Children of Bodom
Encyclopedia
Children of Bodom is a Finnish heavy metal
band from Espoo
. Formed in 1993, the group currently consists of Alexi Laiho
(vocals, lead guitar
), Roope Latvala
(rhythm guitar
), Janne Wirman
(keyboards
), Henkka Seppälä
(bass
), and Jaska Raatikainen
(drums
). In total they have released seven studio albums, two live albums, two EPs, two compilation albums and one DVD.
The band's third studio album, Follow the Reaper
, was their first album to receive a Gold certification in Finland, and since then, all seven of the band's studio albums have reached the same status. In Finland, Children of Bodom has released three consecutive albums that debuted at number one on Finnish album charts, and has also seen chart positions on the United States Billboard 200
.
The band has incorporated many different musical styles, leading critics and fans to label them as melodic death metal
, black metal
, thrash metal
, and power metal
. They are one of Finland's best selling artists of all time with more than 250,000 records sold there alone.
and drummer Jaska Raatikainen
under the name of Inearthed. Both musicians had known each other since early childhood and had shared an interest in heavy metal, especially death metal
groups, such as Dissection
, Entombed
, and Obituary
. Bassist Samuli Miettinen completed the initial line-up of the band. Inearthed recorded its first demo
, Implosion of Heaven, during August of the same year.
Samuli was the main composer of the band's lyrics for the two years that he took part in Inearthed, but his family moved to the United States in 1995, making it impossible for him to remain in the band. His last contributions to Inearthed were the lyrics of the songs from their second demo, Ubiquitous Absence of Remission which was the first time they worked with producer Anssi Kippo
at Astia-studios (Lappeenranta, Finland). In this demo, keyboards were incorporated into the band's songs for the first time. In order to achieve this, both Laiho and Raatikainen played the keyboards separately, and subsequently mixed the recorded track with the other instruments. Laiho, who had previously only composed the melodies of the songs, assumed the role of the band's lyricist.
At the time, Raatikainen played French horn
in a local big band, and during a rehearsal he met Alexander Kuoppala
, a trumpet
player and also a proficient guitarist. Shortly after the recording of their second demo, Kuoppala was invited to join Inearthed as a rhythm guitarist.
The bassist chosen to replace Samuli was Henkka "Blacksmith" Seppälä, whom Laiho and Raatikainen had previously known from school. Apart from playing the bass, Seppälä also often doubles as the band's backing vocalist. Also, the band recruited a musician to specialize on keyboards, whose name was Jani Pirisjoki. Both joined Inearthed in early 1996.
With this new line-up, Inearthed proceeded to record their third demo, entitled Shining. This demo did not impress record labels any more than the previous ones had, and none took interest in the band. Despite their efforts, their music got little exposure and managed only to play at local events. As a last resort, the band decided to record an independent, self-funded album. Considering that none of the musicians had much money to begin with, it was an audacious move.
Laiho wanted to make use of the keyboards more effectively, but Pirisjoki was not attending rehearsals. Thus, he was fired and replaced by a friend of Raatikainen's, a jazz pianist named Janne "Warman" Wirman.
Wirman was the component which was previously missing from Inearthed. His presence allowed the band to assume the style which would later characterize Children of Bodom. With Wirman, the band successfully recorded their first album in 1997. Their debut, Something Wild, was supposed to be released by a small Belgian
label, Shiver Records, but second vocalist Sami Tenetz (from Thy Serpent
) acquired a copy of their album through the hands of Kuoppala. They both worked for the same company at the time. Shortly after Inearthed signed this contract, Spinefarm Records
' boss immediately became interested in signing them for a country-wide release. The latter deal was much more attractive to the band, since the Belgian label was offering them close to no help, to the point where they would have to distribute and sell the album themselves.
The band was required to create a new name to sign up to Spinefarm Records. The contract with Shiver records had already been signed under the name of Inearthed. The answer to that problem came as the members looked for good names in their local phone book. When they stumbled upon Lake Bodom
, they realized that it was a name with impact and one which had an interesting story behind it. A long list of possible names involving the word Bodom was then made, and they settled with Children of Bodom. The band's name is derived from the Lake Bodom murders
.
and Children of Bodom at Astia-studios (Lappeenranta, Finland). In an attempt to promote their band, they opened a show for Dimmu Borgir
in 1997. Their success was such that a representative from the Nuclear Blast
label shortly approached them with a contract for a European release, a deal which started on the subsequent year. Something Wild was officially released in November 1997, and for promotional purposes the band recorded a music video
of the song "Deadnight Warrior". The video was directed by Mika Lindberg and had a slim budget of €1000. It made use of simple scenery, which consisted essentially of an outdoors location after a snowstorm. The band played for a couple of hours at night, with an average temperature of minus fifteen degrees Celsius.
Although Laiho is very critical of all of the music he has written, he notes that he dislikes Something Wild the most of all of his albums. When recording this album, Laiho had tried to mimic the style of one of his idols, Yngwie Malmsteen, which is why Something Wild is considered one of the most technical albums Children of Bodom have ever produced.
Children of Bodom's first European tour began in February 1998. They played with bands such as Hypocrisy
(at such festivals as Under the Black Sun), The Kovenant
and Agathodaimon
, but suffered from the absence of Wirman, who was concentrating on finishing his studies. He was replaced by pianist Erna Siikavirta
for the duration of the tour.
Months later, the band recorded two new songs again at Astia-studios with producer Anssi Kippo
, entitled "Towards Dead End" and "Children of Bodom". The latter was included in a compilation by Spinefarm Records, which after being released remained on the top of Finnish charts for eight consecutive weeks. In late August, the band played the song "Forevermore" live for the first time during a show in Russia
. This song was later renamed "Downfall".
Their second European tour occurred in September of that same year, but once more Wirman was not able to perform with them. Laiho's then-girlfriend Kimberly Goss
(from Sinergy
and formerly of Dimmu Borgir
, Ancient
and Therion
) assumed the keyboards this time. By the end of the tour, Kimberly invited Laiho to join Sinergy, which at the time was still in its early stages.
, was recorded between the end of 1998 and the beginning of 1999 by Anssi Kippo
at Astia-studios (Lappeenranta, Finland). It was originally entitled Towards Dead End, but while in studio the members of the band opted for the current title. To create anticipation in Finland, the '"Downfall" single was released two weeks prior to the album's release. It was accompanied by a new music video, once more directed by Mika Lindberg. Hatebreeder ultimately topped the charts in many European countries. In July 1999, the success of the "Downfall
" single and Hatebreeder allowed Children of Bodom to schedule three concerts in Japan
with Sinergy and In Flames
. During two of these concerts, the live album Tokyo Warhearts
was recorded. In it the band managed to seamlessly reproduce and at times improve on their songs. This was a notable achievement for a band with only two albums recorded previously. Under their request, no overdubs were used on the recording of the concert.
's Abyss studio in Sweden
instead of the Finnish Astia-studio from Anssi Kippo
where they had recorded all of their previous releases including the demos from Inearthed. The band wrote eight new songs for this album. While in the studio, they decided to include an extra track that was hastily composed and featured lyrics improvised by Laiho; that track would eventually receive the name of "Kissing the Shadows". The band gave the album the name of Follow the Reaper
and recording sessions took place between August and September 2000; the album saw a worldwide release in late 2000. A music video for "Everytime I Die
" was recorded by the Finnish director Tuukka Temonen shortly after.
. They returned to Astia-studio (Lappeenranta, Finland) to work with producer Anssi Kippo
again. The session ensued during the months of August and September, and the album was released January 2003 in Finland. It remained on the top of the Finnish charts for a total of three weeks and subsequently became the band's first gold album. Eventually all of the band's albums reached this status and Follow the Reaper reached platinum.
On January 3, 2003, the Finnish Metal Music Awards were held at Tavastia
Club in Helsinki. Voting was open to all the metal fans and was presented through the various media outlets that were working with the event's organizers. Children of Bodom was awarded Finnish Band of the Year.
Children of Bodom's first world tour began in 2003 and lasted until late 2004. The tour had many sold-out concerts and marked the consolidation of the band in North America
, but was also accompanied by an unexpected announcement: Kuoppala decided to quit Children of Bodom for personal reasons right in the middle of the tour without giving previous warning. In an interview, when Laiho was asked why Kuoppala left the band, he stated that, "Well, I try to be careful about what I say about him because there is no bad blood between us. He told me that he just got sick of touring and the whole band/rock 'n roll lifestyle living in hotels and tour buses and stuff. For me it was really weird because he was always the one who was SO into it! He was a die hard rock 'n roller and suddenly he made a quick 180 turn in his whole life. This whole situation involves a new girlfriend." Griffin's guitarist Kai Nergaard was invited by Laiho to replace Kuoppala, but did not accept the offer. Thus, Alexi's bandmate from Sinergy, Roope Latvala
(founding member of Stone
, one of the bands which started the heavy metal movement in Finland) assumed the guitars as a session player, until a more permanent solution could be found. This formation was introduced in Moscow
on the 16th of August.
After successfully finishing the world tour with Latvala — who then assumed a permanent position in the band's line-up — Children of Bodom proceeded to record and release the EP
Trashed, Lost & Strungout
and the single "In Your Face", which contained songs from their upcoming album and a parody cover
of "Oops!… I Did It Again" by Britney Spears
. In late 2005, the album Are You Dead Yet?
was released, featuring a style different from what had been presented by the band on its previous works. Simpler and heavier guitar riff
s were incorporated into Children of Bodom's sound, as well as elements from industrial music
. Reactions from fans to the release were varied; however, the album remains the band's most commercially successful. It was awarded gold status in Finland and reached first place on the Finnish charts, 16th in Germany
, 16 in Sweden
and 17 in Japan
. The next release of the band was a DVD-single for the song "In Your Face", which included the music video, backstage footage from the band and a live recording of the song "Sixpounder" at Wacken Open Air festival in 2004.
A poster of the band is seen in the television program CSI: NY
in the episode "Stuck On You".
Children of Bodom's live
DVD Chaos Ridden Years - Stockholm Knockout Live
was released on December 5, 2006. It contains a recording of a live concert performed on February 5, 2006 in Stockholm
, Sweden
, with over 90 minutes of live footage. "Chaos Ridden Years" refers to a documentary featuring interviews with band members about the history of the band and footage of the band on tour. It also contains every official music video
Children of Bodom has ever made, except for "Needled 24/7".
Guitarist Alexi Laiho was voted world's best guitarist of 2006 by Metal Hammer
magazine.
In June 2006, the band embarked on one of their biggest tours: The Unholy Alliance
tour, playing alongside Slayer
, Lamb of God
, Mastodon
, In Flames
and Thine Eyes Bleed
. The bands toured the US through June and July and Europe through October and November.
On January 31, 2007, Laiho slid down the lane at a bowling alley after accidentally stepping over the foul line. He slammed hard into the wall, breaking his left shoulder. This rendered him unable to play guitar for six weeks. Due to this incident, Children of Bodom was forced to cancel their first 2007 tours and a festival that they were slated to headline.
On March 31, 2007, the band's website released information on Laiho's condition stating that while Laiho's injury will never fully heal, it no longer affects his ability to play a guitar. The same notice also stated that the band had already written some songs for a new album and would start recording sometime later in 2007.
Children of Bodom was selected to replace Velvet Revolver
for the Monsters of Rock
festival, playing on the same stage as Ozzy Osbourne
and Megadeth
.
From October to December 2007, Children of Bodom recorded their sixth studio album, entitled Blooddrunk
, which was released on April 15, 2008.
The album contained 10 songs including a cover of "Ghost Riders in the Sky."
Children of Bodom was featured on the Gigantour
2008 North American tour with Megadeth
, In Flames
, Job for a Cowboy
and High on Fire
. Children of Bodom was one of the first bands to be confirmed for Wacken Open Air
2008, where they performed alongside many bands including Iron Maiden
, Sonata Arctica
and Avantasia
. Children of Bodom played at Donington Download on the 15th of June, playing a mixture of old and new songs. On March 8, 2008, Children of Bodom did their first ever UK signing event at the Zavvi music shop in Oxford Street, London. They signed copies of their new single "Blooddrunk" in CD, 7 inch and 12 inch vinyls, only 666 copies of the 12 inch vinyls have been made.
On 26 June 2008, Children of Bodom played their first show in Auckland, New Zealand with support from local scene acts Dawn of Azazel and Subtract at the Transmission Room. In 2008, Children of Bodom's first three studio albums, as well as Tokyo Warhearts, were remastered and re-released with bonus tracks. In September and October 2008, the band toured the USA supporting Blooddrunk
with support from The Black Dahlia Murder and Between the Buried and Me
. Testament
also made a special guest appearance in the main support slot at the tour's New York City date. In November and December 2008, the band toured in Europe supporting Slipknot
and Machine Head
. From late January to early March 2009, the band also co-headlined the European tour with Cannibal Corpse
with Diablo
opening for them. On April 2, 2009, Children of Bodom embarked on the No Fear Energy Tour headlined by Lamb of God
with main support from As I Lay Dying
and themselves, and rotating opening slots with God Forbid
and Municipal Waste
, but unfortunately dropped off the tour a week before it was finished following a serious injury Alexi suffered after falling from the top bunk of his tour bus on April 26, 2009, after the show in Palladium Ballroom, Dallas TX. In addition to the injury, on May 8, 2009, at Roseland Ballroom
in New York City
, Alexi and Children of Bodom were forced to quit playing after a few of their songs because of Alexi's previous injury. Laiho originally planned to continue touring despite his injury, but was forced to cancel last six dates when any efforts to alleviate the pain failed. All summer festival dates went down as planned and were unaffected by Alexi's injury.
In February 2009, Children of Bodom hinted at plans to release a cover album
entitled Skeletons in the Closet, which was released on September 23, 2009. They also admitted to being "lazy" when it comes to practicing and talked about plans to have more songs on future albums. The band embarked on a tour of South America and Mexico in September 2009. Support on the trek came from Amorphis
. Also in September and October 2009 the band returned to North America to headline a massive, month-long tour. On most dates support on the trek came from The Black Dahlia Murder and Skeletonwitch
. Austrian Death Machine
and Holy Grail made a special guest appearance in the main support slot at the tour's second Pomona, California date. In October,18th, 2009, four days after the band's North American tour finale in Honolulu, Hawaii they performed at Japan's
Loudpark Festival
along with Megadeth
, Judas Priest
, Slayer
, Anthrax
, Rob Zombie
& Arch Enemy. In the immediate six days following their performance at the Loudpark Festival, they held three shows in Hong Kong, Taiwan and China respectively. They finished their two month September to October tour in Moscow, Russia. This concluded their year and a half long Blooddrunk World Tour.
released on September 22, 2009. It features covers
released on versions of previous albums but also includes four new tracks. Covered artists include Suicidal Tendencies
, Britney Spears
, Alice Cooper
, Iron Maiden
, Slayer
, Andrew WK, and Billy Idol
.
Pre-orders through Children of Bodom's official website included an autographed copy of the album and a T-shirt with the album's design on it.
Children of Bodom featured a contest to promote their new album in which anyone could win prizes featuring an ESP/LTD M-53 electric guitar, the band's entire back catalog, and Skeletons in the Closet. The contest ran from August 25 to September 21, 2009. The winners were announced September 28, 2009.
During the recording of the drum tracks there was a small tornado and the power was cut out. Consequently the recording was delayed until after their tour with Black Label Society
. Children Of Bodom released some information to Metal Hammer magazine about new album tracks. The three track names they released were entitled: "Pussyfoot Miss Suicide", "Ugly", and "Was It Worth It?"
In November the band announced "The Ugly World Tour 2011
" which would run from March–May 2011 and would feature dates around Europe. Opening Acts were Ensiferum
, Machinae Supremacy
and Amon Amarth
(UK only). On November 24, it was announced that the title of the album would be Relentless Reckless Forever
. The album was released on March 8, 2011. A music video for "Was It Worth It?" was produced, featuring skateboarder Chris Cole as well as noted pro skaters Jamie Thomas, Garrett Hill and Tom Asta. "Was It Worth It?" was released as a downloadable track for Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
on February 2, 2011 for European Playstation 3
owners, and February 8, 2011 for Xbox 360
and Nintendo Wii worldwide, as well as non-European Playstation 3
owners.
Relentless Reckless Forever was certified gold (sold over 10,000 copies) in Finland on the first day of its release, March 9.
As of March 10, the album had sold over 100,000 copies worldwide.
, neo-classical metal
, speed metal
, progressive metal
, black metal
, and melodic death metal
. Their more recent material, such as Blooddrunk
, has been said to contain thrash metal
elements. The term "Tuonela Metal", recently introduced by Finnish press, albeit rare should be taken into some consideration, due to its expressiveness (such as its reference to the Ade
, the Reign of Shadows) and to its implicit tribute to Jean Sibelius
, the most representative Finnish composer. Laiho says that he prefers to just be called a metal group and nothing other. However, in a recent interview for the Finnish
newspaper Helsingin Sanomat
, Laiho states that the band's genre is extreme metal
, since he feels that all other alternatives are too restrictive.
Former members
Touring musicians
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band from Espoo
Espoo
Espoo is the second largest city and municipality in Finland. The population of the city of Espoo is . It is part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area along with the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa, and Kauniainen. Espoo shares its eastern border with Helsinki and Vantaa, while enclosing Kauniainen....
. Formed in 1993, the group currently consists of Alexi Laiho
Alexi Laiho
Alexi "Wildchild" Laiho is a Finnish singer, composer, and guitarist. He is best known for being the lead guitarist as well as lead vocalist for melodic death metal band Children of Bodom, and he is also the guitarist for Sinergy and Kylähullut...
(vocals, lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
), Roope Latvala
Roope Latvala
Roope Latvala is a Finnish guitarist who currently plays with the bands Children of Bodom and Sinergy. He was one of the founding members of Stone, which was one of the first notable bands in the history of Finnish heavy metal.-Biography:...
(rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
), Janne Wirman
Janne Wirman
Janne Viljami "Warman" Wirman is a Finnish musician; he is the keyboardist for the bands Children of Bodom and Warmen.-Biography:Born in the town of Espoo, Finland, Janne Wirman began playing the piano at the age of five...
(keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
), Henkka Seppälä
Henkka Seppälä
Henri Samuli Seppälä , better known as Henkka T. Blacksmith, is the bassist of the Finnish metal band Children of Bodom. Henkka is responsible for backing vocals both on studio and live....
(bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
), and Jaska Raatikainen
Jaska Raatikainen
Jaska Ilmari Raatikainen or Jaska W. Raatikainen is the drummer of the band Children of Bodom.-Biography:Jaska Raatikainen was born in the town of Lappeenranta, in Finland. His first instrument was the piano, and during most of his childhood also played the French horn in a big band - a fact which...
(drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
). In total they have released seven studio albums, two live albums, two EPs, two compilation albums and one DVD.
The band's third studio album, Follow the Reaper
Follow the Reaper
-Personnel:Children of Bodom*Alexi Laiho – vocals, lead guitar*Alexander Kuoppala – rhythm guitar*Janne Wirman – keyboards*Henkka Seppälä – bass*Jaska Raatikainen – drumsProduction*Peter Tägtgren – production, engineering...
, was their first album to receive a Gold certification in Finland, and since then, all seven of the band's studio albums have reached the same status. In Finland, Children of Bodom has released three consecutive albums that debuted at number one on Finnish album charts, and has also seen chart positions on the United States Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
.
The band has incorporated many different musical styles, leading critics and fans to label them as melodic death metal
Melodic death metal
Melodic death metal is a heavy metal music style that combines elements from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal with elements of death metal. The style was developed during the early and mid-1990s, primarily in England and Scandinavia...
, black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
, thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
, and power metal
Power metal
Power metal is a style of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. The term refers to two different but related styles: the first pioneered and largely practiced in North America with a harder sound similar to speed metal, and a...
. They are one of Finland's best selling artists of all time with more than 250,000 records sold there alone.
Formation and early years (1993–1997)
Children of Bodom was formed in 1993 by guitarist Alexi "Wildchild" LaihoAlexi Laiho
Alexi "Wildchild" Laiho is a Finnish singer, composer, and guitarist. He is best known for being the lead guitarist as well as lead vocalist for melodic death metal band Children of Bodom, and he is also the guitarist for Sinergy and Kylähullut...
and drummer Jaska Raatikainen
Jaska Raatikainen
Jaska Ilmari Raatikainen or Jaska W. Raatikainen is the drummer of the band Children of Bodom.-Biography:Jaska Raatikainen was born in the town of Lappeenranta, in Finland. His first instrument was the piano, and during most of his childhood also played the French horn in a big band - a fact which...
under the name of Inearthed. Both musicians had known each other since early childhood and had shared an interest in heavy metal, especially death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
groups, such as Dissection
Dissection (band)
Dissection was a black metal band from Strömstad, Sweden. The band was formed in 1989, by Jon Nödtveidt. The band released its first EP in 1991. They disbanded in 2006, after Nödtveidt's suicide.- Band overview :...
, Entombed
Entombed (band)
Entombed is a Swedish death metal band which formed in 1987 under the name of Nihilist. Though Entombed began their career as an early pioneer of Scandinavian death metal which initially differed itself from its American counterpart with its distinct guitar tone, by the early 1990s their sound had...
, and Obituary
Obituary (band)
Obituary is an American death metal band formed in 1984 in Tampa, Florida under the name Executioner, then changed the name's spelling to Xecutioner, and later changed their name to Obituary in 1988. The band comprises vocalist John Tardy, drummer Donald Tardy, guitarists Trevor Peres and Ralph...
. Bassist Samuli Miettinen completed the initial line-up of the band. Inearthed recorded its first demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
, Implosion of Heaven, during August of the same year.
Samuli was the main composer of the band's lyrics for the two years that he took part in Inearthed, but his family moved to the United States in 1995, making it impossible for him to remain in the band. His last contributions to Inearthed were the lyrics of the songs from their second demo, Ubiquitous Absence of Remission which was the first time they worked with producer Anssi Kippo
Anssi Kippo
Anssi Kippo is a platinum selling Finnish producer that founded Astia-studios in 1994. He has produced and engineered numerous acts including over the years and continues to manage both Astia A and B studios.Notable clients include:...
at Astia-studios (Lappeenranta, Finland). In this demo, keyboards were incorporated into the band's songs for the first time. In order to achieve this, both Laiho and Raatikainen played the keyboards separately, and subsequently mixed the recorded track with the other instruments. Laiho, who had previously only composed the melodies of the songs, assumed the role of the band's lyricist.
At the time, Raatikainen played French horn
Horn (instrument)
The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
in a local big band, and during a rehearsal he met Alexander Kuoppala
Alexander Kuoppala
Alexander Kuoppala is a Finnish musician. He was the rhythm guitarist from the Finnish heavy metal band Children of Bodom from 1995 to 2003. He played on their albums Something Wild, Hatebreeder, Follow the Reaper, and Hate Crew Deathroll...
, a trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
player and also a proficient guitarist. Shortly after the recording of their second demo, Kuoppala was invited to join Inearthed as a rhythm guitarist.
The bassist chosen to replace Samuli was Henkka "Blacksmith" Seppälä, whom Laiho and Raatikainen had previously known from school. Apart from playing the bass, Seppälä also often doubles as the band's backing vocalist. Also, the band recruited a musician to specialize on keyboards, whose name was Jani Pirisjoki. Both joined Inearthed in early 1996.
With this new line-up, Inearthed proceeded to record their third demo, entitled Shining. This demo did not impress record labels any more than the previous ones had, and none took interest in the band. Despite their efforts, their music got little exposure and managed only to play at local events. As a last resort, the band decided to record an independent, self-funded album. Considering that none of the musicians had much money to begin with, it was an audacious move.
Laiho wanted to make use of the keyboards more effectively, but Pirisjoki was not attending rehearsals. Thus, he was fired and replaced by a friend of Raatikainen's, a jazz pianist named Janne "Warman" Wirman.
Wirman was the component which was previously missing from Inearthed. His presence allowed the band to assume the style which would later characterize Children of Bodom. With Wirman, the band successfully recorded their first album in 1997. Their debut, Something Wild, was supposed to be released by a small Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
label, Shiver Records, but second vocalist Sami Tenetz (from Thy Serpent
Thy Serpent
Thy Serpent is a blackened doom metal/symphonic black metal band from Espoo, Finland. It started out as a solo project by Sami Tenetz.- History :...
) acquired a copy of their album through the hands of Kuoppala. They both worked for the same company at the time. Shortly after Inearthed signed this contract, Spinefarm Records
Spinefarm Records
Spinefarm Records is a Finland-based record label focusing mainly on heavy metal artists. In 1999, a sub-label titled Spikefarm Records was started by Sami Tenetz from Thy Serpent...
' boss immediately became interested in signing them for a country-wide release. The latter deal was much more attractive to the band, since the Belgian label was offering them close to no help, to the point where they would have to distribute and sell the album themselves.
The band was required to create a new name to sign up to Spinefarm Records. The contract with Shiver records had already been signed under the name of Inearthed. The answer to that problem came as the members looked for good names in their local phone book. When they stumbled upon Lake Bodom
Lake Bodom
Lake Bodom is a lake in Finland located on the suburbs of the city of Espoo, not far from Helsinki. The lake measures approximately three kilometers in length and one kilometer in width....
, they realized that it was a name with impact and one which had an interesting story behind it. A long list of possible names involving the word Bodom was then made, and they settled with Children of Bodom. The band's name is derived from the Lake Bodom murders
Lake Bodom murders
The Lake Bodom murders were an infamous multiple homicide that took place in Finland in 1960. Lake Bodom is a lake by the city of Espoo, about 22 kilometres west of the country's capital, Helsinki. In the early hours of June 5, 1960, four teenagers were camping on the shores of Lake Bodom...
.
Something Wild (1997—1998)
Something Wild was produced, recorded and mixed by Anssi KippoAnssi Kippo
Anssi Kippo is a platinum selling Finnish producer that founded Astia-studios in 1994. He has produced and engineered numerous acts including over the years and continues to manage both Astia A and B studios.Notable clients include:...
and Children of Bodom at Astia-studios (Lappeenranta, Finland). In an attempt to promote their band, they opened a show for Dimmu Borgir
Dimmu Borgir
Dimmu Borgir is a Norwegian black metal band from Oslo, Norway, formed in 1993. Dimmu borgir means "dark cities" or "dark castles/fortresses" in Icelandic, Faroese and Old Norse. The name is derived from a volcanic formation in Iceland, Dimmuborgir...
in 1997. Their success was such that a representative from the Nuclear Blast
Nuclear Blast
Nuclear Blast is an independent record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The record label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on to releasing albums by melodic...
label shortly approached them with a contract for a European release, a deal which started on the subsequent year. Something Wild was officially released in November 1997, and for promotional purposes the band recorded a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
of the song "Deadnight Warrior". The video was directed by Mika Lindberg and had a slim budget of €1000. It made use of simple scenery, which consisted essentially of an outdoors location after a snowstorm. The band played for a couple of hours at night, with an average temperature of minus fifteen degrees Celsius.
Although Laiho is very critical of all of the music he has written, he notes that he dislikes Something Wild the most of all of his albums. When recording this album, Laiho had tried to mimic the style of one of his idols, Yngwie Malmsteen, which is why Something Wild is considered one of the most technical albums Children of Bodom have ever produced.
Children of Bodom's first European tour began in February 1998. They played with bands such as Hypocrisy
Hypocrisy (band)
Hypocrisy is a melodic death metal band from Sweden. It was formed in 1990 in Ludvika, Sweden by Peter Tägtgren.Musically, the band started off with a traditional death metal sound on their first albums, and soon drifted to become a melodic death metal band. The lyrics in their early stages -...
(at such festivals as Under the Black Sun), The Kovenant
The Kovenant
The Kovenant is a Norwegian black metal band from Oslo/Hamar. The band originally formed as Covenant in 1993, but in 1999 were forced to change their name to The Kovenant due to a dispute with a Swedish electronic band of the same name....
and Agathodaimon
Agathodaimon (band)
Agathodaimon is a gothic/melodic black metal band from Mainz, Germany.-Biography:The band began in September 1995, when guitarist Sathonys and drummer Matthias got together to assemble a dominant death metal band with harmonic arrangements . They put adverts in several music magazines in the hopes...
, but suffered from the absence of Wirman, who was concentrating on finishing his studies. He was replaced by pianist Erna Siikavirta
Erna Siikavirta
Erna Inari Kaarina Siikavirta is a Finnish keyboard player. She is best known as a member of the Finnish hard rock band Lordi, which she joined in 1997 under the stage name Enary...
for the duration of the tour.
Months later, the band recorded two new songs again at Astia-studios with producer Anssi Kippo
Anssi Kippo
Anssi Kippo is a platinum selling Finnish producer that founded Astia-studios in 1994. He has produced and engineered numerous acts including over the years and continues to manage both Astia A and B studios.Notable clients include:...
, entitled "Towards Dead End" and "Children of Bodom". The latter was included in a compilation by Spinefarm Records, which after being released remained on the top of Finnish charts for eight consecutive weeks. In late August, the band played the song "Forevermore" live for the first time during a show in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. This song was later renamed "Downfall".
Their second European tour occurred in September of that same year, but once more Wirman was not able to perform with them. Laiho's then-girlfriend Kimberly Goss
Kimberly Goss
Kimberly Goss is the vocalist and founding member of the Finnish band Sinergy.-Early life:She was born in Los Angeles to a Korean father and a German-American mother, who was a jazz singer...
(from Sinergy
Sinergy
Sinergy was a Finnish power metal band started in 1998 by American musician, Kimberly Goss. Aside from Sinergy, the most notable bands Goss has been involved with are Dimmu Borgir; as keyboardist, and Children of Bodom; where she filled in live for Janne Wirman and also contributed lyrics...
and formerly of Dimmu Borgir
Dimmu Borgir
Dimmu Borgir is a Norwegian black metal band from Oslo, Norway, formed in 1993. Dimmu borgir means "dark cities" or "dark castles/fortresses" in Icelandic, Faroese and Old Norse. The name is derived from a volcanic formation in Iceland, Dimmuborgir...
, Ancient
Ancient (band)
Ancient is a Norwegian black metal band from Eidsvåg, Nesset, formed in 1992. The band has released six full-length albums released by Metal Blade Records and a variety of mini-albums, EPs and special releases. Ancient used to have the classic raw black metal sound, similar to Darkthrone's works...
and Therion
Therion (band)
Therion is a Swedish symphonic metal band founded by Christofer Johnsson in 1987. The word "therion" comes from the Greek therion , meaning "Beast," i.e., that of the Christian Book of Revelation...
) assumed the keyboards this time. By the end of the tour, Kimberly invited Laiho to join Sinergy, which at the time was still in its early stages.
Hatebreeder (1998–2000)
The second album, HatebreederHatebreeder
-Trivia:* The intro from the song “Warheart” is from the film Amadeus, Laiho’s favourite movie. The line is saying “From now on, we’re enemies. You and I.”.* The guitar solo of Black Widow is taken from a section a piece by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...
, was recorded between the end of 1998 and the beginning of 1999 by Anssi Kippo
Anssi Kippo
Anssi Kippo is a platinum selling Finnish producer that founded Astia-studios in 1994. He has produced and engineered numerous acts including over the years and continues to manage both Astia A and B studios.Notable clients include:...
at Astia-studios (Lappeenranta, Finland). It was originally entitled Towards Dead End, but while in studio the members of the band opted for the current title. To create anticipation in Finland, the '"Downfall" single was released two weeks prior to the album's release. It was accompanied by a new music video, once more directed by Mika Lindberg. Hatebreeder ultimately topped the charts in many European countries. In July 1999, the success of the "Downfall
Downfall (Children of Bodom song)
"Downfall" is a single taken from the second studio album Hatebreeder, by the Finnish metal band Children of Bodom. The song, originally called "Forevermore", was written by the lead vocalist Alexi Laiho. The video of "Downfall" was directed by Mika Lindberg...
" single and Hatebreeder allowed Children of Bodom to schedule three concerts in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
with Sinergy and In Flames
In Flames
In Flames is a Swedish heavy metal band from Gothenburg, formed in 1990. Since the band's inception in 1993, they have released ten studio albums and one live DVD...
. During two of these concerts, the live album Tokyo Warhearts
Tokyo Warhearts
Tokyo Warhearts is the first live album by the Finnish melodic death metal band Children of Bodom which was recorded in 1999. It was recorded and filmed on July 10 and 11 of 1999 in Tokyo. The album was re-released on May 29, 2001...
was recorded. In it the band managed to seamlessly reproduce and at times improve on their songs. This was a notable achievement for a band with only two albums recorded previously. Under their request, no overdubs were used on the recording of the concert.
Follow the Reaper (2000–2002)
For their next release, Children of Bodom decided to make use of Peter TägtgrenPeter Tägtgren
Alf Peter Tägtgren is a Swedish musician and producer. He is the founder, main songwriter, lead vocalist, and guitarist of the death metal band Hypocrisy as well as the industrial metal band PAIN in which he is the only member....
's Abyss studio in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
instead of the Finnish Astia-studio from Anssi Kippo
Anssi Kippo
Anssi Kippo is a platinum selling Finnish producer that founded Astia-studios in 1994. He has produced and engineered numerous acts including over the years and continues to manage both Astia A and B studios.Notable clients include:...
where they had recorded all of their previous releases including the demos from Inearthed. The band wrote eight new songs for this album. While in the studio, they decided to include an extra track that was hastily composed and featured lyrics improvised by Laiho; that track would eventually receive the name of "Kissing the Shadows". The band gave the album the name of Follow the Reaper
Follow the Reaper
-Personnel:Children of Bodom*Alexi Laiho – vocals, lead guitar*Alexander Kuoppala – rhythm guitar*Janne Wirman – keyboards*Henkka Seppälä – bass*Jaska Raatikainen – drumsProduction*Peter Tägtgren – production, engineering...
and recording sessions took place between August and September 2000; the album saw a worldwide release in late 2000. A music video for "Everytime I Die
Everytime I Die
For the band, see Every Time I Die."Everytime I Die" is a song by heavy metal band Children of Bodom. The song was recorded for their third album, Follow the Reaper . The song starts with a heavy riff which is actually a single chord played in rhythmic succession. It is then followed by trademark...
" was recorded by the Finnish director Tuukka Temonen shortly after.
Hate Crew Deathroll (2002–2004)
In February 2002, Children of Bodom began writing songs for their upcoming album, entitled Hate Crew DeathrollHate Crew Deathroll
-Personnel:Children of Bodom*Alexi Laiho – vocals, lead guitar*Alexander Kuoppala – rhythm guitar*Janne Wirman – keyboards*Henkka Seppälä – bass*Jaska Raatikainen – drumsProduction*Produced and recorded by Anssi Kippo*Mixed by Mikko Karmila...
. They returned to Astia-studio (Lappeenranta, Finland) to work with producer Anssi Kippo
Anssi Kippo
Anssi Kippo is a platinum selling Finnish producer that founded Astia-studios in 1994. He has produced and engineered numerous acts including over the years and continues to manage both Astia A and B studios.Notable clients include:...
again. The session ensued during the months of August and September, and the album was released January 2003 in Finland. It remained on the top of the Finnish charts for a total of three weeks and subsequently became the band's first gold album. Eventually all of the band's albums reached this status and Follow the Reaper reached platinum.
On January 3, 2003, the Finnish Metal Music Awards were held at Tavastia
Tavastia
Tavastia may refer to:* Tavastia , a historical province of the kingdom of Sweden, located in modern-day Finland* Tavastia Proper, a modern region of Finland* Päijänne Tavastia, another region of Finland...
Club in Helsinki. Voting was open to all the metal fans and was presented through the various media outlets that were working with the event's organizers. Children of Bodom was awarded Finnish Band of the Year.
Children of Bodom's first world tour began in 2003 and lasted until late 2004. The tour had many sold-out concerts and marked the consolidation of the band in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, but was also accompanied by an unexpected announcement: Kuoppala decided to quit Children of Bodom for personal reasons right in the middle of the tour without giving previous warning. In an interview, when Laiho was asked why Kuoppala left the band, he stated that, "Well, I try to be careful about what I say about him because there is no bad blood between us. He told me that he just got sick of touring and the whole band/rock 'n roll lifestyle living in hotels and tour buses and stuff. For me it was really weird because he was always the one who was SO into it! He was a die hard rock 'n roller and suddenly he made a quick 180 turn in his whole life. This whole situation involves a new girlfriend." Griffin's guitarist Kai Nergaard was invited by Laiho to replace Kuoppala, but did not accept the offer. Thus, Alexi's bandmate from Sinergy, Roope Latvala
Roope Latvala
Roope Latvala is a Finnish guitarist who currently plays with the bands Children of Bodom and Sinergy. He was one of the founding members of Stone, which was one of the first notable bands in the history of Finnish heavy metal.-Biography:...
(founding member of Stone
Stone (band)
Stone was a thrash metal band formed in Kerava, Finland in the mid-1980s. They released four albums and one live album during the late 1980s and early 1990s, before disbanding in 1991 to pursue different musical directions. Stone reunited to play a final set of concerts in 2000, but parted ways...
, one of the bands which started the heavy metal movement in Finland) assumed the guitars as a session player, until a more permanent solution could be found. This formation was introduced in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
on the 16th of August.
Are You Dead Yet? (2004–2007)
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Trashed, Lost & Strungout
Trashed, Lost & Strungout
EP-CDEP-DVD-Personnel:Children of Bodom*Alexi Laiho – vocals, lead guitar*Roope Latvala – guitar*Janne Wirman – keyboards*Henkka Seppälä – bass*Jaska Raatikainen – drumsProduction*Produced and recorded by Anssi Kippo*Mixed by Mikko Karmila...
and the single "In Your Face", which contained songs from their upcoming album and a parody cover
Parody music
Parody music, or musical parody, involves changing or recycling existing musical ideas or lyrics — or copying the peculiar style of a composer or artist, or even a general style of music. Although the result is often funny, and this is the usual intent — the term "parody" in musical terms also...
of "Oops!… I Did It Again" by Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
. In late 2005, the album Are You Dead Yet?
Are You Dead Yet?
-Personnel:Children of Bodom*Alexi Laiho – vocals, guitar*Roope Latvala – guitar*Janne Wirman – keyboards*Henkka Seppälä – bass*Jaska Raatikainen – drumsAdditional musicians*Alexander Kuoppala – rhythm guitar on "Somebody Put Something in My Drink"...
was released, featuring a style different from what had been presented by the band on its previous works. Simpler and heavier guitar riff
RIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
s were incorporated into Children of Bodom's sound, as well as elements from industrial music
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
. Reactions from fans to the release were varied; however, the album remains the band's most commercially successful. It was awarded gold status in Finland and reached first place on the Finnish charts, 16th in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, 16 in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and 17 in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The next release of the band was a DVD-single for the song "In Your Face", which included the music video, backstage footage from the band and a live recording of the song "Sixpounder" at Wacken Open Air festival in 2004.
A poster of the band is seen in the television program CSI: NY
CSI: NY
CSI: NY is an American police procedural television series that premiered on September 22, 2004, on CBS. The show follows the investigations of a team of NYPD forensic scientists and police officers as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths as well as other crimes...
in the episode "Stuck On You".
Children of Bodom's live
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
DVD Chaos Ridden Years - Stockholm Knockout Live
Stockholm Knockout Live
-DVD only media:* Chaos Ridden Years: The Children of Bodom Documentary* Making of Stockholm Knockout Live* Deleted Scenes* Photo Gallery* Promotional Videos:** "Are You Dead Yet?"** "Downfall"** "Deadnight Warrior"** "Everytime I Die"** "In Your Face"...
was released on December 5, 2006. It contains a recording of a live concert performed on February 5, 2006 in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, with over 90 minutes of live footage. "Chaos Ridden Years" refers to a documentary featuring interviews with band members about the history of the band and footage of the band on tour. It also contains every official music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
Children of Bodom has ever made, except for "Needled 24/7".
Guitarist Alexi Laiho was voted world's best guitarist of 2006 by Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer is a monthly heavy metal music magazine published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and in several other countries by different publishers. Metal Hammer articles feature both mainstream bands and more unusual acts from the whole spectrum of heavy metal music...
magazine.
In June 2006, the band embarked on one of their biggest tours: The Unholy Alliance
The Unholy Alliance (tour)
The Unholy Alliance Tour is a biennial heavy metal concert tour of Europe and North America, with the tag-line "Preaching to the Perverted". The tour is headlined by the thrash metal band Slayer, and featured Trivium, Amon Amarth and Mastodon in its latest edition.-Europe 2004:The 2004 European...
tour, playing alongside Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
, Lamb of God
Lamb of God (band)
Lamb of God is an American heavy metal band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 1994, the group consists of vocalist Randy Blythe, guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler, bassist John Campbell, and drummer Chris Adler...
, Mastodon
Mastodon (band)
Mastodon is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 1999. The band is composed of bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders, guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds, guitarist Bill Kelliher and drummer/vocalist Brann Dailor...
, In Flames
In Flames
In Flames is a Swedish heavy metal band from Gothenburg, formed in 1990. Since the band's inception in 1993, they have released ten studio albums and one live DVD...
and Thine Eyes Bleed
Thine Eyes Bleed
Thine Eyes Bleed is a melodic death metal band from London, Ontario, Canada. They released their first album In the Wake of Separation in 2005. And on April, 15th 2008 released their follow up album, Thine Eyes Bleed.-Members:...
. The bands toured the US through June and July and Europe through October and November.
On January 31, 2007, Laiho slid down the lane at a bowling alley after accidentally stepping over the foul line. He slammed hard into the wall, breaking his left shoulder. This rendered him unable to play guitar for six weeks. Due to this incident, Children of Bodom was forced to cancel their first 2007 tours and a festival that they were slated to headline.
On March 31, 2007, the band's website released information on Laiho's condition stating that while Laiho's injury will never fully heal, it no longer affects his ability to play a guitar. The same notice also stated that the band had already written some songs for a new album and would start recording sometime later in 2007.
Children of Bodom was selected to replace Velvet Revolver
Velvet Revolver
Velvet Revolver is an American hard rock supergroup consisting of former Guns N' Roses members Slash, Duff McKagan, and Matt Sorum, alongside Dave Kushner formerly of punk band Wasted Youth. Stone Temple Pilots vocalist Scott Weiland was Velvet Revolver's lead singer from their formation until...
for the Monsters of Rock
Monsters of Rock
Monsters of Rock was an annual music festival held in England, then moved in other locations like The Netherlands, France, Italy, Germany, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Chile.The Last show was in 2008....
festival, playing on the same stage as Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
and Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
.
Blooddrunk (2007–2009)
Blooddrunk
-Personnel:Children of Bodom*Alexi Laiho – vocals, guitar*Roope Latvala – guitar*Janne Wirman – keyboards*Henkka Seppälä – bass*Jaska Raatikainen – drumsProduction*Produced, recorded, and mixed by Mikko Karmila*Vocals recorded by Peter Tägtgren...
, which was released on April 15, 2008.
The album contained 10 songs including a cover of "Ghost Riders in the Sky."
Children of Bodom was featured on the Gigantour
Gigantour
Gigantour is the name of a sporadically organised traveling heavy metal music festival organized by Megadeth's Dave Mustaine. The tour was founded in 2005 with dates across North America, and the 2006 and 2007 line-ups also traveled to Australia...
2008 North American tour with Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
, In Flames
In Flames
In Flames is a Swedish heavy metal band from Gothenburg, formed in 1990. Since the band's inception in 1993, they have released ten studio albums and one live DVD...
, Job for a Cowboy
Job for a Cowboy
Job for a Cowboy is a American death metal band from Glendale, Arizona. Formed in 2003, the band's debut album Genesis was released in 2007, peaking at #54 on the US Billboard 200 and selling 13,000 copies in its first week of release. The second album, 2009's Ruination, sold 10,600 copies in...
and High on Fire
High on Fire
High on Fire is a stoner metal band from Oakland, California, that was formed in 1998. Matt Pike, the band's frontman and founder, previously played guitar for the influential stoner doom band Sleep.-History:...
. Children of Bodom was one of the first bands to be confirmed for Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air is a summer open air heavy metal music festival. It takes place annually in the small town of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany...
2008, where they performed alongside many bands including Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
, Sonata Arctica
Sonata Arctica
Sonata Arctica are a Finnish power metal band from the town of Kemi, originally assembled in 1995. Their later works contain several elements typical of progressive metal.....
and Avantasia
Avantasia
Avantasia is a heavy metal project created by Tobias Sammet, vocalist and frontman of the band Edguy. The project's title is a portmanteau of the words "avalon" and "fantasia" and describes "a world beyond human imagination"...
. Children of Bodom played at Donington Download on the 15th of June, playing a mixture of old and new songs. On March 8, 2008, Children of Bodom did their first ever UK signing event at the Zavvi music shop in Oxford Street, London. They signed copies of their new single "Blooddrunk" in CD, 7 inch and 12 inch vinyls, only 666 copies of the 12 inch vinyls have been made.
On 26 June 2008, Children of Bodom played their first show in Auckland, New Zealand with support from local scene acts Dawn of Azazel and Subtract at the Transmission Room. In 2008, Children of Bodom's first three studio albums, as well as Tokyo Warhearts, were remastered and re-released with bonus tracks. In September and October 2008, the band toured the USA supporting Blooddrunk
Blooddrunk
-Personnel:Children of Bodom*Alexi Laiho – vocals, guitar*Roope Latvala – guitar*Janne Wirman – keyboards*Henkka Seppälä – bass*Jaska Raatikainen – drumsProduction*Produced, recorded, and mixed by Mikko Karmila*Vocals recorded by Peter Tägtgren...
with support from The Black Dahlia Murder and Between the Buried and Me
Between the Buried and Me
Between the Buried and Me is an American heavy metal band from Raleigh, North Carolina. They have released a total of five studio albums, as well as a cover album, an EP and a live DVD/CD...
. Testament
Testament (band)
Testament is an American metal band from Berkeley, California, formed in 1983. They are often credited as one of the most popular bands of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
also made a special guest appearance in the main support slot at the tour's New York City date. In November and December 2008, the band toured in Europe supporting Slipknot
Slipknot (band)
Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. Formed in 1995, the group was founded by percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray...
and Machine Head
Machine Head (band)
Machine Head is an American heavy metal band from Oakland, California. Formed on October 12, 1991, the group was founded by Robb Flynn and Adam Duce. There have been 4 member changes since their inception. The current lineup of the band comprises Flynn , Duce , ex-Vio-Lence guitarist Phil Demmel ,...
. From late January to early March 2009, the band also co-headlined the European tour with Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band from Buffalo, New York. Formed in 1988, the band has released eleven studio albums, one box set, and one live album...
with Diablo
Diablo (band)
Diablo is a Finnish melodic death metal band, formed in 1995 as Diablo Brothers. The band cite Testament, Slayer, Metallica, Megadeth, Opeth, Death, and Meshuggah as influences, but influence from several Gothenburg bands, including Dark Tranquillity, Hypocrisy, and In Flames, is also evident in...
opening for them. On April 2, 2009, Children of Bodom embarked on the No Fear Energy Tour headlined by Lamb of God
Lamb of God (band)
Lamb of God is an American heavy metal band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 1994, the group consists of vocalist Randy Blythe, guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler, bassist John Campbell, and drummer Chris Adler...
with main support from As I Lay Dying
As I Lay Dying (band)
As I Lay Dying is an American metalcore band from San Diego, California. Founded in 2000 by Tim Lambesis and having completed their first Line-up in 2001, the band consists of vocalist Tim Lambesis, drummer Jordan Mancino, lead guitarist Nick Hipa, rhythm guitarist Phil Sgrosso, and bassist Josh...
and themselves, and rotating opening slots with God Forbid
God Forbid
God Forbid is an American heavy metal band formed in 1996 in East Brunswick, New Jersey.-Biography:Building up a following in the late 1990s by touring with bands such as GWAR, Nile, Cradle of Filth and Candiria, God Forbid's first full album Reject the Sickness was released by 9 Volt Records in 1999...
and Municipal Waste
Municipal Waste (band)
Municipal Waste is a thrash metal/crossover thrash band from Richmond, Virginia.They performed at the UK's Download Festival on June 15, 2008, on the tuborg stage....
, but unfortunately dropped off the tour a week before it was finished following a serious injury Alexi suffered after falling from the top bunk of his tour bus on April 26, 2009, after the show in Palladium Ballroom, Dallas TX. In addition to the injury, on May 8, 2009, at Roseland Ballroom
Roseland Ballroom
The Roseland Ballroom is a multi-purpose hall, in a converted ice skating rink, with a colorful ballroom dancing pedigree, in New York City's theatre district, on West 52nd Street....
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Alexi and Children of Bodom were forced to quit playing after a few of their songs because of Alexi's previous injury. Laiho originally planned to continue touring despite his injury, but was forced to cancel last six dates when any efforts to alleviate the pain failed. All summer festival dates went down as planned and were unaffected by Alexi's injury.
In February 2009, Children of Bodom hinted at plans to release a cover album
Cover Album
-Tracklisting:#Misono to Utaou! Animedley I # #...
entitled Skeletons in the Closet, which was released on September 23, 2009. They also admitted to being "lazy" when it comes to practicing and talked about plans to have more songs on future albums. The band embarked on a tour of South America and Mexico in September 2009. Support on the trek came from Amorphis
Amorphis
Amorphis is a Finnish heavy metal band started by Jan Rechberger, Tomi Koivusaari, and Esa Holopainen in 1990. Initially, the band was a death metal act, but on later albums they evolved into playing other types of genres, which include heavy metal, progressive metal, and folk metal...
. Also in September and October 2009 the band returned to North America to headline a massive, month-long tour. On most dates support on the trek came from The Black Dahlia Murder and Skeletonwitch
Skeletonwitch
Skeletonwitch is an American heavy metal band from Athens, Ohio formed in 2003. The band currently consists of drummer Dustin Boltjes, vocalist Chance Garnette, bassist Evan Linger, and guitarists Nate Garnette and Scott Hedrick...
. Austrian Death Machine
Austrian Death Machine
Austrian Death Machine is an American metal side project from San Diego, California, founded by As I Lay Dying vocalist Tim Lambesis to be a parody and tribute of Arnold Schwarzenegger's films.-Biography:...
and Holy Grail made a special guest appearance in the main support slot at the tour's second Pomona, California date. In October,18th, 2009, four days after the band's North American tour finale in Honolulu, Hawaii they performed at Japan's
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
Loudpark Festival
Loudpark Festival
Loud Park Festival is a heavy metal festival held annually at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama City or Makuhari Messe in Chiba City, Japan. It is one of the biggest festivals in Japan....
along with Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
, Judas Priest
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
, Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
, Anthrax
Anthrax (band)
Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founded by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker, the band has since released ten studio albums and 20 singles, and an EP featuring Public Enemy. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
, Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie is an American musician, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He founded the heavy metal band White Zombie and has been nominated three times as a solo artist for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.Zombie has also established a career as a film director, creating the...
& Arch Enemy. In the immediate six days following their performance at the Loudpark Festival, they held three shows in Hong Kong, Taiwan and China respectively. They finished their two month September to October tour in Moscow, Russia. This concluded their year and a half long Blooddrunk World Tour.
Skeletons in the Closet (2009–2010)
Skeletons in the Closet is a cover albumCover Album
-Tracklisting:#Misono to Utaou! Animedley I # #...
released on September 22, 2009. It features covers
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
released on versions of previous albums but also includes four new tracks. Covered artists include Suicidal Tendencies
Suicidal Tendencies
Suicidal Tendencies is a U.S. crossover thrash band founded in 1981 in Venice, Los Angeles, California by Mike Muir, its leader and only permanent member. The band is sometimes credited as one of "the fathers of crossover thrash"...
, Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
, Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
, Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
, Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
, Andrew WK, and Billy Idol
Billy Idol
William Michael Albert Broad , better known by his stage name Billy Idol, is an English rock musician. A member of the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans, Idol first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X...
.
Pre-orders through Children of Bodom's official website included an autographed copy of the album and a T-shirt with the album's design on it.
Children of Bodom featured a contest to promote their new album in which anyone could win prizes featuring an ESP/LTD M-53 electric guitar, the band's entire back catalog, and Skeletons in the Closet. The contest ran from August 25 to September 21, 2009. The winners were announced September 28, 2009.
Relentless Reckless Forever (2010–present)
After the Blooddrunk tour ended, Children of Bodom started recording their new album.During the recording of the drum tracks there was a small tornado and the power was cut out. Consequently the recording was delayed until after their tour with Black Label Society
Black Label Society
Black Label Society is a heavy metal band formed by Zakk Wylde, with nine studio albums, one live album, two compilation albums, one EP, and three video albums released since formation of the band.-Formation and Sonic Brew :...
. Children Of Bodom released some information to Metal Hammer magazine about new album tracks. The three track names they released were entitled: "Pussyfoot Miss Suicide", "Ugly", and "Was It Worth It?"
In November the band announced "The Ugly World Tour 2011
The Ugly World Tour 2011
The Ugly World Tour 2011 is a concert tour by Children of Bodom in support of their seventh studio album, Relentless Reckless Forever. The name of the tour comes from a song from the new album called Ugly.-Europe leg:...
" which would run from March–May 2011 and would feature dates around Europe. Opening Acts were Ensiferum
Ensiferum
Ensiferum is a Finnish folk metal band from Helsinki. The members of the band label themselves as "heroic folk metal." Since their formation, Ensiferum has released four full-length albums, one EP, one compilation, three singles, and three demo albums and one unreleased album.-Musical...
, Machinae Supremacy
Machinae Supremacy
Machinae Supremacy is a Swedish band that combines modern heavy metal and alternative rock with chiptunes. Self-defined as "SID metal", many of their songs use a SidStation that features the SID chip of the Commodore 64...
and Amon Amarth
Amon Amarth
Amon Amarth is a Swedish viking metal band from Tumba, Sweden founded in 1992, and takes its name from the Sindarin translation of Mount Doom, a location in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. The band comprises vocalist Johan Hegg, guitarists Olavi Mikkonen and Johan Söderberg, bassist Ted Lundström...
(UK only). On November 24, it was announced that the title of the album would be Relentless Reckless Forever
Relentless Reckless Forever
Relentless Reckless Forever is the seventh album by Finnish melodic death metal band Children of Bodom, released on March 8, 2011 through Spinefarm Records / Universal Music.-Background:...
. The album was released on March 8, 2011. A music video for "Was It Worth It?" was produced, featuring skateboarder Chris Cole as well as noted pro skaters Jamie Thomas, Garrett Hill and Tom Asta. "Was It Worth It?" was released as a downloadable track for Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock is a music video game and the sixth main entry in the Guitar Hero series for the PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 consoles. The game was released September 24, 2010 in Europe, September 28, 2010 in North America and September 29, 2010 in Australia...
on February 2, 2011 for European Playstation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
owners, and February 8, 2011 for Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and Nintendo Wii worldwide, as well as non-European Playstation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
owners.
Relentless Reckless Forever was certified gold (sold over 10,000 copies) in Finland on the first day of its release, March 9.
As of March 10, the album had sold over 100,000 copies worldwide.
Genre debate
Children of Bodom's genre classification is debated amongst fans and critics. The band could be part of several musical genres, among them power metalPower metal
Power metal is a style of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. The term refers to two different but related styles: the first pioneered and largely practiced in North America with a harder sound similar to speed metal, and a...
, neo-classical metal
Neo-classical metal
Neo-classical metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that is heavily influenced by classical music. It refers to a very technical performanceExact quote from the french text: "L'arrivée du néoclassique remet au goût du jour la virtuosité et le travail de l'instrument", « Les secrets du metal-...
, speed metal
Speed metal
Speed metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that originated in the late 1970s from NWOBHM and hardcore punk roots. It is described by Allmusic as "extremely fast, abrasive, and technically demanding" music....
, progressive metal
Progressive metal
Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...
, black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
, and melodic death metal
Melodic death metal
Melodic death metal is a heavy metal music style that combines elements from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal with elements of death metal. The style was developed during the early and mid-1990s, primarily in England and Scandinavia...
. Their more recent material, such as Blooddrunk
Blooddrunk
-Personnel:Children of Bodom*Alexi Laiho – vocals, guitar*Roope Latvala – guitar*Janne Wirman – keyboards*Henkka Seppälä – bass*Jaska Raatikainen – drumsProduction*Produced, recorded, and mixed by Mikko Karmila*Vocals recorded by Peter Tägtgren...
, has been said to contain thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
elements. The term "Tuonela Metal", recently introduced by Finnish press, albeit rare should be taken into some consideration, due to its expressiveness (such as its reference to the Ade
Ade
Ade is a suffix used to denote a beverage made from water , fruit juice, and sweetener. Examples of its usage are: lemonade, limeade, cherryade, and orangeade...
, the Reign of Shadows) and to its implicit tribute to Jean Sibelius
Jean Sibelius
Jean Sibelius was a Finnish composer of the later Romantic period whose music played an important role in the formation of the Finnish national identity. His mastery of the orchestra has been described as "prodigious."...
, the most representative Finnish composer. Laiho says that he prefers to just be called a metal group and nothing other. However, in a recent interview for the Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
newspaper Helsingin Sanomat
Helsingin Sanomat
Helsingin Sanomat is the largest subscription newspaper in Finland and the Nordic countries, owned by Sanoma. Except after certain holidays, it is published daily. In 2008, its daily circulation was 412,421 on weekdays and 468,505 on Sundays...
, Laiho states that the band's genre is extreme metal
Extreme metal
Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. The term usually refers to a more abrasive, harsher, underground, non-commercialized style or sound nearly always associated with genres like black metal,...
, since he feels that all other alternatives are too restrictive.
Band members
Current members- Alexi LaihoAlexi LaihoAlexi "Wildchild" Laiho is a Finnish singer, composer, and guitarist. He is best known for being the lead guitarist as well as lead vocalist for melodic death metal band Children of Bodom, and he is also the guitarist for Sinergy and Kylähullut...
– lead vocals, lead guitar (1993–present) - Jaska RaatikainenJaska RaatikainenJaska Ilmari Raatikainen or Jaska W. Raatikainen is the drummer of the band Children of Bodom.-Biography:Jaska Raatikainen was born in the town of Lappeenranta, in Finland. His first instrument was the piano, and during most of his childhood also played the French horn in a big band - a fact which...
– drums, percussion (1993–present) - Henkka SeppäläHenkka SeppäläHenri Samuli Seppälä , better known as Henkka T. Blacksmith, is the bassist of the Finnish metal band Children of Bodom. Henkka is responsible for backing vocals both on studio and live....
– bass guitar, backing vocals (1996–present) - Janne WirmanJanne WirmanJanne Viljami "Warman" Wirman is a Finnish musician; he is the keyboardist for the bands Children of Bodom and Warmen.-Biography:Born in the town of Espoo, Finland, Janne Wirman began playing the piano at the age of five...
– keyboards, synthesizers (1997–present) - Roope LatvalaRoope LatvalaRoope Latvala is a Finnish guitarist who currently plays with the bands Children of Bodom and Sinergy. He was one of the founding members of Stone, which was one of the first notable bands in the history of Finnish heavy metal.-Biography:...
– rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2003–present)
Former members
- Alexander KuoppalaAlexander KuoppalaAlexander Kuoppala is a Finnish musician. He was the rhythm guitarist from the Finnish heavy metal band Children of Bodom from 1995 to 2003. He played on their albums Something Wild, Hatebreeder, Follow the Reaper, and Hate Crew Deathroll...
– rhythm guitar (1995–2003) - Samuli Miettinen – bass guitar (1993–1995)
- Jani Pirisjoki – keyboards (1995–1997)
Touring musicians
- Kimberly GossKimberly GossKimberly Goss is the vocalist and founding member of the Finnish band Sinergy.-Early life:She was born in Los Angeles to a Korean father and a German-American mother, who was a jazz singer...
– keyboards (1998) - Erna SiikavirtaErna SiikavirtaErna Inari Kaarina Siikavirta is a Finnish keyboard player. She is best known as a member of the Finnish hard rock band Lordi, which she joined in 1997 under the stage name Enary...
– keyboards (1998)
Discography
Studio albums- Something Wild (1997)
- HatebreederHatebreeder-Trivia:* The intro from the song “Warheart” is from the film Amadeus, Laiho’s favourite movie. The line is saying “From now on, we’re enemies. You and I.”.* The guitar solo of Black Widow is taken from a section a piece by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...
(1999) - Follow the ReaperFollow the Reaper-Personnel:Children of Bodom*Alexi Laiho – vocals, lead guitar*Alexander Kuoppala – rhythm guitar*Janne Wirman – keyboards*Henkka Seppälä – bass*Jaska Raatikainen – drumsProduction*Peter Tägtgren – production, engineering...
(2000) - Hate Crew DeathrollHate Crew Deathroll-Personnel:Children of Bodom*Alexi Laiho – vocals, lead guitar*Alexander Kuoppala – rhythm guitar*Janne Wirman – keyboards*Henkka Seppälä – bass*Jaska Raatikainen – drumsProduction*Produced and recorded by Anssi Kippo*Mixed by Mikko Karmila...
(2003) - Are You Dead Yet?Are You Dead Yet?-Personnel:Children of Bodom*Alexi Laiho – vocals, guitar*Roope Latvala – guitar*Janne Wirman – keyboards*Henkka Seppälä – bass*Jaska Raatikainen – drumsAdditional musicians*Alexander Kuoppala – rhythm guitar on "Somebody Put Something in My Drink"...
(2005) - BlooddrunkBlooddrunk-Personnel:Children of Bodom*Alexi Laiho – vocals, guitar*Roope Latvala – guitar*Janne Wirman – keyboards*Henkka Seppälä – bass*Jaska Raatikainen – drumsProduction*Produced, recorded, and mixed by Mikko Karmila*Vocals recorded by Peter Tägtgren...
(2008)
- Relentless Reckless ForeverRelentless Reckless ForeverRelentless Reckless Forever is the seventh album by Finnish melodic death metal band Children of Bodom, released on March 8, 2011 through Spinefarm Records / Universal Music.-Background:...
(2011)