Children of Bodom

Even if they’re not the most original band on the planet, Children of Bodom are definitely one of the catchiest. Their affinity for memorable riffs has made them one of the more successful and well-known bands in the world, even if they’re not headlining their own arena tours. Though their style has changed immensely since their ’97 debut Something Wild, they’ve retained a keen understanding of how to hook a wide variety of listeners. Borrowing heavily from Soilwork, they seem to be travelling down the same career path, moving gradually from their classic European melodic death metal roots, ending up somewhere in between where they started and a thrash oriented nu-metal. Harmonised guitars and keyboards make up the bulk of the hooks, accenting each other over the rap rock beats they began to explore with Hate Crew Deathtoll. Alexi Laiho’s vocals are noticeably more powerful and the number of singing parts has increased significantly as a result. Ultimately, the best feature is the production. The sound is extremely crisp, but still heavy and well textured, bringing out all the subtleties incorporated in the mix. At the rate these Finnish metal warriors have been touring and recording, it doesn’t look as if they’re going to be losing this momentum anytime soon.