Children Of Bodom have always represented a dilemma for me.
On the one hand, the Finns are a great band and have been so since the end of the nineties. Guitar virtuosity, melody, brutal thrash and death metal come together in a killer combination.
On the other hand, you have a band which is fronted by one of the front men whom I've always instintively regarded as one of the most annoying in the kingdom of metal. Alexi Laiho is really a pest on stage. Period. Fuck the fucking fuck fuckers. Fuck! I can't help letting that influence my listening experience, although I know it's wrong. Objectivity is not the objective for these columns, that's just the way it is.
Anyway, all the spite set aside, there's no need to deny that Children Of Bodom have once again delivered a great album with first class guitar work and cool compositions. NO, I'm not a Laiho fan, and his near-black metal vocal doesn't exactly get my cock hard, but I can sort of see through that.
What I really like is the fact that the Finns are willing to experiment and play around with the genre. It's extreme in terms of speed and so damned well-played at the same time, and for that alone COB earn points. Probably the best Children Of Bodom album in my book. Not bad.
