Taste Metal with the Children of Bodom
With American, Chinese and Japanese songs occupying most teenagers' playlists, it’s not surprising that bands from countries like Finland, Sweden or Denmark appaer as alien as music from Uranus and Saturn. Moreover, while pop is a mainstay genre and punk rock shows signs of increasing popularity among teens today, it seems that Metal remains a genre that only a small minority in our community can appreciate. Still, for the more adventurous willing to test the rythms of European metallic fervour, Children of Bodom is the ideal band to start with.
Children of Bodom, founded in 1993, is from Espoo, Finland. The most prolific member of the band is undoubtedly the vocalist, guitarist and co-founder, Alexi "Wildchild" Laiho. He is responsible for writing the music that the band produces and also performs most of the solos in their songs. His efforts have earned him the title of World's Best Guitarist of 2006 according to a vote organised by "Metalhammer" magazine. Children of Bodom is named after the Lake Bodom murders, a legendary crime which took place in Finland that remains unresolved today. In 1960, 4 teens went camping on the shores of Lake Bodom and 3 of the teens got stabbed to death in the night. The sole survivor got admitted into an asylum, claiming that he witnessed the Grim Reaper killing his companions. Lake Bodom and the murders thus provided a name that could impact the Finns and also provided a lyrical theme for the band. Children of Bodom is predominantly a power metal band but have raised many debates regarding its style of play, having expressed traces of death metal, speed metal and thrash metal as well.
Contrary to popular belief, metal songs are not merely pessimistic lyrics about death sung in guttural screams cocooned in a cacophony of undefined noise produced by long-haired people (though it is true that most metal players sport long and somewhat wild looking hair). Children of Bodom for one, has produced many highly original melodic tunes that will surely ensure some 'headbanging' moments for those who enjoy rock songs. Also, the lyrics are dark, exude anger and despair, but are certainly insightful and makes one see more clearly the image of fury and suffering. This perception is brought to a wide variety of topics, from love to failure in life, and I find it refreshing.
BoD's harsh vocals incorporate into the songs as a blend rather than stand out as the main component. The purpose is to bring out the music in the songs and not sacrifice the melodies for the vocal part. Instead of focusing on the lyrics, one should listen more closely to the music -- the complex but utterly amazing riffs and combination of different instruments playing at one time can actually be quite enjoyable.
With lyrics far from cheery, Children of Bodom still manages to come up with bits of humour to enliven their albums. For example, they included a secret track at the end of their 1st original album, "Something Wild", entitled 'Bruno the Pig', which was in fact only 11 seconds of silence. More commonly known is the inclusion of the figure of the Grim Reaper on the covers of all their albums and that the band has affectionately nicknamed the Grim Reaper, "Roy".
My favourite Children of Bodom album to date is "Follow the Reaper" as the album has a lot of energy but is not as aggressive as their previous albums. As such it makes a good starting album for new metal fans since it is more catchy and is easier to appreciate the tunes. The guitar playing focuses on being melodic rather than thrash shredding, which effectively makes the music infectious and fun to listen to. Heavy use of keyboards also adds to the melodic side of the album, often combining with the guitars to spin an exquisite web of musical excellence and intricacy.
The stronger tracks on the album include 'Everytime I Die', 'Kissing the Shadows' and Bodom after Midnight'. 'Everytime I Die' is my favourite track as it is significantly slower than the other songs and the music brings out the sadness and despair more powerfully than words could possibly express. Also, the tunes are absolutely catchy and Alexi Laiho's harsh vocals fit perfectly into the song despite the song giving out a certain balladic feel. The lyrics are also considerably well thought out and are inspiring and poetic.
With high quality musicians and the talented Alexi Laiho at the helm, Children of Bodom is a powerful and influential band that has produced and hopefully will continue to produce popular and astounding music. People who have received little or no exposure to metal music should definitely try out Children of Bodom and be surprised by the quality of this often overlooked genre.
By Tan Hao Yi