CHILDREN OF BODOM: New Video Interview Available

Metal Injection conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Alexi Laiho and keyboardist Janne Wirman of Finnish metal masters CHILDREN OF BODOM when the band played the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival in late April. Watch the chat below.

CHILDREN OF BODOM bassist Henkka Seppälä (a.k.a. Henkka T. Blacksmith) recently spoke to Noisecreep about Alexi Laiho's broken shoulder which he sustained when he was ejected from his bunk as a result of the band's tour bus taking an irregularly harsh sharp turn.

"It was a normal night," Henkka said. "He was in the bunk. Everybody went to bed and he sleeps in the highest bunk. Then at some point, he just woke up and he was trying to get out of the bunk at the same time the bus a little bit turned. It was bad timing. He fell down on the floor all the way from the bunk. I woke up and I helped him up. He was complaining that his neck hurts a little bit. Then he went back to bed."

A couple days later, Laiho sought a doctor's advice, according to Henkka. "It was pretty bad," he said. "X-rays showed there's a broken shoulder and internal bleeding. It should take six to four weeks to heal."

Against recommendation, Laiho has decided to remain on the road and will "bite the bullet" to give metal fans the electric live performances they have come to love from the Finnish act. For the duration of the "No Fear Energy Tour" — which also features LAMB OF GOD, AS I LAY DYING, GOD FORBID and MUNICIPAL WASTE and is set to run through May 15 — Alexi will be resigned to wearing the arm in a sling, restricting movement at all times when he is not on stage. "I am going through a great deal of pain every second that I am awake," Laiho said. "However, I can still play the guitar and I will give everything I have to try to finish this tour and play every remaining show!"

CHILDREN OF BODOM will release a new album, titled "Skeletons In The Closet", in September through Spinefarm Records. The follow-up to last year's "Blooddrunk" is a selection of cover versions, some of them existing recordings, others specially laid down for this release.

CHILDREN OF BODOM has been recording covers since the early days of its career, some predictably heavy ("Silent Scream" by SLAYER, for example), others reflecting an altogether broader taste ("Talk Dirty To Me" by POISON), so fans will be intrigued to see which of the existing ones get the final nod here, and also which news ones are added to the list.