Interviews

 First off I’d like to thank you for taking the time to answer some questions, I really appreciate it

Not a problem, sorry if I made you wait, things god screwed up with the schedules as usual

Its fine, I mingled with the wannabe “backstage babes” in the meanwhile. So to get the ball rolling, Children of Bodom have virtually been becoming bigger and bigger with every passing day and correct me if I’m wrong but you guys even hit number one on the Finn charts recently, is that right?

Yes that’s right, the last two albums have been quite successful

How are you guys coping with this rising success?

Well the only thing that is really changing is that we’re doing more touring, and touring is really fun so there isn’t really all that much to cope with.

Well I mean you have to admit that there must be a relationship between your success and the number of girls your getting, that must be something new to cope with?

(chuckles and shakes his head) No, no, no

Ah you Finns are so modest. My next question is the many people say that you have pioneered a new kind of metal, and it isn’t uncommon that you hear people say “oh this band sounds like Children of Bodom” n’such. What do you have to say about such comments?

Well, people are always talking about this kind of thing, that a lot of bands sound a lot like Children of Bodom, but I personally haven’t heard many bands that sound too much like us, maybe one or two, but ya you can say there are some strong similarities between us and them. In fact, when people tell me this kind of thing I think it is flattering, it’s only a good thing, and I don’t see it as a negative thing that bands are sounding like us because it makes us feel like we have really created some kind of music style. I personally don’t really agree that we have started a separate music style though, but I do agree that the first album that we did was quite different at the time and from there we have just been developing the sound and here we are today, and the sound of the first album and the latest one has really changed a lot. I think that bands which sound like Children of Bodom sound more like the earlier Children of Bodom.

Are there any specific bands that you believe are worthy of mention that share the Bodom sound?

Well there’s definitely Norther, even though I don’t think they really think they sound like Cildren of Bodom, but they are nevertheless the ones that are usually blamed for it. We don’t mind at all because they’re really good friends of ours and we rehearse in the same room so ya.

My next question flows in quite well to the last issue you began talking about and that is the transitions from album to album. People argue that you’ve distanced yourselves from the more melodic and neoclassical sound of older releases like “Something Wild” and “Hatebreeder” and traded it for heavy and “in your face” kind of sound. Can you explain this change?

Well yeah I agree with the kind of change that has been happening, but there is not really a reason for that and the development is just very natural. We have always been doing the music in the same way and we have always been 5 guys in the rehearsal place with the guitars. Alexi comes up with the riffs and we all just jam together and come up with stuff. We never really contemplate with which direction we should go and what influences we should bring in so we have just done like we wanted and we never thought of any consequences or upcoming trends anything like that. What I have to admit is that there has been some obvious change in the music but there was nothing that was meant, and I do agree that we have left all the neoclassical out somehow.

Would you say that next albums you plan on recording will be in the same vein of sound and heaviness as Are You Dead Yet?

Probably. We like it heavy!