Children of Bodom’s sound is as hard to pin down as the notes on lead guitarist, Alexi Laiho’s solos. Having incorporated a sound that draws inspiration from death metal, thrash metal and power metal it’s no surprise that this metal band has lasted as long as they have with no signs of slowing down. Children of Bodom have been touring globally throughout the years with the likes of Slayer, Lamb of God, Cannibal Corpse and As I Lay Dying to name a few.
Children of Bodom have played multiple festivals including Monsters of Rock, Mayhem Fest and Japan’s Loudpark Festival, and were part of the 2006 Unholy Alliance Tour — one of the largest metal tours in history. Over the years, Bodom has garnered thousands of fans worldwide with nine studio albums to date along with two live albums and one DVD. They are currently Finland’s best selling artist with 250,000 albums sold nationally.
Coming off the heels of the Scandinavian melodic death metal movement, Children of Bodom formed in 1993 in Espo, Finland, garnering their namesake from the infamous 1960 Lake Bodom murders. After a well received demo, founding members Laiho and drummer Jaska Raatikainen both took turns recording keyboard parts for their early songs. In 1997, they enlisted Janne Wirman as a permanent keyboardist. The use of keyboards became a staple in Bodom’s sound, giving them a symphonic edge, which helped them stand out among the scene.
After playing as an opening act for Dimmu Borgir at one of their concerts, a representative of the Nuclear Blast label who was in attendance approached Children of Bodom with a record contract for a European album release. This led to the release of their first album “Something Wild” in 1998. The album garnered them massive success, encouraging them to tour extensively around Europe to support it. While signed to Nuclear Blast with joint support from Spinefarm records, they released two more albums: “Hatebreeder” and “Follow the Reaper.” They continued on with the more thrash-oriented “Hate Crew Deathroll,” their down-tuned seminal album “Are You Dead Yet?” and their live album/DVD “Chaos Ridden Years” which documented their live set in Stockholm, Sweden.
Children of Bodom have scoured the globe with their iconic metallic sound. Their shows spout off with utmost ferocity — it’s clear to see why so much of the metal community loves these guys. They’ve certainly earned their spot on the heavy metal timeline that they’ve worked tirelessly for.
Be sure to catch their set with Abbath, Exmortis, and ONI at The Complex on Dec. 3 at 7 p.m.!2