Not a single thread about Bodom current tour ?! wtf are you guys talking about in the other threads ...
Just some batshit crazy inside stuff. There's no more regulars.
...live even though they always play the same old shit
And this is why there's nothing else going on. I skipped them the last 3 times in my hometown because of the thing you stated.
The band needs to focus on atmosphere and start making extreme metal again and choosing exciting rarities for live shows. Alexi still wants to compose spontaneously, but the problem is he's given so much already, now he should choose a theme. They need to understand what was epic about their music in the past, focus on those aspects and get passionate with it. The idea for an epic song should be in Alexi's head before he touches his guitar, that's my advice. When you have no theme, colour, style or feeling in your mind, the album materializes into something watered down.
It might even be possible they haven't paid any attention whatsoever to my ideas here over the last year or two, despite my attempts to describe very deeply what elements set them apart from other bands and what their special thing is.
What's clear with IWC is one thing, the speed needs to increase. More information packed in tighter time frame makes the whole thing more energetic and rich to process for our attention span.
I won't go into description mode again... except to point out the speed needs to be there, the menacing riffing needs to be there, the energy, creative drum attacks, unforgettable melodies... orchestral hits and unisons talking with main melody... that's where nobody beats them. What deserves a mention tho is I never understood what was good about Pantera, so I might totally miss certain aspects that were possibly brought intentionally to the newer stuff.