Alexi's gear/rigs are up for auction

[CharIie]

There's no point in coming in here and berating people based on opinions. Music is subjective. There's no point in trying to argue what sounds better to you.

Yes, there are plenty of guitarists better than Alexi. It is easy to say that they're better musicians, and if you like their music more then you would consider them better songwriters. A lot of people can also use that defense with his (Alexi's) music saying that since they like his music better, he is the better player. Do you see the irony in this?

It feels pretty pointless that I even have to point this out, but here you are talking down to people on a Children of Bodom message-board, in 2021, actually surprised that a majority of the posters still here think Alexi is a better player than most.

If we're actually going to derail this thread with some petty, non-relevant arguments to the original post, at least consider some good points that have already been made that are practically facts:

1) Alexi was one of the progenitors of his genre. There weren't bands before CoB that had that sort of sound. Hence the million threads about people asking for bands that sound like CoB only to conclude there is no substitute.

2) Many of the bands already mentioned here as competition to the band (CoB) have had members site Alexi's music as an influence themselves.

3) Not that I agree that success=quality of music, but CoB was one of the more high-profile acts within their genre.

At the end of the day, it's all down to personal taste though. I can listen to solos like Hellion and Kissing the Shadows and still have them blow my mind to this day, a decade and a half after having initially heard them. I can hear the initial riff to Downfall kick in and no matter where I am in my own taste now days, the guitar tone just instantly hits you in the face and demands attention. Are there more technical songs out there? Of course. That shouldn't take anything away from how good they are, and there's no point arguing it because it's personal preference. So...

4) Coming full-circle back to what started this conversation several pages ago, even if you don't think Alexi was much of a guitarist/frontman/singer, there are over 2 decades worth of fans that feel otherwise. You don't have to agree, but to suggest he wasn't that great doesn't make it true. Enough people out there realize what a talent he had from both a songwriting perspective and technical ability. Guitar isn't a competition and one person's playing shouldn't be discounted just because someone out there is better. There is always someone better, so it isn't fair to discredit people based on this.

I'm not trying to be a dick to you, but you really came out swinging with that post and it's honestly a little childish because your point of view seems to boil down to little more than a "My dad is cooler than your dad" argument you'd hear in an elementary school classroom. People here have already made all the points that need to be made, but keep in mind that many of those guitar players you have cited as great have held just as much respect for Alexi as the rest of us.

You're criticising me for 'getting it wrong' when you're not even capable of reading and understanding what I wrote... You talk about music tastes and what sounds better, but I never cared for that factor. Bodom is my favourite band and has always been. Alexi Laiho is my favourite guitarist and has always been.
But I never tried to make a point about whether or not Bodom's music and Laiho's solos are good. As you said, we're on a Bodom forum, so I would expect everyone here to like their music just as much as I do. Yet, what I was opposing was the silly idea that Laiho was the greatest guitarist there were and that he'd be remembered as such.

So here we go again:

1. No, Laiho wasn't the best guitarist there were. He was very good, even excellent, but his real talent was composition. There were plenty of better guitarists before, at the same time and after him.
2. He won't be remembered more than a few years and by hardcore fans like us only. Because the world doesn't care for metal anymore. Because even those who care for metal don't often listen to anything heavier than Metallica, Panthera, Rage Against the Machine, etc. Because those who do listen to Death Metal often think Bodom was too mainstream for them. And because there aren't even that many guitarist left amongst the few remaining people who listen to Melo Death and Bodom in particular.
It does not matter how much we love Bodom and Laiho. He wasn't the greatest, and he'll be forgotten. That's a sad truth.

Now stop assuming I criticised people's tastes. I never did. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion on music. I only ever pointed out that technically wise, our common idol was nothing more than a very good guitarist. Not legendary, not revolutionary, just very good.

 

[rj rl]

nothing more than a very good guitarist

"very good guitarist" is just an utterly meaningless description. Everyone from BB King to Buckethead qualifies. What riled up people was your "nothing out of the ordinary" claim.

My criterion for placing Aleksi among the very best is that I struggle to name 15 metal guitarists that were definitely more technical than him in the late 90s to early 00s. Surely if the guy is within top 15, he's one of the best? I mean even if it were top 50, I wouldn't call that "nothing out of the ordinary". Jesper Stromblad or Kirk Hammett or Slash - that's what I'd call bang average (technique-wise), compare Laiho to them and maybe it will become more clear why people can't agree with your categorization

 

[azistenostora]

Kirk Hammet lol - bless him. He seems like a sweet guy but to this day I don't understand how he even made it. Compared to that Alexi was by far superior. I don't know how many people on this board actually play the instrument, but there some licks by Alexi where I still wasn't able to nail the picking 100% (after 10 years of practice lol). Some of his licks don't work with either alternate or economy picking reliably, yet he managed to pull it off (arguably not the cleanest). I think he must have had a special way to pick that solved those issues for him, I don't know. To me that makes him special. Admittedly there are many more that could easily wipe the floor with my shitty technique

 

[Works0fheart]

Oh man, this is golden lol.

You're criticising me for 'getting it wrong' when you're not even capable of reading and understanding what I wrote... You talk about music tastes and what sounds better, but I never cared for that factor.

but also you, within the same post no less. The irony is rich.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion on music. I only ever pointed out that technically wise, our common idol was nothing more than a very good guitarist. Not legendary, not revolutionary, just very good.

 

[predator2353]

1. No, Laiho wasn't the best guitarist there were. He was very good, even excellent, but his real talent was composition. There were plenty of better guitarists before, at the same time and after him.

Yeah bruh, that's just an opinion. Let's say if I decide that Alexi is the best, then who are you to say otherwise (honestly though, there is no best guitarist, it all boils down to taste)? Being a guitarist can be strumming the same 3 notes, but to make it in such a way that people enjoy it, hell even to say "to me this guy is the best". This shit was never about "I'm technically better than that guy", it's all about how it sounds to you and that's what music is. There are people who enjoy rap or jazz and all that stuff and it's sort of like saying "yeah metal is the best and jazz has never been close enough".

 

[CharIie]

Kirk Hammet lol - bless him. He seems like a sweet guy but to this day I don't understand how he even made it. Compared to that Alexi was by far superior. I don't know how many people on this board actually play the instrument, but there some licks by Alexi where I still wasn't able to nail the picking 100% (after 10 years of practice lol). Some of his licks don't work with either alternate or economy picking reliably, yet he managed to pull it off (arguably not the cleanest). I think he must have had a special way to pick that solved those issues for him, I don't know. To me that makes him special. Admittedly there are many more that could easily wipe the floor with my shitty technique

I know really. I think he was at the right time and the right moment, and without any to clash with that of Hetfield's or Ulrich's. I believe Hammet has had quite a passive voice in Metallica and that's what allowed him to keep his seat. As much as I love Hetfield as a frontman, he does really seems like a douche when it comes to band management.

As to Laiho's picking, I think he was really the 'power-through' type of guitarist. He never struck me as the relaxed type of player. During the solos you can see that his right arm is really really tensed (not as much as Zack Wylde's though, who is the incarnation of tense player) and that his left hand's fingers really have wide motions. In theory, it shouldn't work. Yet, for Laiho it does. So he probably was the type of player who wouldn't try to find a way around playing something difficult and who would just practice the damn lick as long as it would take for it to work.

 

[CharIie]

Oh man, this is golden lol.



but also you, within the same post no less. The irony is rich.

How's that ironic though? I said I never cared for the music tastes and that everyone is entitled to their own.

 

[<Arcane>]

I have only skimmed the last few pages, so only a few brief interjections on my part:

Teemu and Laiho both put about the same amount of time into music with the difference being that Teemu spent 8 hours a day just playing guitar and practicing techniques whereas Alexi spent 8 hours a day playing guitar, writing songs, writing lyrics, touring, recording albums, partying and giving interviews.

That Teemu was the technically better musician in the end is therefore not surprising.

And for all those who still doubt that Alexi was one of the best and most influential guitarists in the world in the early 2000s, just listen to the album Follow The Reaper - especially ETID - and then name me a guitarist who, at the age of 21, achieved anything even remotely similar.
What Alexi has done there was unprecedented. I don't know one of the guitarists mentioned here in the last 5 pages who had done anything even similar at that age.


But I also have to say that his guitar playing slacked off quite a bit after 2005 or so. I wouldn't say his playing went worse before 2005.

 

[azistenostora]

I have only skimmed the last few pages, so only a few brief interjections on my part:
....

That pretty much sums it up well.
If I think about my own skill level and compositional abilities at the age of 21 it was anything but revolutionary and influental lol.

 

[Johnny_victor]

I love how all of you (except Arcane) comment on this but Laiho would have eaten all of you for breakfast. You basically have no rights to comment about his skills or decline of skills, even at his worst he was better than all of you. I say again, except Arcane, who is great player.

 

[Works0fheart]

I love how all of you (except Arcane) comment on this but Laiho would have eaten all of you for breakfast. You basically have no rights to comment about his skills or decline of skills, even at his worst he was better than all of you. I say again, except Arcane, who is great player.

Cringe

If this place has taught me one thing over the years, there are a ton of good guitar players that have came and went through here.

 

[Johnny_victor]

Maybe in the past, people like Mitch. You said right, they went. Others are just bedroom players. Otherwise I would have heard about them, right?

 

[CharIie]

Being an average guitarist myself, I still feel more than competent enough to understand the difficulty of guitar tracks.
If not all literary critics are writers, not all food critics are 3-star Michelin chef, then not all music critics need to be guitar heroes .

 

[Johnny_victor]

What you don't understand though is that people who play much better than you show a great deal of appreciation for Laiho's skills. Herman Li for example mentioned a story of seeing Alexi in Japan in 2015, he was jet-lagged, didn't sleep, he partied whole day and managed to kick ass on two shows with both CoB and The Local Band. If he says his playing was flawless, who are you to add anything? Go on tours for 20 years and let's see how will you fare.

Because you think that famous guitar players are robots, you clearly never had gigs. Good gigs, bad gigs, playing with fever, sickness, illness, headache, hangover, playing while your parent is in hospital, it's all part of that life.

CoB will never be worshipped like some other because of vocals. But to be able to do vocals and play like that takes serious skill. To do it every night takes even more. And you mention Metallica with Lars who can't even play his own songs just lol

So don't embarrass yourself and go practice

 

[CharIie]

Because you believe every tribute to Laiho was genuine? People jumped on the bandwagon and the opportunity to get a few more clicks whenever a celebrity dies. "He was so great, he inspired me". Watch them say that about every guitarist that passes away, good or bad, as long as they were famous. It's like they fear they'll be accountable for not paying tribute to a celebrity.

And on a side note, Herman Li? Lol indeed.

And yeah, I mentioned Metallica. What's wrong with that though ? I simply said some people consider this to be "too heavy" and that Hammet was a terrible player who managed to keep his place by not standing up to Hetfield's and Ulrich's bullying. Make an effort to read AND understand the posts before you comment on them aggressively.

 

[Johnny_victor]

No one considers Metallica heavy, they played fucking Bonaroo man, they are sellouts from the start of their career. They were rich kids with money to buy audience, you can't compare that shit to CoB. Ofc they don't need to be good when they can pay for everything, just like any mainstream artist. Like Lana Del Rey's daddy bought the producer for her to make records even though everyone told her that she has no talent. But chicks will say that she is amazing because she is mainstream.

And yes Herman Li is an amazing guitarist who put shitload of hours to be great. I don't listen to his music. But he just like Alexi LIVES music, he sacrificed his whole life to be where he is or was.

And you feel offended now because I said the pure truth. You are a whiney little kid who changed the topic of this whole post. It was about gear. And then you said:

As much as I wished it were true, every one is going to forget about him. The amount of people that remember Randy Rhoads is actually tiny. Either fans of Osbourne or guitar players. And Children of Bodom was even more niche than them. So everyone but a few select metalheads will forget about him, give it just a few decades and you'll see. He probably won't even be considered an influential guitarist by then as people will remember much better guitarists in the same genre.
Just to name a few big names, there's rarely ever a mention of Lemmy or Malcolm Young, and both were musical giants (popularity wise, not technically).
People tend to remember the really big stars: Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Freddie Mercury, etc.
Or people who've had tragic ends: Kurt Cobain, Dimebag Darrell, etc.

Sadly, Laiho was in neither categories.

Who even asked you for an opinion lol. Now don't cry because someone stood up against you.

 

[CharIie]

You "stood up" against me on a forum dude. If that's all you've got to brag about, you've still got a long way to go in life.

Of course Metallica aren't heavy, that's never the point I made. I said that the majority of the people would find them already too heavy for their taste, making bands like Bodom really niche.

But anyway, not much room for debating with someone like you. "Cry", "Little kid", straight out of the League of Legends handbook-to-arguments. So I assume you're either a man child or a 19-something teenager. Either of which, this kind of berating is sort of silly coming from someone like you.

[Edit:] Oh, and Herman Li's a joke amongst guitarist. Same as Lars Ulrich is for drummers (since you care so much about Metallica jokes, I'm sure you're familiar with this), not capable of playing his own songs live.

 

[rj rl]

@CharIie see what happens when you call us, reasonable people, blind fanboys? The real one shows up

 

[drawnacrol]

Just chiming in to say nearly everyone is a bedroom guitarist now because of Covid. I’ve never understood that as an insult. People use to call Guthrie Govan a bedroom player who’d never play live. Are people not allowed to play as a hobby?

Herman Li is an incredible player. He’s only a joke to people still living in 2008. On the Sonic Firestorm tour they were tight, it was the inhuman rampage tour where their live show fell apart because of alcohol and stage theatrics. A few years later and they were back on form. I’ve seen Yngwie Malmsteen play live a lot worse than I’ve seen Herman Li play.

I’m not insulting Alexi by saying his playing skills lessened with alcohol and injuries. I have 3 injured fingers at the moment so I can understand him having prolonged issues caused by his shoulder and arm injuries. I’m a fanatic to put it lightly and saw him live 9 times but Alexi’s biggest skill was always his songwriting. It’s just clear looking back at the Young Guitar videos where he went up and down. It still never stopped him writing great music and putting on the best show I’ve been to.

 

[azistenostora]

+1
I know it's subjective and all but if there was a "best" guitarist, it certainly would be Guthrie. That man is machine. Most guitarists find themselves a little niche where they are comfortable and specialise. Guthrie on the other hand can just do everything, flawlessly. And his music theory/fretboard knowledge is out of this world. On the other hand, I don't think there is one song by Guthrie that I was ever able to listen to from start to finish