from "Hate Crew Deathroll"

Reviews for "Hate Crew Deathroll"

Metal Observer

Are You Dead Yet?

  • Label: Spinefarm Records
  • Released: 2005

CHILDREN OF BODOM on Record Shop X

View all lyrics from "Are You Dead Yet?"

Reviews for "Are You Dead Yet?"

Living For Metal , Metal Observer

Blooddrunk

  • Label: Spinefarm Records
  • Released: 2008

CHILDREN OF BODOM on Record Shop X

View all lyrics from "Blooddrunk"

Reviews for "Blooddrunk"

Metaleater , MetalReviews , Metal-Rules , MetalObserver

Single / EP / MCD

Downfall (Single)

  • Label: Spinefarm Records
  • Released: 1998

CHILDREN OF BODOM on Record Shop X

View all lyrics from "Downfall (Single)"

Hate Me! (Single)

  • Label: Spinefarm Records
  • Released: 2000

CHILDREN OF BODOM on Record Shop X

View all lyrics from "Hate Me! (Single)"

You're Better Off Dead! (Single)

  • Label: Spinefarm Records
  • Released: 2002

CHILDREN OF BODOM on Record Shop X

  • 1. You´re Better Off Dead! (lyrics)
  • 2. Somebody Put Something In My Drink (Ramones cover) (lyrics)

View all lyrics from "You're Better Off Dead! (Single)"

Needled 24-7

  • Label: Spinefarm Records
  • Released: 2003

CHILDREN OF BODOM on Record Shop X

View all lyrics from "Needled 24-7"

Trashed, Lost & Strungout (Single)

  • Label: Spinefarm Records
  • Released: 2004

CHILDREN OF BODOM on Record Shop X

  • 1. Trashed, Lost & Strungout (lyrics)
  • 2. She Is Beautiful (Andrew W.K. cover) (lyrics)

View all lyrics from "Trashed, Lost & Strungout (Single)"

Trashed Lost And Strungout

  • Label: Spinefarm
  • Released: 2004

CHILDREN OF BODOM on Record Shop X

  • 1. Trashed Lost And Strungout (lyrics)
  • 2. Knuckleduster (lyrics)
  • 3. Bed Of Nails (lyrics)
  • 4. She Is Beautiful (lyrics)
  • 5. Plus Andrew W.K. Greets COB - Video Footage From Japan]
  • 6. [Plus Trashed Lost And Strungout Video]
  • 7. [Plus Trashed Lost And Strungout Video Footage Documentary]
  • 8. [Plus Sixpounder Video]
  • 9. [Plus Downfall Live At Tuska]
  • 10. [Plus Everytime I Die Live At Tuska]

View all lyrics from "Trashed Lost And Strungout"

Reviews for "Trashed Lost And Strungout"

Living For Metal , Metal Observer

In Your Face (Single and DVD)

  • Label: Spinefarm
  • Released: 2005

CHILDREN OF BODOM on Record Shop X

  • 1. In Your Face (lyrics)
  • 2. Knuckleduster (lyrics)
  • 3. Bed Of Nails (Alice Cooper cover) (lyrics)
  • 4. [Plus In Your Face Video]

View all lyrics from "In Your Face (Single and DVD)"

In Your Face (Single)

  • Label: Spinefarm Records
  • Released: 2005

CHILDREN OF BODOM on Record Shop X

  • 1. In Your Face (lyrics)
  • 2. Oops I Did It Again (Britney Spears cover) (lyrics)
  • 3. In Your Face (censored radio edit) (lyrics)

View all lyrics from "In Your Face (Single)"

Blooddrunk

  • Label: Spinefarm Records
  • Released: 2008

CHILDREN OF BODOM on Record Shop X

  • 1. Blooddrunk
  • 2. Lookin´ out my back door

Split

Children of Bodom (Split With Cryhavoc and Wizzard)

The Carpenter (Split With Nightwish and Thy Serpent)

Unholy Alliance Tour (Split)

  • Label: American Recordings
  • Released: 2007

CHILDREN OF BODOM on Record Shop X

  • 1. Angels Don´t Kill (lyrics)
  • 2. In Your Face

View all lyrics from "Unholy Alliance Tour (Split)"

Live

Tokyo Warhearts

  • Label: Spinefarm records
  • Released: 1999

CHILDREN OF BODOM on Record Shop X

View all lyrics from "Tokyo Warhearts"

Reviews for "Tokyo Warhearts"

Metal Observer

Compilation

Bestbreeder 1997- 2000

  • Label: Toys factory
  • Released: 2003

CHILDREN OF BODOM on Record Shop X

View all lyrics from "Bestbreeder 1997- 2000"

DVD

Chaos Ridden Years - Stockholm Knockout (Live Album and DVD)

  • Label: Spinefarm Records
  • Released: 2006

CHILDREN OF BODOM on Record Shop X

  • 1. Living Dead Beat (Live)
  • 2. Sixpounder (Live)
  • 3. Silent Night, Bodom Night (Live)
  • 4. Hate Me! (Live)
  • 5. We´re Not Gonna Fall (Live)
  • 6. Angels Don´t Kill (Live)
  • 7. Deadbeats I (drum solo)
  • 8. Bodom After Midnight / Bodom Beach Terror - medley (Live)
  • 9. Follow The Reaper (Live)
  • 10. Needled 24/7 (Live)
  • 11. Clash of the Booze Brothers (solo battle)
  • 12. In Your Face
  • 13. Hate Crew Deathroll
  • 14. Are You Dead Yet?
  • 15. Solo: Roope Latvala - Guitar
  • 16. Lake Bodom
  • 17. Everytime I Die
  • 18. Downfall
Reviews for "Chaos Ridden Years - Stockholm Knockout (Live Album and DVD)"

Sea of Tranquility

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