COB Interviews
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T3h_Killjoy
Back to fuck shit up
I bought it last week, too, and I tend to agree.
Anyone know if I'm allowed to scan it and post it here? I read back through the forum rules and didn't see anything about posting scans from articles still on newstands.
Your Fondest Nightmare
New Metal Member
Janne cut his hair?
Nah, I see his hair under the hood at some points. I think >_>
Andry_Wildchild
Member
Also,in Bloodstock Janne had long hair
...The interview is from Bloodstock and I don't think he could have had an hair cut.
...The interview is from Bloodstock and I don't think he could have had an hair cut.
Yes you can, could someone tell what it has on the new album?? I didn't find it in local kiosk
Thanks, Joonas. As it turns out, my scanner is completely fucked. Until I can figure out how to fix it, I'll just transcribe what little there is in regards to the new album. There's not much about the new album, as this interview was conducted before the band had even hit the studio. They mostly talk about working with Matt Hyde.
Guitar World: You're going into the studio soon with producer Matt Hyde. Where do you see your music going with this next record?
Laiho: It's hard to say at this point. We have a lot written, but all I can say is, this is definitely gonna be heavy. I'd rather not get into it too much, because it's always too early to tell before it's recorded. But I'll tell you, we're not wimping out.
GW: Matt Hyde is a great choice. He's done Slayer's God Hates Us All, one of the heaviest records of all time, as well as radio-friendly albums.
Laiho: It's not really about what he's done in the past; it's just the way he talked to us about the music. We sat down with eight different producers, and Matt just seemed the most committed and enthusiastic. He showed up to rehearsals in Helsinki and just started throwing ideas at us. It was a really cool thing, because we never really had anybody work with us in pre-production, and his ideas were actually good. That said, it's not a bad thing if he produced God Hates Us All.
The worthier part of this interview is a lengthy section where they discuss the variation of the band's sound over nearly their entire discography; also, Janne's keys.
Guitar World: You're going into the studio soon with producer Matt Hyde. Where do you see your music going with this next record?
Laiho: It's hard to say at this point. We have a lot written, but all I can say is, this is definitely gonna be heavy. I'd rather not get into it too much, because it's always too early to tell before it's recorded. But I'll tell you, we're not wimping out.
GW: Matt Hyde is a great choice. He's done Slayer's God Hates Us All, one of the heaviest records of all time, as well as radio-friendly albums.
Laiho: It's not really about what he's done in the past; it's just the way he talked to us about the music. We sat down with eight different producers, and Matt just seemed the most committed and enthusiastic. He showed up to rehearsals in Helsinki and just started throwing ideas at us. It was a really cool thing, because we never really had anybody work with us in pre-production, and his ideas were actually good. That said, it's not a bad thing if he produced God Hates Us All.
The worthier part of this interview is a lengthy section where they discuss the variation of the band's sound over nearly their entire discography; also, Janne's keys.
Holy shit that sounds interesting, can't wait to read that. Hope it's proper and not just some hangover mongering.
Here you go Joonas. I'll actually give you the most of the parts that lead up to it, too.
GW: I read somewhere that the first Children of Bodom album, Something Wild, is your least favorite because it had too many neoclassical elements. It sounded too much like Yngwie Malmsteen.
Laiho: I wouldn't say that we sounded like Yngwie. We were pretty fucking far from Malmsteen. But yeah, that classical element is in there, especially in the guitar solos. There was too much of that, and at the time, especially in Europe, every guitar player was doing that thing. I decided I didn't want to be one of them.
GW: It seems to me that each of your albums has gotten progressively harder, in a good way. Each has gotten less dainty and Euro. Your sixth album, Blooddrunk, is the most organic and original sounding.
Laiho: I agree. It came from a more emotional place. It has a lot of musical detail, but also a lot of primitive rage. I try not to think about stuff like that when I'm writing music. It's just been a natural evolution.
GW: Using keyboards in metal is always a tricky thing. They tend to make music sound more polite.
Laiho: Polite I'm not into. [laughs] Yeah, you really have to know how to use keyboards right, or else you start sounding like "European metal guy".
GW: On Blooddrunk, the synthesizers add color without dominating the surface, like they do on some of your earlier records.
Laiho: A lot of people ask me, "How come you don't use as many keyboards as you used to?" I tell them, "We actually have more keyboard parts. They're just less obvious."
GW: Is that an ongoing conversation that you have with your keyboardist, Janne Wirman?
Laiho: You know, we've been working together for such a long time. We're always coming up with keyboard sounds together, and most of the time we're on the same page. Sometimes it's cool just to shamelessly rape the 80's and play big minor chords with a string setting, but more often we'll try to come up with superwacky sounds that we just put somewhere in the background. You can feel it, but you can't necessarily tell what the hell's going on.
GW: Very few American metal bands use keyboards. Is that your Nordic side coming out?
Laiho: I never really thought of it that way. But you're right - none of my favorite American bands have keyboard players. It's probably something I picked up from Scandinavian death metal.
GW: Does playing with a keyboardist inspire you to play different patterns or scales that you wouldn't normally think of?
Laiho: It would be pretty strange if it didn't. Before Janne joined Bodom, he was a straight-up jazz player and wasn't really into metal that much. I thought that was great and have always encouraged him to player whatever he wants when he solos. I really love it when he plays a bunch of gnarly jazz and classical shit.
GW: Who writes the unison and harmonized lines that often appear in your arrangements?
Laiho: I usually do, and more than a few times I've totally bummed him out, because I'll write something from a guitarist's perspective that just isn't possible for a keyboardist to play. He always figures something out, though, and then he gets me back. All of a sudden, he'll throw these arpeggios at me that are barely possible to do on guitar and I'll say "I don't know how to do it, but I'll find a way." But it's really cool to get a mission that seems impossible. If something feels like a challenge, it just fucking fuels me up to the point where I can't sleep at night until I figure it out.
GW: Do you ever regret when you're playing onstage that your songs are so technically demanding?
Laiho: No, it's not like that. I just practice until I can play what I need to play. I'm not saying it's easy. I'm the front guy, so I've gotta sing and engage the audience while playing this impossible shit. I have to work at it.
And then it goes into the part about Matt Hyde, and some other stuff.
krofius
Active Member
- Mar 16, 2009
- 2,390
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kilon
I told you!
They don't want to be the 'European Metal guys' so instead they are turning into the 'American Metal guys'..
that makes perfect sense...
As a fan of the old work, this makes me a bit sad but if they want to go in that direction, who am I to stop them. I'm still looking forward to the next album.
that makes perfect sense...
As a fan of the old work, this makes me a bit sad but if they want to go in that direction, who am I to stop them. I'm still looking forward to the next album.
sleeper666
MetalMutha
Thanks, Shinaain and Delanoir. It's really interesting to read how Alexi and Janne create together; if only more interviewers would
ask these kind of questions, which, not surprisingly, elicit a far more interesting and considered response from Alexi than do the usual
half-assed/can't be assed/been-asked-a-million-times questions. I wish that Alexi and Janne would give serious thought to finding time
to make that joint instructional dvd which I think was once mooted, and that it might also include an in-depth insight into how they
work together: it would be fascinating to watch.
ask these kind of questions, which, not surprisingly, elicit a far more interesting and considered response from Alexi than do the usual
half-assed/can't be assed/been-asked-a-million-times questions. I wish that Alexi and Janne would give serious thought to finding time
to make that joint instructional dvd which I think was once mooted, and that it might also include an in-depth insight into how they
work together: it would be fascinating to watch.
You're welcome. My sentiments exactly, Sleeper. This interview touched on a lot of good stuff; at least, some of the aspects of COB I find the most interesting. For my part, while I wouldn't presume to say that I could do better (being, as I am, sort of shy when meeting people in person), I wish that more interviewers would make an effort to do a little more research and cover more than the obvious when speaking with Alexi or the other members of the band. I think their sound and compositions are unique enough to warrant a different approach. If it's a festival day and the interviewer is just trying to talk to as many bands as possible - trying to make sure everyone gets promoted and churning the interviews out on an assembly line, almost - I understand a little better when the interviews are less in-depth and the questions not particularly well-researched. Having said that, if I ever hear another interviewer waste my time and Alexi's by asking him if "Album X" has a more aggressive sound than the last or something just as lame, there could be violence. Just saying.
I don't care about the classical elements and I never thought they were the distinct thing about the first albums. Maybe they're to people who study music. And yeah, saying they 'sound' like Yngwie must be an insult.
Blooddrunk most original COB record and organic sounding. Interesting, but is BD really their most original? I don't know. But one thing that's obvious is Blooddrunk was fueled more by emotion than fancy musical patterns compared to usual.
So now COB want to be American metal guys? I think mostly they've been using keyboards right. Some things were over the top like the chorus in Kissing the Shadows and that. But since when was aggression a better element in COB than beautiful music, for example Everytime I Die? I'm not arguing, just throwing a different perspective.
These days they just want to kick people in the nuts with their music instead of making a breathtaking impression with something that touches the soul? He's right about keyboards sounding polite when they're used wrong. But keyboard can also be used to create haunting sounds, not just happy hippy sounds.
Blooddrunk would be "nothing" without the keyboard. Alexi composed it, so he knows. It's a crucial element in songs 1, 2, 3, 4, 6.
Yes AYDY and Blooddrunk have more keyboards than Hatecrew Deathroll. Then again, is it the amount, or the way they're used? I like most of the stuff they do with keyboard on the last two albums, even when it's just supporting the guitar riffs with some piano sound. You can hear it from the other speaker sometimes, turning the pan. But there really are some cases where I personally would like to have them a bit louder.
Unless you're doing Euro dance, it's bad to have keyboards just for the sake of having them, if you want to make credible metal music. But I promise, Alexi would not hesitate to use double amount of them if they were all some awesome ideas that work in metal. I guess we should be happy they still HAVE them. Will be interesting to check out the new stuff.
Actually for me the biggest problem is there ARE some amazing keyboard parts but they're mixed too quiet. It's pure sacrifice. I would understand it if the guitar on top would be something genious, but when its not it's bugging me because they're just afraid of being labeled euro guys.
If they gave me the keys to studio and a time machine, I'd make the Hellhounds intro+chorus 3 times more distinct, also the PMIB intro and the LDB chorus and some other things.
Btw I practiced to play Knuckleduster with some extra guitar supporting moments and different sounds, let's see if I get it recorded properly..
mocobhc
Member
Thanks a lot for the interview! I agree with Stella and Shinaain, this is exactly the type of interview I'd so love to see more of! Really interesting questions, and not already heard a hundred times before (which you can also tell by the anwers, compare it to the Bloodstock interview with Janne and you know what I mean).
