COB Interviews
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What would you say distinguishes Relentless Reckless Forever from all the prior releases?
All the previous albums are just shadows comparing to this one.
Roope is great at marketing
Also: "It's so MASSIVE everyone will SHIT themselves."
he is awesome
sleeper666
MetalMutha
BW&BK interview with Alexi
http://www.bravewords.com/news/157590
CHILDREN OF BODOM - If You're Ugly And You Know It...
Hot Flashes
Posted on Monday, March 07, 2011 at 17:49:26 EST
By Carl Begai
I dont give a fuck if you hate me!
The tender lyrics above, penned by Children Of Bodom frontman Alexi Laiho, amount to a mission statement. They illustrate why interviewing him is a challenge, and makes it clear that any bitching and moaning from the media and soft-hearted fans about what the band does or doesnt do falls on deaf ears. Laiho loves his music and is grateful to have people along for the ongoing rollercoaster ride, but folks that have issues with what Children Of Bodom create or are looking for scandalous commentary are invited to take a flying leap. Its an attitude hes carried with him since the bands 1997 debut, Something Wild, and its firmly in place for new album, Relentless Reckless Forever. Laiho is anything but the slavering beast fans are used to seeing on stage, however. He remains soft spoken and tolerant after weeks of fielding the same questions about his dealings with alcohol and the band going back to their roots this time out, content in the knowledge he'll be getting back to real business soon enough.
Im anxious to get back on the road, says Laiho, seeing the light at the end of the press tunnel. After the Black Label Society tour (November 2010) I stayed in LA for a few weeks, did some promo stuff, and then flew back to Finland for Christmas. Ive been living half the time here in Helsinki and half in LA, so its been nice to be able to do nothing and recharge the batteries.
No nursing of broken bones or assorted bodily harm? Something Laiho has gained a reputation for over the years
No, nothings broken (laughs). This time around Roope (Latvala / guitars) broke his ankle, but he should be fine by the time we hit the road. Its always something with this band (laughs).
True enough, but the Children have a knack for working past obstacle thrown their way, self-inflicted or otherwise. Case in point with Laihos increasingly publicized bout with alcohol during the tour cycle for their previous album, Blooddrunk. He admits to having hit bottom while on the road, needing three shots of Jamesons before I left the bus to feel normal and eventually dealing with the situation in typical Wildchild fashion: by forcing himself kicking and screaming back into a state of moderation. In spite of this, Laiho says Blooddrunk was definitely a good run for the band.
I think Blooddrunk was the best selling Children Of Bodom album. The feedback for Are You Dead Yet? was pretty controversial, and the reactions to Blooddrunk were much better. The general sound of the album didnt come as much of a shock as Are You Dead Yet? did. The new album is different from those two; its not as dark and as dirty.
Which has led to plenty of discussion about Children Of Bodom going back to their roots, the bands 2003 album Hate Crew Deathroll widely regarded as one of their best efforts to date being held up as the model for comparison.
Weve only been getting positive feedback, says Laiho, which is obviously very nice, but Im really happy with the album, too. I know Im supposed to say that with every album we make, but I actually mean it.
Laiho and his bandmates insist that Reckless Relentless Forever isnt an intentional back-to-the-roots effort, but one has to wonder if shoving keyboardist Janne Wirman back to the front of the bus was done to shut people up.
(Laughs) Yeah, well, I suppose at the end of the day we wanted to put the keys back in there just to keep them happy. The thing is, funnily enough, people dont realize we actually had more keyboards on Bloooddrunk that we ever did before. There just werent on the surface or as obvious as on Hate Crew Deathroll or Follow The Reaper. They were always there, but it was more like different sounds doubling the guitar riffs here and there. And of course there are the strings and melodies. It wasnt intentional or thought out beforehand, but this time around I think the keyboards are a mixture between the old school COB and us coming up with a bunch of crazy new sounds and ideas wed never used before.
This album just came out the way it did, we didnt push it in one direction of another, he adds. As far as the sounds go, me and Janne spent a shitload of hours trying to find one sound (laughs). Theyre all unique, and this is how things worked out this time.
As did the length of the album; the latest record in a series of seven that falls well short of the 40 minute mark. Laiho remains unapologetic.
I didnt mean to write only nine songs, but that just seems to be our thing.
Which clearly works in the bands favour given their popularity. Other than a hard core Dream Theater fan, who needs 50+ minutes of music in one sitting?
I totally agree, especially when it comes to the kind of music that we do. Theres so much information within those 37 minutes that if you had 10 more minutes of it, it would be too much.
There are people that come down on Children Of Bodom for holding to this format of making short albums, even though the fans in question should know better at this stage of the game.
Yeah, but theres always that guy (laughs). Hes always going to be there.
Relentless Reckless Forever upholds another Bodom tradition, namely the bands or rather, Laihos penchant for coming up with ridiculous song titles. Hate Crew Deathroll raised more than a few eyebrows with Little Bloodred Riding Hood and Bodom Beach Terror. It must be fun having people digging for the meaning behind new tracks Pussyfoot Miss Suicide, Northpole Throwdown and Cry Of The Nihilist.
You can only imagine those conversations, laughs Laiho. Ive always got the same answers to the same questions. If they want to ask me about the length of the album, for example, Im always going to pull the fucking Reign In Blood card.
On a more serious note, Laiho says the creative process behind Relentless Reckless Forever remained more or less the same as on previous outings, in spite of the fact it sounds different from the last two albums. He plays musical director, but his bandmates are heavily involved in arranging the songs. Right down to letting Laiho know that some of his ideas actually do suck.
Everyone speaks out and everyone gets hurt, too (laughs). The guys come up with ideas when Ive hit a dead end arrangement-wise. Ill stay up all night trying to figure out what the hell to do with a song, Ill bring it to the rehearsal space and theyll come up with these ideas. Im sitting there going Why the fuck didnt I think of that (laughs). Were used to doing things that way.
There are a shitload of riffs didnt make it to the album, he continues, responding to the question about leftover material from the writing sessions, but we use a trash can as opposed to a shelf (laughs). If a riff doesnt make it onto an album its obviously not good enough. We just forget about it and move on.
Laiho does so with a clear conscience. After all, his pursuit is that of making music to please himself and his bandmates first, and everyone else last. Relentless Reckless Forever wasnt made with a lot of second guessing or fears of repeating something Children Of Bodom has already done.
If you think about stuff like that too much its going to be impossible to write an album that original or fresh. It does get harder when you start from scratch. You have an empty table in front of you, youve got nothing, and thats the scariest fucking moment ever. Its like, how the fuck are we going to pull it off this time around? You have to really psych yourself out of thinking like that. Once youre in that zone it gets easier. Its important that you dont try so hard to create something new or something extra special. You have to have the attitude that you want to write a kick ass fucking album, end of story.
http://www.bravewords.com/news/157590
CHILDREN OF BODOM - If You're Ugly And You Know It...
Hot Flashes
Posted on Monday, March 07, 2011 at 17:49:26 EST
By Carl Begai
I dont give a fuck if you hate me!
The tender lyrics above, penned by Children Of Bodom frontman Alexi Laiho, amount to a mission statement. They illustrate why interviewing him is a challenge, and makes it clear that any bitching and moaning from the media and soft-hearted fans about what the band does or doesnt do falls on deaf ears. Laiho loves his music and is grateful to have people along for the ongoing rollercoaster ride, but folks that have issues with what Children Of Bodom create or are looking for scandalous commentary are invited to take a flying leap. Its an attitude hes carried with him since the bands 1997 debut, Something Wild, and its firmly in place for new album, Relentless Reckless Forever. Laiho is anything but the slavering beast fans are used to seeing on stage, however. He remains soft spoken and tolerant after weeks of fielding the same questions about his dealings with alcohol and the band going back to their roots this time out, content in the knowledge he'll be getting back to real business soon enough.
Im anxious to get back on the road, says Laiho, seeing the light at the end of the press tunnel. After the Black Label Society tour (November 2010) I stayed in LA for a few weeks, did some promo stuff, and then flew back to Finland for Christmas. Ive been living half the time here in Helsinki and half in LA, so its been nice to be able to do nothing and recharge the batteries.
No nursing of broken bones or assorted bodily harm? Something Laiho has gained a reputation for over the years
No, nothings broken (laughs). This time around Roope (Latvala / guitars) broke his ankle, but he should be fine by the time we hit the road. Its always something with this band (laughs).
True enough, but the Children have a knack for working past obstacle thrown their way, self-inflicted or otherwise. Case in point with Laihos increasingly publicized bout with alcohol during the tour cycle for their previous album, Blooddrunk. He admits to having hit bottom while on the road, needing three shots of Jamesons before I left the bus to feel normal and eventually dealing with the situation in typical Wildchild fashion: by forcing himself kicking and screaming back into a state of moderation. In spite of this, Laiho says Blooddrunk was definitely a good run for the band.
I think Blooddrunk was the best selling Children Of Bodom album. The feedback for Are You Dead Yet? was pretty controversial, and the reactions to Blooddrunk were much better. The general sound of the album didnt come as much of a shock as Are You Dead Yet? did. The new album is different from those two; its not as dark and as dirty.
Which has led to plenty of discussion about Children Of Bodom going back to their roots, the bands 2003 album Hate Crew Deathroll widely regarded as one of their best efforts to date being held up as the model for comparison.
Weve only been getting positive feedback, says Laiho, which is obviously very nice, but Im really happy with the album, too. I know Im supposed to say that with every album we make, but I actually mean it.
Laiho and his bandmates insist that Reckless Relentless Forever isnt an intentional back-to-the-roots effort, but one has to wonder if shoving keyboardist Janne Wirman back to the front of the bus was done to shut people up.
(Laughs) Yeah, well, I suppose at the end of the day we wanted to put the keys back in there just to keep them happy. The thing is, funnily enough, people dont realize we actually had more keyboards on Bloooddrunk that we ever did before. There just werent on the surface or as obvious as on Hate Crew Deathroll or Follow The Reaper. They were always there, but it was more like different sounds doubling the guitar riffs here and there. And of course there are the strings and melodies. It wasnt intentional or thought out beforehand, but this time around I think the keyboards are a mixture between the old school COB and us coming up with a bunch of crazy new sounds and ideas wed never used before.
This album just came out the way it did, we didnt push it in one direction of another, he adds. As far as the sounds go, me and Janne spent a shitload of hours trying to find one sound (laughs). Theyre all unique, and this is how things worked out this time.
As did the length of the album; the latest record in a series of seven that falls well short of the 40 minute mark. Laiho remains unapologetic.
I didnt mean to write only nine songs, but that just seems to be our thing.
Which clearly works in the bands favour given their popularity. Other than a hard core Dream Theater fan, who needs 50+ minutes of music in one sitting?
I totally agree, especially when it comes to the kind of music that we do. Theres so much information within those 37 minutes that if you had 10 more minutes of it, it would be too much.
There are people that come down on Children Of Bodom for holding to this format of making short albums, even though the fans in question should know better at this stage of the game.
Yeah, but theres always that guy (laughs). Hes always going to be there.
Relentless Reckless Forever upholds another Bodom tradition, namely the bands or rather, Laihos penchant for coming up with ridiculous song titles. Hate Crew Deathroll raised more than a few eyebrows with Little Bloodred Riding Hood and Bodom Beach Terror. It must be fun having people digging for the meaning behind new tracks Pussyfoot Miss Suicide, Northpole Throwdown and Cry Of The Nihilist.
You can only imagine those conversations, laughs Laiho. Ive always got the same answers to the same questions. If they want to ask me about the length of the album, for example, Im always going to pull the fucking Reign In Blood card.
On a more serious note, Laiho says the creative process behind Relentless Reckless Forever remained more or less the same as on previous outings, in spite of the fact it sounds different from the last two albums. He plays musical director, but his bandmates are heavily involved in arranging the songs. Right down to letting Laiho know that some of his ideas actually do suck.
Everyone speaks out and everyone gets hurt, too (laughs). The guys come up with ideas when Ive hit a dead end arrangement-wise. Ill stay up all night trying to figure out what the hell to do with a song, Ill bring it to the rehearsal space and theyll come up with these ideas. Im sitting there going Why the fuck didnt I think of that (laughs). Were used to doing things that way.
There are a shitload of riffs didnt make it to the album, he continues, responding to the question about leftover material from the writing sessions, but we use a trash can as opposed to a shelf (laughs). If a riff doesnt make it onto an album its obviously not good enough. We just forget about it and move on.
Laiho does so with a clear conscience. After all, his pursuit is that of making music to please himself and his bandmates first, and everyone else last. Relentless Reckless Forever wasnt made with a lot of second guessing or fears of repeating something Children Of Bodom has already done.
If you think about stuff like that too much its going to be impossible to write an album that original or fresh. It does get harder when you start from scratch. You have an empty table in front of you, youve got nothing, and thats the scariest fucking moment ever. Its like, how the fuck are we going to pull it off this time around? You have to really psych yourself out of thinking like that. Once youre in that zone it gets easier. Its important that you dont try so hard to create something new or something extra special. You have to have the attitude that you want to write a kick ass fucking album, end of story.
sleeper666
MetalMutha
Finnish audio interview with Alexi
http://ylex.yle.fi/ihmiset/vierasar...a-h?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
http://ylex.yle.fi/ihmiset/vierasar...a-h?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
QueenDeuce
Member
- May 1, 2010
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sleeper666
MetalMutha
children of COB
Deadnight Drinker
sleeper666
MetalMutha
sleeper666
MetalMutha
@ Celeb: Lol, me too
Btw, what did he say, in the other interview, about his ulcer? Will he have to change his lifestyle?!
Btw, what did he say, in the other interview, about his ulcer? Will he have to change his lifestyle?!
My new Guitar World had an Alexi interview in it...talked about his ulcer.
Basically he woke up one AM and was puking blood, didn't stop for a few hours so he went to the hospital. Docs told him he needed to cut back on his drinking. Alexi says he doesn't even drink hard liquor anymore and the thought of hard liquor makes him feel sick inside and only has a few beers a day.
So it seems like he is making an effort to keep himself in good shape. Who knows? I guess we will wait till they go on tour to see if his drinking has really calmed down.
Basically he woke up one AM and was puking blood, didn't stop for a few hours so he went to the hospital. Docs told him he needed to cut back on his drinking. Alexi says he doesn't even drink hard liquor anymore and the thought of hard liquor makes him feel sick inside and only has a few beers a day.
So it seems like he is making an effort to keep himself in good shape. Who knows? I guess we will wait till they go on tour to see if his drinking has really calmed down.
sleeper666
MetalMutha
Well, in the Yle interview (admittedly on a morning tv show), he appears to be drinking a cup of tea, so hopefully he's taking more care of himself
^^Well what comes to changing his lifestyle, he just said that he must be more aware of what he drinks and eats - and make sure he eats. He said that nothing so radical, just taking better care of himself than before.
,
Alexi is in the studio for Radio Rock, as they play RRF starting at midnight
,
Alexi is in the studio for Radio Rock, as they play RRF starting at midnight
sleeper666
MetalMutha
children of COB
Deadnight Drinker
sleeper666
MetalMutha
Alexi interview
http://carlbegai.com/2011/03/09/alexi-laiho-lick-this/
ALEXI LAIHO Lick This!
by carl on Mar.09, 2011, under On The Inside
By Carl Begai
Children Of Bodom frontman Alexi Laiho is equally recognizable as a vocalist and a guitarist. With that in mind, during our recent interview for BW&BK (found here) about the bands new album, Relentless Reckless Forever, we sidestepped from the standard Q&A about how much he and the band shred and kill to discuss a few guitar related odds and bits
For starters, Laihos gives axe-slinging partner in crime Roope Latvala his due. He makes it clear Latvala is an integral part of Children Of Bodom even though hes often overshadowed in the press, at any rate by Laiho and keyboardist Janne Wirman. Nobody should underestimate Latvalas contributions to the Bodom soundtrack, because even though Laiho plays musical director, he isnt about to start ordering around the former guitarist of the legendary Stone, a band he idolized.
(Laughs) Exactly. Roopes the kind of guy that obviously knows how to play, so he brings his own twisted ideas of letting music out to the table. Hes always coming up with crazy ideas and half the time its like, Dude, whats going on in that head of yours? (laughs). The other half of the time he has these crazy and ingenious ideas.
In recent years Laiho used some of his rare downtime to film instructional DVD material for Rock House. Basically, a Shred-Like-Laiho video handbook for the serious musician.
Ive done two of those Rock House DVDs, he says. Ive done guitar clinics before, so its not like it was a new situation for me to do things from a guitar teachers point of view, but the first DVD was kind of awkward because I had a script to follow. Sometimes I had to make them stop shooting and do another take because they were making me say stuff that just didnt sound like me. Stuff Id never say (laughs). Theres a lot of cool stuff in there and its worth checking out, but I pretty much had to play along with it. I havent even seen the damn thing but if felt kinda weird. The second DVD, I think it brings out my real personality more.
Its a whole different fucking planet (laughs). Then again, it was a challenge and I like doing stuff like that. I like to keep active and do different things.
Laiho also boasts his own line of signature ESP guitars, something he never pushed for and certainly never imagined actually happening to him.
Im definitely involved with it, he says of the line. The guitar is designed to my specifications and made exactly how I want it. Its fucking weird (laughs). Sometimes I stop and think about it and its like, I have my own line of fucking guitars? Its insane. I must have done something right (laughs).
And finally, while some fans are quite naturally disappointed that the long overdue Sinergy album, Sins Of The Past, is a dead issue, they may find comfort in the possibility of a new Kylähullut album. For the uninitiated, Kylähullut (translated: Village Idiots) is his punk side-project put together for the fun of it. Recorded entirely in Finnish, the albums two full length and two EPs to date make for a unique course in learning the language.
I dont know, maybe therell be another one, says Laiho. Hopefully. I think its going to happen one day, but I have no idea when. The albums are fun to do, and you dont really have to understand whats going on in the lyrics.
Unless, of course, you start singing verses to a non-metal Finnish audience
Yeah, I guess thats true (laughs).
http://carlbegai.com/2011/03/09/alexi-laiho-lick-this/
ALEXI LAIHO Lick This!
by carl on Mar.09, 2011, under On The Inside
By Carl Begai
Children Of Bodom frontman Alexi Laiho is equally recognizable as a vocalist and a guitarist. With that in mind, during our recent interview for BW&BK (found here) about the bands new album, Relentless Reckless Forever, we sidestepped from the standard Q&A about how much he and the band shred and kill to discuss a few guitar related odds and bits
For starters, Laihos gives axe-slinging partner in crime Roope Latvala his due. He makes it clear Latvala is an integral part of Children Of Bodom even though hes often overshadowed in the press, at any rate by Laiho and keyboardist Janne Wirman. Nobody should underestimate Latvalas contributions to the Bodom soundtrack, because even though Laiho plays musical director, he isnt about to start ordering around the former guitarist of the legendary Stone, a band he idolized.
(Laughs) Exactly. Roopes the kind of guy that obviously knows how to play, so he brings his own twisted ideas of letting music out to the table. Hes always coming up with crazy ideas and half the time its like, Dude, whats going on in that head of yours? (laughs). The other half of the time he has these crazy and ingenious ideas.
In recent years Laiho used some of his rare downtime to film instructional DVD material for Rock House. Basically, a Shred-Like-Laiho video handbook for the serious musician.
Ive done two of those Rock House DVDs, he says. Ive done guitar clinics before, so its not like it was a new situation for me to do things from a guitar teachers point of view, but the first DVD was kind of awkward because I had a script to follow. Sometimes I had to make them stop shooting and do another take because they were making me say stuff that just didnt sound like me. Stuff Id never say (laughs). Theres a lot of cool stuff in there and its worth checking out, but I pretty much had to play along with it. I havent even seen the damn thing but if felt kinda weird. The second DVD, I think it brings out my real personality more.
Its a whole different fucking planet (laughs). Then again, it was a challenge and I like doing stuff like that. I like to keep active and do different things.
Laiho also boasts his own line of signature ESP guitars, something he never pushed for and certainly never imagined actually happening to him.
Im definitely involved with it, he says of the line. The guitar is designed to my specifications and made exactly how I want it. Its fucking weird (laughs). Sometimes I stop and think about it and its like, I have my own line of fucking guitars? Its insane. I must have done something right (laughs).
And finally, while some fans are quite naturally disappointed that the long overdue Sinergy album, Sins Of The Past, is a dead issue, they may find comfort in the possibility of a new Kylähullut album. For the uninitiated, Kylähullut (translated: Village Idiots) is his punk side-project put together for the fun of it. Recorded entirely in Finnish, the albums two full length and two EPs to date make for a unique course in learning the language.
I dont know, maybe therell be another one, says Laiho. Hopefully. I think its going to happen one day, but I have no idea when. The albums are fun to do, and you dont really have to understand whats going on in the lyrics.
Unless, of course, you start singing verses to a non-metal Finnish audience
Yeah, I guess thats true (laughs).
mocobhc
Member
