Very few heavy metal bands can cover the vast range of musical territory (black metal, thrash metal, classic metal) that Children of Bodom does and keep its trademark style intact. Finland’s Children of Bodom have done it for over a decade, winning the praise of metalheads the world over, and have returned to uphold their reputation with their album Blooddrunk.
Children of Bodom are immediately recognizable for their guitar-and-keyboard interplay. The keyboards set the mood with haunting melodies that you can hum along to as the guitars and drums pound out the rhythm. The pace of their songs varies from fast speed metal to a slow chugging groove and often goes from one extreme to the other within the same song. At some point the guitar solos grab the spotlight to showcase classical-music influenced licks which sound heroically triumphant amidst the darkness of the songs. The keyboard is a versatile weapon in Children of Bodom’s arsenal of sound – sometimes clocking in at the same speed and intricacy as the guitar solos, sometimes stabbing abrupt bursts of orchestral sound to accent the guitars with dramatic effect or sometimes leading the song with a catchy melody. Top it off with high-pitched screaming vocals and you’ve got the structure of a basic Children of Bodom song.
Earlier albums, such as their breakthrough Follow the Reaper, had a European metal flavor, characterized by its emphasis on speed and melody and this remains the core of their sound. However, as Children of Bodom started gaining mainstream success in the early 2000s, so did a lot of American heavy metal bands, such as Lamb of God, Shadows Fall and Killswitch Engage. These bands had a Euro-metal influence in their melodies which they combined with the heavy rhythmic force of American bands like Metallica, Slayer and Pantera and pushed it to back-breaking extremes. During this time, Children of Bodom evolved their sound to include this newfound American heavy metal intensity while sticking to its guns, making for a deadlier Children of Bodom. This change was noticeable in their 2003 release Hate Crew Deathroll as it is with Blooddrunk.
The opening track, “Hellhounds on My Trail” is Children of Bodom all the way, racing through a maze of thrash metal tempos before crashing into an intense breakdown which will have you headbanging through the window. The title track “Blooddrunk,” which opens and closes with the swirling keyboard melodies, shuffles along at a satisfying rock n’ roll pace.
As the album goes on, Children of Bodom stays in-your-face, which each song featuring a dizzying series of ever changing tempos, metal guitar licks, keyboard melodies and the occasional breakdown. Halfway into the album, their song structures start sounding predictable but there are just enough curve balls to rescue Blooddrunk from getting too monotonous. These moments usually come at the song’s intros, such as the intro to “Tie My Rope” where the keyboard sounds like an old Nintendo game or the hardcore punk opening to “Done With Everything Die With Nothing.”
All in all, Children of Bodom’s Blooddrunk is a too much of a good thing. Most of the songs sound strong in their own right but song after song it becomes harder to keep track of which song is which. If you’re looking for blistering guitar playing, spooky keyboards and an adrenaline rush, you’ve found it. But you may find yourself desensitized to Children of Bodom’s relentless musical assault by the album’s halfway mark.
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More Information
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