COB Interviews
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Стас Проклятый
Boss Russian Hate Crew
I Worship Chaos: An Interview with Henkka Blacksmith
http://www.notreble.com/buzz/2015/09/24/i-worship-chaos-an-interview-with-henkka-blacksmith/
BEHIND THE VIDEO: "MORRIGAN" BY CHILDREN OF BODOM
http://www.songfacts.com/blog/writing/behind_the_video_morrigan_by_children_of_bodom/
http://www.notreble.com/buzz/2015/09/24/i-worship-chaos-an-interview-with-henkka-blacksmith/
BEHIND THE VIDEO: "MORRIGAN" BY CHILDREN OF BODOM
http://www.songfacts.com/blog/writing/behind_the_video_morrigan_by_children_of_bodom/
<Arcane>
Active Member
Not really. The interview with Tomis is more interesting. The questions are:
- The typical Finland cliches are: suicide, sauna, souse. Is that the triad that actually characterized you?
- Which finnish region should definitely be visited - and which should rather be avoid?
- Are you homeowners or do you own at least a cabin at the lake?
- What inspired you more - silence in nature or big-city-nights hubbub?
- Do you prefer cats or dogs?
- Do you call yourself a patriot? (Here Laiho said that he's proud of his finnish roots but some day he want's to move complete to california because it's more kinda homelike there for him (new friends, other things he's working on). He just want to go back to visit his friends, his family and when they're working on a new album but not longer than a few months. He hates the shitty weather in Finland.)
- You probably haven't been in the army. Do you regret it in hindsight?
- It seems that in a lot of finnish regions, nazis are more accepted than russians or communists.To what extend had the winter-war influenced your families?
- To what extend did you take musical profits from early eduction and promoting?
- How do you like your national anthem?
- Finland is very dominant in winter sports. Are you active for yourself?
- Do you watch sports in TV, or can you imagine composing a hymn for a form of sport like Hammerfall did for the national curling team?
- Janne Ahonnen not only looks like a metalhead, his mental and physical strength brought him several comebacks. Is this also a parallel to metal?
- Why doesn't it work in soccer and handball in Finland, but in motor racing?
- As a tourist, what should you definitely have to eat in Finland?
- Is (snuffing?!) Jägermeister a new national popular sport?
- Are you going to underground concerts when you'Re at home?
- How's the social cohesion between different genres?
- What do you like most on the other band?
- Why do bands of all (sub)genres of your country eventually sound like finnish bands?
- Do you find it good that metal in Finland is now mainstream - and even in casting shows?
- Are you looking forward at the new "Iron Sky 2" movie?
razor001666
been where, done what?
children of COB
Deadnight Drinker
They are (as you can see) kinda long, would take a while to translate. Any specific questions you're interested in?
I will try to translate it to english and maybe the native German speakers will correct me.
The typical Finland cliches are: suicide, sauna, souse. Is that the triad that actually characterized you?
T:These clichés are not by chance and everyone has his or her relations with this "Triad". For me, this kind of feeling was the the isolation, which has surrounded me, when I was young. Thanks to the Internet and the EU I don't feel it anymore. Finnish people are rumored to be calm and shy and I can confirm that myself. I like it.
A:So as I see it, the people work here very hard on weekdays and they get plastered as the weekend comes. As for the suicide rate , I'm not sure, but there are some places on Earth where I would rather cut my veins, if I had to live there. On the other hand I don't really spend a lot of time in Finland.
Which finnish region should definitely be visited - and which should rather be avoid?
A: Lapland way up north is extremely magical and a landscape, that you can't experience anywhere else outside of in Norway and Sweden. I think, the rest of the country is pretty boring.
T: Whereas, I've visited every corner of my land, except northern Lapland. I haven't got a favourite place I like all of them. If you need the "big city life" you should go to Helsinki, the other big cities are much smaller than the capital (aswell in Hungary - the translator). If you would want to chill out you should go anywhere else or when you would want to experience something (different) you should see Lapland and Aland (pronounce-Oland) In addition, if youwant to see a lot of drunken metalheads, then you should visit Nummirock-Festival at solstice.
Are you home owners or do you own at least a cabin at the lake?
A:I have a condominium next to the beach. I'm a suburb inhabitant as I have been forever. I like it, living next to the city, but not in the middle of it. There aren't any metropolises in Finland anyhow
T:I live in Lohja, a small town next to Helsinki. I don't have the money for a cottage near the lake. However I live in an apartment block, my window's faced to a lake and a forest. The place's pleasing me, the nature is just wonderful here. Helsinki is too expensive and "urban" for a countryside kid like me.
What inspired you more - silence in nature or big-city-nights hubbub?
A:Being on tour, playing live and meeting new people, sometimes I mix these activities.
T:Most likely the nature, there I'm rather running than wandering. Nevertheless, I enjoy the cities while being on tour, but when a lot of things are going on around you it is hard to get inspirations. Anyway, concentratings is a big challenge for me
Do you prefer cats or dogs?
A:I love dogs, but since I turned 12 I do not have one anymore. The responsibility is so high, and I wouldn't want to neglect it at all.
T:In my 20s, we had 3 cats. I like them, they don't give a damn. They are very straightforward, you could bother them or kiss their ass. At the end they do what they want.
Do you call yourself a patriot?
A: I am proud of my Finnish descent and appreciate it a lot that it is safe and clean in Finland. I occasionally live in California and will migrate their completely sometime. Somehow, I feel even more domestic there, I don't know why. I established a whole new life there, with different friends and different things on which I work. I like it to return to Finland for friends, family and the band and spend a lot of time here when we work on a new album. I don't have a problem with that for a few months but I just can't stand the crappy weather here for the long haul./Exedo/
T: I enjoy living here, but patriot is the wrong word. I love my homeland, but there are other great countries (around the world). If I should be thrown out, then I would move to Denmark or The Netherlands.
You probably haven't been in the army. Do you regret it in hindsight?
A: I dejected the military service, like the majority nowadays, because it's just an obsoleted system. I did not have to do substitute service, because at that time I was designated as a mentally conspicious person. I rather did music and worked in construction. What is the more useful and productive way to live: Working or playing war? I leave it to you to choose your preference.
T: I was actually in the army( idk how they call prop., Finnish defence force? we call it HDF) for eight month, but I didn't like it. So much macho-shit and attendants.
It seems that in a lot of Finnish regions, Nazis are more accepted than Russians or communists.To what extend had the winter-war influenced your families?
A:My grandparents have lived trough that era and I'm grateful towards everyone, that fought for this country. I extremely respect their generation and I donate towards war veterans every year. As for the Nazi-thing, I'm touring non-stop since around the Globe since I was 18 and all I can say, Neo-Nazis are everywhere in Middle-Europe too, so it's not just a Finnish speciality.
T:It may be the case for the elderly, but I don't know any statistics how it is today. In my opinion:"Nazi punks, fuck off!"
End of the first page.
To what extend did you take musical profits from early eduction and promoting?
A: From piano, when I was 5, violin at my age 7 and guitar from 11, also my parents had always encouraged me.
T: My family is not specifically musical,I play an instrument a bit. My father had sung too, but those songs were definitely not for children's ears. About dirty things/stuffs what I could understand. I've took no singing lessons, just simply I've started to sing in on of my friends' band, when I was 13.
How do you like your national anthem?
A: Hopefully I hate the Finnish people not so much, but I think Jean Sibelius' Finlandia-Hymn was always a better choice.
T: I think so too. I don't like to sing the "correct" national hymn, it's so disconcerting/displeasing for me.
Finland is very dominant in winter sports. Are you active for yourself?
A: We played ice-hockey in the high school and ice-skating is an everyday free time activity for kids here, later on they can skiing and snowboarding.
T: Exactly, I liked ice-skating, when I was a child and you could always find someone to race with. We'd played ice-hockey with a Tennis ball, instead of playing it in the right way. Sometimes some cute girls watched us playing, that was a true bonus. I played ice hockey, ?nowadays/sometimes? play it again, but I think the ice halls are just too sterile. Indeed, generally I find the sports broadcasts not so interesting.
Do you watch sports in TV, or can you imagine composing a hymn for a form of sport like Hammerfall did for the national curling team?
A: No way!
T: Haha, I've just snipped my coffee straight up to my nose, as I imagined Hammerfall in this situation. I think: Curling? Umm, no thank you, but we have close relations with some professional hockey players. In my opinion, metal and this sport type match very well. Many guys listen to extreme metal to boost their adrenalin level before matches and this kind of aggression is good for the games.
Janne Ahonnen not only looks like a metalhead, his mental and physical strength brought him several comebacks. Is this also a parallel to metal?
A: I'd wonder if not...
T: Janne has the same passion towards his sport as we feel for the music. It's hard to release something, what've played an important role in your life. It must be terrible, when someone feel him/herself not good enough any more. I look forward to that day
Why doesn't it work in soccer and handball in Finland, but in motor racing?
A: No idea, but it can change fast. (Nowadays) the younger generation, don't acquire their driver licenses and not to have the foggiest idea about cars. Therefore, they suddenly become football fans. Maybe have I a distorted perception during my inhabitation in the country?
T: No one could collate - that's the right sports types , the another is car driving. No one wants to offend the another. Maybe these kind of games are to complicated for the Finnish?
Translation in progress... That's all folks for today, I'm a bit tired, so I will continue and hopefully end tomorrow , or if someone wants to do it, or just can't wait, just carry on, I don't mind.
Mistakes have corrected, thanks to Exedo and thanks to Arcane for the question translations.
It's damn hard to do, if you are not native speaker neither langs and you do it the first time.
So, the "fehlt mir die Kohle" is an expression!
The typical Finland cliches are: suicide, sauna, souse. Is that the triad that actually characterized you?
T:These clichés are not by chance and everyone has his or her relations with this "Triad". For me, this kind of feeling was the the isolation, which has surrounded me, when I was young. Thanks to the Internet and the EU I don't feel it anymore. Finnish people are rumored to be calm and shy and I can confirm that myself. I like it.
A:So as I see it, the people work here very hard on weekdays and they get plastered as the weekend comes. As for the suicide rate , I'm not sure, but there are some places on Earth where I would rather cut my veins, if I had to live there. On the other hand I don't really spend a lot of time in Finland.
Which finnish region should definitely be visited - and which should rather be avoid?
A: Lapland way up north is extremely magical and a landscape, that you can't experience anywhere else outside of in Norway and Sweden. I think, the rest of the country is pretty boring.
T: Whereas, I've visited every corner of my land, except northern Lapland. I haven't got a favourite place I like all of them. If you need the "big city life" you should go to Helsinki, the other big cities are much smaller than the capital (aswell in Hungary - the translator). If you would want to chill out you should go anywhere else or when you would want to experience something (different) you should see Lapland and Aland (pronounce-Oland) In addition, if youwant to see a lot of drunken metalheads, then you should visit Nummirock-Festival at solstice.
Are you home owners or do you own at least a cabin at the lake?
A:I have a condominium next to the beach. I'm a suburb inhabitant as I have been forever. I like it, living next to the city, but not in the middle of it. There aren't any metropolises in Finland anyhow
T:I live in Lohja, a small town next to Helsinki. I don't have the money for a cottage near the lake. However I live in an apartment block, my window's faced to a lake and a forest. The place's pleasing me, the nature is just wonderful here. Helsinki is too expensive and "urban" for a countryside kid like me.
What inspired you more - silence in nature or big-city-nights hubbub?
A:Being on tour, playing live and meeting new people, sometimes I mix these activities.
T:Most likely the nature, there I'm rather running than wandering. Nevertheless, I enjoy the cities while being on tour, but when a lot of things are going on around you it is hard to get inspirations. Anyway, concentratings is a big challenge for me
Do you prefer cats or dogs?
A:I love dogs, but since I turned 12 I do not have one anymore. The responsibility is so high, and I wouldn't want to neglect it at all.
T:In my 20s, we had 3 cats. I like them, they don't give a damn. They are very straightforward, you could bother them or kiss their ass. At the end they do what they want.
Do you call yourself a patriot?
A: I am proud of my Finnish descent and appreciate it a lot that it is safe and clean in Finland. I occasionally live in California and will migrate their completely sometime. Somehow, I feel even more domestic there, I don't know why. I established a whole new life there, with different friends and different things on which I work. I like it to return to Finland for friends, family and the band and spend a lot of time here when we work on a new album. I don't have a problem with that for a few months but I just can't stand the crappy weather here for the long haul./Exedo/
T: I enjoy living here, but patriot is the wrong word. I love my homeland, but there are other great countries (around the world). If I should be thrown out, then I would move to Denmark or The Netherlands.
You probably haven't been in the army. Do you regret it in hindsight?
A: I dejected the military service, like the majority nowadays, because it's just an obsoleted system. I did not have to do substitute service, because at that time I was designated as a mentally conspicious person. I rather did music and worked in construction. What is the more useful and productive way to live: Working or playing war? I leave it to you to choose your preference.
T: I was actually in the army( idk how they call prop., Finnish defence force? we call it HDF) for eight month, but I didn't like it. So much macho-shit and attendants.
It seems that in a lot of Finnish regions, Nazis are more accepted than Russians or communists.To what extend had the winter-war influenced your families?
A:My grandparents have lived trough that era and I'm grateful towards everyone, that fought for this country. I extremely respect their generation and I donate towards war veterans every year. As for the Nazi-thing, I'm touring non-stop since around the Globe since I was 18 and all I can say, Neo-Nazis are everywhere in Middle-Europe too, so it's not just a Finnish speciality.
T:It may be the case for the elderly, but I don't know any statistics how it is today. In my opinion:"Nazi punks, fuck off!"
End of the first page.
To what extend did you take musical profits from early eduction and promoting?
A: From piano, when I was 5, violin at my age 7 and guitar from 11, also my parents had always encouraged me.
T: My family is not specifically musical,I play an instrument a bit. My father had sung too, but those songs were definitely not for children's ears. About dirty things/stuffs what I could understand. I've took no singing lessons, just simply I've started to sing in on of my friends' band, when I was 13.
How do you like your national anthem?
A: Hopefully I hate the Finnish people not so much, but I think Jean Sibelius' Finlandia-Hymn was always a better choice.
T: I think so too. I don't like to sing the "correct" national hymn, it's so disconcerting/displeasing for me.
Finland is very dominant in winter sports. Are you active for yourself?
A: We played ice-hockey in the high school and ice-skating is an everyday free time activity for kids here, later on they can skiing and snowboarding.
T: Exactly, I liked ice-skating, when I was a child and you could always find someone to race with. We'd played ice-hockey with a Tennis ball, instead of playing it in the right way. Sometimes some cute girls watched us playing, that was a true bonus. I played ice hockey, ?nowadays/sometimes? play it again, but I think the ice halls are just too sterile. Indeed, generally I find the sports broadcasts not so interesting.
Do you watch sports in TV, or can you imagine composing a hymn for a form of sport like Hammerfall did for the national curling team?
A: No way!
T: Haha, I've just snipped my coffee straight up to my nose, as I imagined Hammerfall in this situation. I think: Curling? Umm, no thank you, but we have close relations with some professional hockey players. In my opinion, metal and this sport type match very well. Many guys listen to extreme metal to boost their adrenalin level before matches and this kind of aggression is good for the games.
Janne Ahonnen not only looks like a metalhead, his mental and physical strength brought him several comebacks. Is this also a parallel to metal?
A: I'd wonder if not...
T: Janne has the same passion towards his sport as we feel for the music. It's hard to release something, what've played an important role in your life. It must be terrible, when someone feel him/herself not good enough any more. I look forward to that day
Why doesn't it work in soccer and handball in Finland, but in motor racing?
A: No idea, but it can change fast. (Nowadays) the younger generation, don't acquire their driver licenses and not to have the foggiest idea about cars. Therefore, they suddenly become football fans. Maybe have I a distorted perception during my inhabitation in the country?
T: No one could collate - that's the right sports types , the another is car driving. No one wants to offend the another. Maybe these kind of games are to complicated for the Finnish?
Translation in progress... That's all folks for today, I'm a bit tired, so I will continue and hopefully end tomorrow , or if someone wants to do it, or just can't wait, just carry on, I don't mind.
Mistakes have corrected, thanks to Exedo and thanks to Arcane for the question translations.
It's damn hard to do, if you are not native speaker neither langs and you do it the first time.
So, the "fehlt mir die Kohle" is an expression!
Lots of expressions and idiomatic terms there, difficult to translate! Great job and impressive for a non-native speaker
sleeper666
MetalMutha
ESA1996
Active Member
I will try to translate it to english and maybe the native German speakers will correct me.
The typical Finland cliches are: suicide, sauna, souse. Is that the triad that actually characterized you?
T:These clichés are not by chance and everyone has his or her relations with this "Triad". For me, this kind of feeling was the the isolation, which has surrounded me, when I was young. Thanks to the Internet and the EU I don't feel it anymore. Finnish people are rumored to be calm and shy and I can confirm that myself. I like it.
A:So as I see it, the people work here very hard on weekdays and they get plastered as the weekend comes. As for the suicide rate , I'm not sure, but there are some places on Earth where I would rather cut my veins, if I had to live there. On the other hand I don't really spend a lot of time in Finland.
Which finnish region should definitely be visited - and which should rather be avoid?
A: Lapland way up north is extremely magical and a landscape, that you can't experience anywhere else outside of in Norway and Sweden. I think, the rest of the country is pretty boring.
T: Whereas, I've visited every corner of my land, except northern Lapland. I haven't got a favourite place I like all of them. If you need the "big city life" you should go to Helsinki, the other big cities are much smaller than the capital (aswell in Hungary - the translator). If you would want to chill out you should go anywhere else or when you would want to experience something (different) you should see Lapland and Aland (pronounce-Oland) In addition, if youwant to see a lot of drunken metalheads, then you should visit Nummirock-Festival at solstice.
Are you home owners or do you own at least a cabin at the lake?
A:I have a condominium next to the beach. I'm a suburb inhabitant as I have been forever. I like it, living next to the city, but not in the middle of it. There aren't any metropolises in Finland anyhow
T:I live in Lohja, a small town next to Helsinki. I don't have the money for a cottage near the lake. However I live in an apartment block, my window's faced to a lake and a forest. The place's pleasing me, the nature is just wonderful here. Helsinki is too expensive and "urban" for a countryside kid like me.
What inspired you more - silence in nature or big-city-nights hubbub?
A:When we are on tour, playing live and meet new people, sometimes I mix these activities.
T:At first the nature, there I'm rather running than wandering. Nevertheless, I enjoy being on tour, but when a lot of things going on around you, you could barely get inspirations. Anyway, it's hard for me to concentrate to one thing.
Do you prefer cats or dogs?
A:I love dogs, but since I was 12 I ?didn't/don't? have one. The responsibility is so high, and I wouldn't neglect it at all.
T:When I was 20, I had 3 cats. I like them, they sheer like a devil or something. They are very straightforward, you could bother them or ?often regularize? them(Help! even Google doesn't know what does "einschleimen" mean!). At the end they do what they want.
Do you call yourself a patriot?
A:"Here Laiho said that he's proud of his Finnish roots but some day he wants to move completely to California because it's more kinda homelike there for him (new friends, other things he's working on). He just want to go back to visit his friends, his family and when they're working on a new album but not longer than a few months. He hates the shitty weather in Finland." /Arcane/
T: I enjoy living here, but I don't think I'm a patriot. I love my homeland, but there are another great countries (around the world). If I should leave this place, then I would move to Denmark or The Netherlands.
You probably haven't been in the army. Do you regret it in hindsight?
A: I would the cease the conscription, like the majority nowadays, because it's just an obsoleted system. I neither wasn't reserve conscripted, because at that time I was psychic conspicuous designated. I had rather done music and had worked ?from home?. That was a more useful and productive way to live. Working or playing war? I leave it to you to choose your preference.
T: I was actually in the army( idk how they call prop., Finnish defence force? we call it HDF) for a month, but I didn't like it. So much macho-shit and attendants.
It seems that in a lot of Finnish regions, Nazis are more accepted than Russians or communists.To what extend had the winter-war influenced your families?
A:My grandparents have lived trough that era and I'm thankful for everything , that they fight for this country. I extremely respect their generation and I contribute them every year. As for the Nazi-thing, I'm touring non-stop since around the Globe I was 18 and all I can say, Neo-Nazis are everywhere in Middle-Europe too, so it's not just a Finnish speciality.
T:?Elder people like them (Neo-Nazis)?, but I don't know any statistics, how is that nowadays. In my opinion:"Nazi punks, fuck off!"
End of the first page.
Translation in progress... That's all folks for today, I'm a bit tired, so I will continue and hopefully end tomorrow , or if someone wants to do it, or just can't wait, just carry on, I don't mind.
Mistakes have corrected, thanks to Exedo and thanks to Arcane for the question translations.
It's damn hard to do, if you are not native speaker neither langs and you do it the first time.
So, the "fehlt mir die Kohle" is an expression!
Yeah, really good translation. Didn't even feel like a translation apart from one or two places, but overall great. Couldn't ask for better. No reason to.
I can do translations from English to Finnish and the other way around, but translating from German or Swedish (The other two languages I "know")? You might get a sentence or two that are correct but that's it
Стас Проклятый
Boss Russian Hate Crew
UnknownSoldier
Member
Children Of Bodom haastattelu Alexi Laiho 2015 (Finnish only)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a3LHYzGbyA
CHILDREN OF BODOM - Interview w Alexi & Janne: "I have too much crazy in my head"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYNzHrPYOYY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a3LHYzGbyA
CHILDREN OF BODOM - Interview w Alexi & Janne: "I have too much crazy in my head"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYNzHrPYOYY
Стас Проклятый
Boss Russian Hate Crew
Стас Проклятый
Boss Russian Hate Crew
interview with Janne Wirman.
1) http://mandah.media/children-of-bodom/
2) http://sound-infection.de/children-...er-an-der-stelle-auf-an-der-der-mord-geschah/
1) http://mandah.media/children-of-bodom/
2) http://sound-infection.de/children-...er-an-der-stelle-auf-an-der-der-mord-geschah/
sleeper666
MetalMutha
sleeper666
MetalMutha
Video interview with Alexi and Janne
http://www.metalinjection.net/video...ying-new-album-i-worship-chaos-2015-interview
http://www.metalinjection.net/video...ying-new-album-i-worship-chaos-2015-interview
sleeper666
MetalMutha
http://www.metalinsider.net/metal-o...lexi-laiho-i-save-the-bad-stuff-for-the-music
Children of Bodoms Alexi Laiho: I save the bad stuff for the music
Posted by Bram Teitelman on October 1, 2015
Its hard to believe that Children of Bodom have been around for over 20 years. Having formed in 1993, the band has come to signify melodic death metal, and with their ninth studio album, I Worship Chaos, coming out tomorrow, theyre at the top of their game. We caught up with frontman Alexi Laiho to talk about recording their first album without a second guitarist, his thoughts on the demise of the Mayhem Festival and playing with 100 guitarists earlier this year in Helsinki.
I Worship Chaos was recorded as a quartet. Did you entertain the idea of getting another guitar player, or were you just like were a four piece now?
There wasnt even time to think about stuff like that. When we parted ways, it was three days before we hit the studio. This was one of those things where it was like okay guys, well talk later. Lets just go make an album. I had written all the riffs anyway and I am a guitar player. So all it really meant was I was working a double shift and thats that. If anything, the guitars are way tighter than they were on the previous ones. So at least something good came of the bad situation.
So everything was already written before you hit the studio?
Yeah. Thats always been the case for us. Everythings very well prepared before we hit the studio. I suppose it was something that we always needed to do, especially way back in the day. Being in a studio, its not cheap. Its a great way to save money to actually know how to play. We want to make sure the songs are finished and well-rehearsed. We still roll the same way. We get together for months and months and practice five days a week. Were very old school.
How close to live is the record if youre that rehearsed?
Well its not like that. Its not a live thing. Ill do the rhythm guitar, the bass, the melodies and solos and shit. While Im doing that, Janne [Wirman], our keyboard player, would record in his home studio, which is basically just laying down the tracks. Its a great idea to save time and money. When hes done, we take a couple days and go through keyboard sounds, which is always really fun. Were always trying to come up with new types of keyboard sounds and new ways of freaking people out. We add all these hidden technoish sounds here and there. Its a tiny thing, but it makes all the difference sometimes.
Yeah, I mean Im a keyboard player myself, and I appreciate theres a metal band that puts keyboards in the center of their sound.
Definitely. I suppose it makes us different from other extreme metal bands. I mean theres a certain way I do guitar that makes it sound like the eighties and the eighties keyboards too. That combined with the death metal shit makes us a little different.
Yeah. I guess its kind of how you guys and Soilwork do stuff like that. Do you consider them contemporaries of yours?
Yeah. I have a lot of respect for them. Theyre so talented. The only problem is I dont understand what the hell is going on with that band. Im not talking shit. We went on tour with them and theyre cool guys, at least the ones we toured with. But they seem to be changing members constantly. I just wish they were more active. But like I said, I have a lot of respect for them. I do enjoy a lot of their records.
Have advances in technology with home studios and being able to record an album without spending thousands of dollars in the studio, has any of that changed how the band writes at all?
No. As far as writing the music and doing the arrangements, its the same as its always been. I do the writing, but then we do the arrangements as a group. Ill just write the riffs with my old shitty four track and then I show it to the guys the next day. We jam on it for a little bit. Then I go back home and do the same thing and then we start getting parts together. Thats how it starts. We dont send each other files and shit. Im sure it works for some bands, but for us were pretty old school.
I read and heard the album described as darker than some of your previous ones. Is there anything in particular that led to the album being darker in tone?
Well when I start doing the writing, I go out of my way to not think about how people would react to the song or riff. We never plan or even talk about what we should sound like. We never sit down go like hey, you think we should sound darker now? Its not like that. Everything around me affects the music on some level. I do incorporate real life events in the music. I take bad things that happen to me and try not to react so impossibly that I tend to do sometimes. I end up hurting people around me or mostly myself. I really am trying to learn how to take all that bad shit and save it for the music and put it in the music. I think thats a big part of it, that I really did save all of it for the music. Its not always easy. Im not perfect. I fucking lash out sometimes, but at least Im learning. I think its a great form of therapy because it serves the band as well.
Youve definitely been doing a decent amount of touring in America. Have you found yourself becoming more American from your time here?
Everything around me affects the band. Im like a five year-old. My eyes and ears are open. I observe everything. All that ends up being incorporated into the music or the way we are on stage or even the way I carry myself as a person. So yeah, absolutely. It has made a difference.
Two years ago you were one of the bands on Mayhem Fest, which is now not a tour anymore. How do you feel about that going away and how do you feel touring metal festivals in general?
How do I put this in words without being a total fucking asshole? (Laughter) Maybe its because I wasnt at a very good place in my life, but I did not enjoy Mayhem. However, whenever we were on stage, which was only 30 minutes a night, those 30 minutes was the only time I felt alive. We didnt play the main stage. It wasnt necessarily the most organized thing ever. But there were good points of it too. I think its a cool thing that a festival like that happens in America because America doesnt have the same festival culture that Europe has. There are tons and tons of metal festivals that are huge. I think thats a very cool thing. Ive always been baffled by that. How come that doesnt happen in America?
There really isnt a touring metal festival in the summer anymore except for Summer Slaughter, which is a lot more extreme.
Not even a touring festival. Just festivals in general, three day festivals. Im sure it would be huge.
I mean theres the Knotfest, the Slipknot thing thats going on and theres fests like Rock on the Range.
But those arent that popular I guess.
They appear popular There havent been that many of them yet. Lets talk about that thing you did in Helsinki with the 100 guitar players. How did that whole thing come about and how do you think it went over?
Yeah that was just insane. Basically how it came about was this Helsinki City Festival, which is one of the oldest and considered one of the most prestigious festivals in the country. Its known for classical acts and art based events. Basically anything, but the likes of me. I think they wanted to do something different and fresh and pull a little younger crowd. They came up to me, asking if I wanted to write a 15-minute guitar piece for 100 fucking guys. I was like what? And then a second after that I said yes, I will do that. I mean the idea was so fucking insane. How could I decline? I had to do it.
Was it a song that you already had?
No. I had to start from scratch. And I was still in the middle of writing the Bodom record, which wasnt the most convenient timing ever. But I told them that this isnt my top priority. The Bodom album has got to get mixed and mastered, then after that I am going to put everything on this project. I can guarantee that I can make it happen. They took my word. There was a lot of hard work, auditioning, and planning, Jesus Christ so much planning.
Did you audition all 100 guitar players?
Well no. They sent videos. But we got over 400 of them. But when I was writing the song, it was so different. It was instrumental for one, and the fact that its 15 minutes long, the fact that its 100 people. You have to keep certain things in persepctive, of course. So it doesnt pay off to clever with it. Its way better to keep it more simple. It doesnt matter who you got up there. Even if you got 200 Steve Vais, its still going to be messy. But I had a great bunch of people around me, the core musicians and the band. They helped me out. We had two full rehearsals with all 100 of them. Then we just went home and did it. It was fucking mind blowing, dude. The police had estimated around 2 to 3,000 people, but there ended up being 8 to 10,000. So I mean there was a whole fucking area where they couldnt see the stage because it was so packed.
Did you have a hand in assembling the backing band?
Yeah. I picked the core guys, like Archie from Santa Cruz and all those guys. Yeah I picked them. The drummer was the drummer from Bodom.
What is the Finnish rock and metal scene like? Were seeing Santa Cruz start to make their way over here. Is it healthy and flourishing?
Its pretty big. Its very different than a lot of countries. Finland is a small country. Its very strange when it comes to the whole metal thing, how fucking popular it is. Obviously its awesome, but I never had an answer as to why that is. Because I honestly cant figure it out.
It seems like the 80s, almost hair metal sound is still very popular over there. Is that the case? Or is that just what were getting over in America?
Yeah, actually it is true. I would say that bands like W.A.S.P, who play in Finland a lot, are fucking huge. Then again its not like Finland is 20 years behind anything. At the same time we get awesome shows from current bands too. Its just a very different and interesting scene.
Children of Bodoms Alexi Laiho: I save the bad stuff for the music
Posted by Bram Teitelman on October 1, 2015
Its hard to believe that Children of Bodom have been around for over 20 years. Having formed in 1993, the band has come to signify melodic death metal, and with their ninth studio album, I Worship Chaos, coming out tomorrow, theyre at the top of their game. We caught up with frontman Alexi Laiho to talk about recording their first album without a second guitarist, his thoughts on the demise of the Mayhem Festival and playing with 100 guitarists earlier this year in Helsinki.
I Worship Chaos was recorded as a quartet. Did you entertain the idea of getting another guitar player, or were you just like were a four piece now?
There wasnt even time to think about stuff like that. When we parted ways, it was three days before we hit the studio. This was one of those things where it was like okay guys, well talk later. Lets just go make an album. I had written all the riffs anyway and I am a guitar player. So all it really meant was I was working a double shift and thats that. If anything, the guitars are way tighter than they were on the previous ones. So at least something good came of the bad situation.
So everything was already written before you hit the studio?
Yeah. Thats always been the case for us. Everythings very well prepared before we hit the studio. I suppose it was something that we always needed to do, especially way back in the day. Being in a studio, its not cheap. Its a great way to save money to actually know how to play. We want to make sure the songs are finished and well-rehearsed. We still roll the same way. We get together for months and months and practice five days a week. Were very old school.
How close to live is the record if youre that rehearsed?
Well its not like that. Its not a live thing. Ill do the rhythm guitar, the bass, the melodies and solos and shit. While Im doing that, Janne [Wirman], our keyboard player, would record in his home studio, which is basically just laying down the tracks. Its a great idea to save time and money. When hes done, we take a couple days and go through keyboard sounds, which is always really fun. Were always trying to come up with new types of keyboard sounds and new ways of freaking people out. We add all these hidden technoish sounds here and there. Its a tiny thing, but it makes all the difference sometimes.
Yeah, I mean Im a keyboard player myself, and I appreciate theres a metal band that puts keyboards in the center of their sound.
Definitely. I suppose it makes us different from other extreme metal bands. I mean theres a certain way I do guitar that makes it sound like the eighties and the eighties keyboards too. That combined with the death metal shit makes us a little different.
Yeah. I guess its kind of how you guys and Soilwork do stuff like that. Do you consider them contemporaries of yours?
Yeah. I have a lot of respect for them. Theyre so talented. The only problem is I dont understand what the hell is going on with that band. Im not talking shit. We went on tour with them and theyre cool guys, at least the ones we toured with. But they seem to be changing members constantly. I just wish they were more active. But like I said, I have a lot of respect for them. I do enjoy a lot of their records.
Have advances in technology with home studios and being able to record an album without spending thousands of dollars in the studio, has any of that changed how the band writes at all?
No. As far as writing the music and doing the arrangements, its the same as its always been. I do the writing, but then we do the arrangements as a group. Ill just write the riffs with my old shitty four track and then I show it to the guys the next day. We jam on it for a little bit. Then I go back home and do the same thing and then we start getting parts together. Thats how it starts. We dont send each other files and shit. Im sure it works for some bands, but for us were pretty old school.
I read and heard the album described as darker than some of your previous ones. Is there anything in particular that led to the album being darker in tone?
Well when I start doing the writing, I go out of my way to not think about how people would react to the song or riff. We never plan or even talk about what we should sound like. We never sit down go like hey, you think we should sound darker now? Its not like that. Everything around me affects the music on some level. I do incorporate real life events in the music. I take bad things that happen to me and try not to react so impossibly that I tend to do sometimes. I end up hurting people around me or mostly myself. I really am trying to learn how to take all that bad shit and save it for the music and put it in the music. I think thats a big part of it, that I really did save all of it for the music. Its not always easy. Im not perfect. I fucking lash out sometimes, but at least Im learning. I think its a great form of therapy because it serves the band as well.
Youve definitely been doing a decent amount of touring in America. Have you found yourself becoming more American from your time here?
Everything around me affects the band. Im like a five year-old. My eyes and ears are open. I observe everything. All that ends up being incorporated into the music or the way we are on stage or even the way I carry myself as a person. So yeah, absolutely. It has made a difference.
Two years ago you were one of the bands on Mayhem Fest, which is now not a tour anymore. How do you feel about that going away and how do you feel touring metal festivals in general?
How do I put this in words without being a total fucking asshole? (Laughter) Maybe its because I wasnt at a very good place in my life, but I did not enjoy Mayhem. However, whenever we were on stage, which was only 30 minutes a night, those 30 minutes was the only time I felt alive. We didnt play the main stage. It wasnt necessarily the most organized thing ever. But there were good points of it too. I think its a cool thing that a festival like that happens in America because America doesnt have the same festival culture that Europe has. There are tons and tons of metal festivals that are huge. I think thats a very cool thing. Ive always been baffled by that. How come that doesnt happen in America?
There really isnt a touring metal festival in the summer anymore except for Summer Slaughter, which is a lot more extreme.
Not even a touring festival. Just festivals in general, three day festivals. Im sure it would be huge.
I mean theres the Knotfest, the Slipknot thing thats going on and theres fests like Rock on the Range.
But those arent that popular I guess.
They appear popular There havent been that many of them yet. Lets talk about that thing you did in Helsinki with the 100 guitar players. How did that whole thing come about and how do you think it went over?
Yeah that was just insane. Basically how it came about was this Helsinki City Festival, which is one of the oldest and considered one of the most prestigious festivals in the country. Its known for classical acts and art based events. Basically anything, but the likes of me. I think they wanted to do something different and fresh and pull a little younger crowd. They came up to me, asking if I wanted to write a 15-minute guitar piece for 100 fucking guys. I was like what? And then a second after that I said yes, I will do that. I mean the idea was so fucking insane. How could I decline? I had to do it.
Was it a song that you already had?
No. I had to start from scratch. And I was still in the middle of writing the Bodom record, which wasnt the most convenient timing ever. But I told them that this isnt my top priority. The Bodom album has got to get mixed and mastered, then after that I am going to put everything on this project. I can guarantee that I can make it happen. They took my word. There was a lot of hard work, auditioning, and planning, Jesus Christ so much planning.
Did you audition all 100 guitar players?
Well no. They sent videos. But we got over 400 of them. But when I was writing the song, it was so different. It was instrumental for one, and the fact that its 15 minutes long, the fact that its 100 people. You have to keep certain things in persepctive, of course. So it doesnt pay off to clever with it. Its way better to keep it more simple. It doesnt matter who you got up there. Even if you got 200 Steve Vais, its still going to be messy. But I had a great bunch of people around me, the core musicians and the band. They helped me out. We had two full rehearsals with all 100 of them. Then we just went home and did it. It was fucking mind blowing, dude. The police had estimated around 2 to 3,000 people, but there ended up being 8 to 10,000. So I mean there was a whole fucking area where they couldnt see the stage because it was so packed.
Did you have a hand in assembling the backing band?
Yeah. I picked the core guys, like Archie from Santa Cruz and all those guys. Yeah I picked them. The drummer was the drummer from Bodom.
What is the Finnish rock and metal scene like? Were seeing Santa Cruz start to make their way over here. Is it healthy and flourishing?
Its pretty big. Its very different than a lot of countries. Finland is a small country. Its very strange when it comes to the whole metal thing, how fucking popular it is. Obviously its awesome, but I never had an answer as to why that is. Because I honestly cant figure it out.
It seems like the 80s, almost hair metal sound is still very popular over there. Is that the case? Or is that just what were getting over in America?
Yeah, actually it is true. I would say that bands like W.A.S.P, who play in Finland a lot, are fucking huge. Then again its not like Finland is 20 years behind anything. At the same time we get awesome shows from current bands too. Its just a very different and interesting scene.
Стас Проклятый
Boss Russian Hate Crew
Стас Проклятый
Boss Russian Hate Crew
sleeper666
MetalMutha
http://bravewords.com/features/children-of-bodom-heading-for-lobodomy-and-begging-them-for-more
CHILDREN OF BODOM Heading For Lobodomy And Begging Them For More
By Carl Begai
feature heavy metal children of bodom
CHILDREN OF BODOM Heading For Lobodomy And Begging Them For More
Children Of Bodom's trademark Hate Crew tag is meant as a proclamation of bad-assed-ness, but the band has hit a point in their career where it can be twisted to represent just how much some people detest them. Case in point when they pre-released a handful of tracks from their new album, I Worship Chaos; for all the praise the songs received there were just as many voices cutting the Children off at the knees. The music business has never been for the thin-skinned, of course, but in the internet age any band or solo artist hoping to carve out a career has to be prepared to get knocked in the teeth the moment they release new material. For Children Of Bodom vocalist/guitarist Alexi Laiho and keyboardist Janne Wirman any lambasting they've received for I Worship Chaos thus far is simply a walk in the park they choose not to take.
Alexi: "I started ignoring that shit pretty much right away, when the whole internet thing kicked in. It doesn't pay off to read any of the fucking reactions."
BraveWords: Which extends to ignoring folks like Machine Head frontman Robb Flynn, who took online shots at you via Facebook (in October 2014) after you voiced your disappointment at Machine Head cancelling the North American headline tour you were due to support because they wanted to finish working on their new album (Bloodstone & Diamonds).
Alexi: "I know, what the fuck? Honestly, it made me laugh because it was so surreal. I've known Robb Flynn for a long time, we've toured with Machine Head before and we always got along, and all of a sudden he's out there talking shit about me? I just laughed and that's why I didn't say shit about it. The last thing I want to do is get into some stupid-ass internet war. If anything, that break in the schedule gave me more time to write. I stayed pretty active, I did a bunch of other shit like guitar clinics and playing bass on a friend's band because I didn't want to sit on my ass. I was also able to work on riffs that I've had in my head for quite a long time."
BraveWords: It's not at all surprising that I Worship Chaos has polarized your fanbase. Something would be wrong if the fans weren't choosing sides when you release new music.
Janne: "I Worship Chaos feels right on many levels. It was the right time to release an album like this and somehow it all clicked together. You can't plan on something like this; sometimes it just works and everything turns out great. We haven't written the same song or album over and over again, but it's getting to the point where we have to come up with new and fresh ideas, and somehow keep doing what we're doing. That's something we've always kept in mind, to not release the same thing over and over again. That won't work for us."
BraveWords: The song "My Bodom (I Am The Only One)" is one of the best examples of you guys doing something new with your sound this time out. Nobody is expecting the progressive elements or the tempo changes....
Janne: "That's one of my favourites, that's a great track. When we were writing the music for the album I remember thinking that 'My Bodom' is going to be a classic Children Of Bodom track. There are hidden prog-ish things in there that the regular thrash metal consumer might not pick up on, but we like all sorts of music, and being trained musicians sometimes we put things in the songs that aren't your basic metal ideas."
Alexi: "That's one of my favourites, too. It wasn't really thought out when I started writing. Same thing as always, really; it just came out naturally. It was definitely something different, especially when I was done with the vocal tracks. The vocals really gave the song the kick that it needed because the guitar riffs are very rhythm based."
BraveWords: We've spoken before about songwriting in Children Of Bodom, which comes down to Alexi bringing completed ideas to the band. It doesn't come across as being a huge thought process.
Alexi: "It has to be that way, at least for me, because if you think too much about whether the fans are going to like this or that it's just going to steet you in the totally wrong direction. You can't be everybody's friend. I write the stuff at home and then I show it to the guys at the rehearsal space, we jam on it, and then I go back home and write more. We put the puzzle together as a group."
BraveWords: Do you guys ever question Alexi's sanity when he brings in new song ideas? As in maybe something comes off as getting a bit too far away from where Children Of Bodom should be?
Janne: "There are moments when I'm like, 'Really man?!' (laughs). The song 'All For Nothing' on the new album, we knew it was going to be something really fucked up, but it's so late into our career that we can do it. That was the biggest What The Fuck Is Going On? moment making I Worship Chaos because it's so non-Bodom-ish. I think it's fun that we can do songs like that at this point. There are so many killer Bodom tracks on this album that we can have fun and write a song that's totally different and fit it in there."
BraveWords: A source at the label (Nuclear Blast) mentioned that the band has its own studio now (Danger Johnny Studios), where you recorded the new album.
Alexi: "It's kinda like the COB headquarters where everything is. We have a rehearsal space, studio and warehouse where we can keep our backline, our cars, there's a lounge area, so it's pretty awesome. Everything for I Worship Chaos was recorded there including the drums. It's awesome because it beats having to book studio time and spend a ton of money on recordings. It's a different vibe compared to recording at home, and that's why I actually moved in there a couple of weeks before we started recording. We were missing two songs and I figured I'd get more done if I'm there all the time. I usually get so much done when I'm in there."
BraveWords: Any leftover tracks from the recording sessions that might surface later?
Alexi: "It's usually the case that if the riff doesn't make it to the album it's fucking garbage (laughs)."
BraveWords: I Worship Chaos is quite easy to get into provided you go in with an open mind rather than hoping and praying for another Follow The Reaper or Hatebreeder.
Janne: "Yeah, it's somehow easy to listen to the album. There's something straightforward and catchy in there, so it's easy on the ear. When you go through it, it doesn't feel as complex as some other things we've done."
Alexi: "'Morrigan' is catchier in many ways than a lot of stuff we've done, and song structure-wise it's more simple."
Janne: "I think it's great how we saved 'Widdershins' as the last song on the album because I really like that track. There's something catchy yet dark about it, so it's cool having a totally weird and fucked up song ('All For Nothing') as #9 and then having a killer track as #10."
BraveWords: A lot of people consider your previous album, Halo Of Blood, to be something of a return to your old sound after albums like Relentless Reckless Forever and Blooddrunk. Do you think the direction of Halo Of Blood rubbed off on how I Worship Chaos turned out?
Alexi: "I'm sure it did. As I said, I wasn't thinking too much about the direction of the music when I was writing - I went out of my way to not think about that - but yeah, I'm sure it did."
BraveWords: You're also 2 for 2 with regards to album cover artwork that doesn't suck.
Alexi: "(Laughs) We finally got the yellow cover, which so many people have joked about."
BraveWords: And once again, you guys are being confronted with the complaint that the keyboards - an integral part of Children Of Bodom's trademark sound - have been reduced quite a bit on I Worship Chaos compared to your earlier albums.
Janne: "It's odd because in some of the interviews I've done for this new album people have asked me 'Where are the keyboards?' What? (laughs). For me there's plenty of keyboards in there. Some of them are hidden, as we sometimes do, but if we were to take them out people would wonder what the fuck happened. They're hidden in a way that they contribute to the overall atmosphere of some of the songs."
Alexi: "The funny thing is that there's always been a shit ton of keyboards on all the albums. They're being used a little differently lately, some of them are hidden, but these people that whine 'There are no keyboards on the new album'... fuck you, dude (laughs). There's fucking non-stop keyboards on the new album."
BraveWords: It's a topic that been flogged to death since you started doing press for I Worship Chaos, but we'd be remiss if we didn't address the sad business of Children Of Bodom parting ways with Roope Latvala.
Alexi: "We don't really like to talk about the details because they don't matter. Basically, we'd just grown apart a lot as people and we had different levels of work ethics. It seemed like everybody in the band was really wanting to roll stronger and harder, to put more effort into everything COB-related, and Roope wasn't really out there with us on that level. It was just better for everybody to part ways."
"Roope was still there when we were putting the songs together. We decided to part ways three days before we hit the studio. It just meant I had to be on double duty but I didn't care as long as we got the shit done. And if anything I think we sound tighter now, so at least something positive did come out of a negative thing."
Janne: "Things started happening late into writing the music for this album so, fortunately, it didn't affect the writing process. Everything was written for two guitar players, but that wasn't a big deal. The bigger change for us has been the live situation, but my brother Antti (Warmen guitarist) filled in which was great because we didn't have to panic and go with somebody we don't really know. We were on such a tight schedule to finish the album, and I think it was one week after mastering that we were touring Russia. So, we had to find somebody to play live and be working in the studio at the same time. We needed somebody who could play the songs and who we could communicate with, so it was great when we realized my brother could help us out."
"Antti has been studying and working for the last three years or something, and he finally got his degree just as this was happening. He had time off, he quit his other job, so the timing was perfect. After all the discussions about finding someone to fill in for the summer, I figured Antti was the least stressful to get on board."
Alexi: "He made it super easy for me showing him the riffs and stuff because he's a great guitar player and a quick study, and I had to do that while we were in the studio."
BraveWords: Was there any consideration given to having Antti join Children Of Bodom as a permanent member?
Janne: "He's landed his dream job after studying for years to get it, and as his big brother I want him to continue with his career. It'll be a good thing for him. We've decided that he's going to be with us until the end of the year, and Children Of Bodom is currently looking for a full time member. So yeah, Antti is here until the end of the year and that's it."
BraveWords: With regards to touring, how much new material is going to make it into the set? This deep into your career it's boring for the fans and the band to always hear the same songs every time Children Of Bodom hit the road.
Janne: "We definitely want to put more new material in the set. We all agree this is a really strong album so I'm hoping we're going to play at least four new tracks. Unfortunately, we've released so many albums that we have to leave some stuff out, but this time we feel we have to play a lot of the new stuff live."
Alexi: "Choosing the setlist doesn't get any easier. Obviously we have to play some of the old shit because that's what people want to hear. I don't know how many times we've played 'Hate Me!' - a bazillion times at least (laughs) - and you would think we'd be sick to death of the song. I suppose we are. However, when we see the crowd go totally fucking nuts for the song, that's the payoff."
CHILDREN OF BODOM Heading For Lobodomy And Begging Them For More
By Carl Begai
feature heavy metal children of bodom
CHILDREN OF BODOM Heading For Lobodomy And Begging Them For More
Children Of Bodom's trademark Hate Crew tag is meant as a proclamation of bad-assed-ness, but the band has hit a point in their career where it can be twisted to represent just how much some people detest them. Case in point when they pre-released a handful of tracks from their new album, I Worship Chaos; for all the praise the songs received there were just as many voices cutting the Children off at the knees. The music business has never been for the thin-skinned, of course, but in the internet age any band or solo artist hoping to carve out a career has to be prepared to get knocked in the teeth the moment they release new material. For Children Of Bodom vocalist/guitarist Alexi Laiho and keyboardist Janne Wirman any lambasting they've received for I Worship Chaos thus far is simply a walk in the park they choose not to take.
Alexi: "I started ignoring that shit pretty much right away, when the whole internet thing kicked in. It doesn't pay off to read any of the fucking reactions."
BraveWords: Which extends to ignoring folks like Machine Head frontman Robb Flynn, who took online shots at you via Facebook (in October 2014) after you voiced your disappointment at Machine Head cancelling the North American headline tour you were due to support because they wanted to finish working on their new album (Bloodstone & Diamonds).
Alexi: "I know, what the fuck? Honestly, it made me laugh because it was so surreal. I've known Robb Flynn for a long time, we've toured with Machine Head before and we always got along, and all of a sudden he's out there talking shit about me? I just laughed and that's why I didn't say shit about it. The last thing I want to do is get into some stupid-ass internet war. If anything, that break in the schedule gave me more time to write. I stayed pretty active, I did a bunch of other shit like guitar clinics and playing bass on a friend's band because I didn't want to sit on my ass. I was also able to work on riffs that I've had in my head for quite a long time."
BraveWords: It's not at all surprising that I Worship Chaos has polarized your fanbase. Something would be wrong if the fans weren't choosing sides when you release new music.
Janne: "I Worship Chaos feels right on many levels. It was the right time to release an album like this and somehow it all clicked together. You can't plan on something like this; sometimes it just works and everything turns out great. We haven't written the same song or album over and over again, but it's getting to the point where we have to come up with new and fresh ideas, and somehow keep doing what we're doing. That's something we've always kept in mind, to not release the same thing over and over again. That won't work for us."
BraveWords: The song "My Bodom (I Am The Only One)" is one of the best examples of you guys doing something new with your sound this time out. Nobody is expecting the progressive elements or the tempo changes....
Janne: "That's one of my favourites, that's a great track. When we were writing the music for the album I remember thinking that 'My Bodom' is going to be a classic Children Of Bodom track. There are hidden prog-ish things in there that the regular thrash metal consumer might not pick up on, but we like all sorts of music, and being trained musicians sometimes we put things in the songs that aren't your basic metal ideas."
Alexi: "That's one of my favourites, too. It wasn't really thought out when I started writing. Same thing as always, really; it just came out naturally. It was definitely something different, especially when I was done with the vocal tracks. The vocals really gave the song the kick that it needed because the guitar riffs are very rhythm based."
BraveWords: We've spoken before about songwriting in Children Of Bodom, which comes down to Alexi bringing completed ideas to the band. It doesn't come across as being a huge thought process.
Alexi: "It has to be that way, at least for me, because if you think too much about whether the fans are going to like this or that it's just going to steet you in the totally wrong direction. You can't be everybody's friend. I write the stuff at home and then I show it to the guys at the rehearsal space, we jam on it, and then I go back home and write more. We put the puzzle together as a group."
BraveWords: Do you guys ever question Alexi's sanity when he brings in new song ideas? As in maybe something comes off as getting a bit too far away from where Children Of Bodom should be?
Janne: "There are moments when I'm like, 'Really man?!' (laughs). The song 'All For Nothing' on the new album, we knew it was going to be something really fucked up, but it's so late into our career that we can do it. That was the biggest What The Fuck Is Going On? moment making I Worship Chaos because it's so non-Bodom-ish. I think it's fun that we can do songs like that at this point. There are so many killer Bodom tracks on this album that we can have fun and write a song that's totally different and fit it in there."
BraveWords: A source at the label (Nuclear Blast) mentioned that the band has its own studio now (Danger Johnny Studios), where you recorded the new album.
Alexi: "It's kinda like the COB headquarters where everything is. We have a rehearsal space, studio and warehouse where we can keep our backline, our cars, there's a lounge area, so it's pretty awesome. Everything for I Worship Chaos was recorded there including the drums. It's awesome because it beats having to book studio time and spend a ton of money on recordings. It's a different vibe compared to recording at home, and that's why I actually moved in there a couple of weeks before we started recording. We were missing two songs and I figured I'd get more done if I'm there all the time. I usually get so much done when I'm in there."
BraveWords: Any leftover tracks from the recording sessions that might surface later?
Alexi: "It's usually the case that if the riff doesn't make it to the album it's fucking garbage (laughs)."
BraveWords: I Worship Chaos is quite easy to get into provided you go in with an open mind rather than hoping and praying for another Follow The Reaper or Hatebreeder.
Janne: "Yeah, it's somehow easy to listen to the album. There's something straightforward and catchy in there, so it's easy on the ear. When you go through it, it doesn't feel as complex as some other things we've done."
Alexi: "'Morrigan' is catchier in many ways than a lot of stuff we've done, and song structure-wise it's more simple."
Janne: "I think it's great how we saved 'Widdershins' as the last song on the album because I really like that track. There's something catchy yet dark about it, so it's cool having a totally weird and fucked up song ('All For Nothing') as #9 and then having a killer track as #10."
BraveWords: A lot of people consider your previous album, Halo Of Blood, to be something of a return to your old sound after albums like Relentless Reckless Forever and Blooddrunk. Do you think the direction of Halo Of Blood rubbed off on how I Worship Chaos turned out?
Alexi: "I'm sure it did. As I said, I wasn't thinking too much about the direction of the music when I was writing - I went out of my way to not think about that - but yeah, I'm sure it did."
BraveWords: You're also 2 for 2 with regards to album cover artwork that doesn't suck.
Alexi: "(Laughs) We finally got the yellow cover, which so many people have joked about."
BraveWords: And once again, you guys are being confronted with the complaint that the keyboards - an integral part of Children Of Bodom's trademark sound - have been reduced quite a bit on I Worship Chaos compared to your earlier albums.
Janne: "It's odd because in some of the interviews I've done for this new album people have asked me 'Where are the keyboards?' What? (laughs). For me there's plenty of keyboards in there. Some of them are hidden, as we sometimes do, but if we were to take them out people would wonder what the fuck happened. They're hidden in a way that they contribute to the overall atmosphere of some of the songs."
Alexi: "The funny thing is that there's always been a shit ton of keyboards on all the albums. They're being used a little differently lately, some of them are hidden, but these people that whine 'There are no keyboards on the new album'... fuck you, dude (laughs). There's fucking non-stop keyboards on the new album."
BraveWords: It's a topic that been flogged to death since you started doing press for I Worship Chaos, but we'd be remiss if we didn't address the sad business of Children Of Bodom parting ways with Roope Latvala.
Alexi: "We don't really like to talk about the details because they don't matter. Basically, we'd just grown apart a lot as people and we had different levels of work ethics. It seemed like everybody in the band was really wanting to roll stronger and harder, to put more effort into everything COB-related, and Roope wasn't really out there with us on that level. It was just better for everybody to part ways."
"Roope was still there when we were putting the songs together. We decided to part ways three days before we hit the studio. It just meant I had to be on double duty but I didn't care as long as we got the shit done. And if anything I think we sound tighter now, so at least something positive did come out of a negative thing."
Janne: "Things started happening late into writing the music for this album so, fortunately, it didn't affect the writing process. Everything was written for two guitar players, but that wasn't a big deal. The bigger change for us has been the live situation, but my brother Antti (Warmen guitarist) filled in which was great because we didn't have to panic and go with somebody we don't really know. We were on such a tight schedule to finish the album, and I think it was one week after mastering that we were touring Russia. So, we had to find somebody to play live and be working in the studio at the same time. We needed somebody who could play the songs and who we could communicate with, so it was great when we realized my brother could help us out."
"Antti has been studying and working for the last three years or something, and he finally got his degree just as this was happening. He had time off, he quit his other job, so the timing was perfect. After all the discussions about finding someone to fill in for the summer, I figured Antti was the least stressful to get on board."
Alexi: "He made it super easy for me showing him the riffs and stuff because he's a great guitar player and a quick study, and I had to do that while we were in the studio."
BraveWords: Was there any consideration given to having Antti join Children Of Bodom as a permanent member?
Janne: "He's landed his dream job after studying for years to get it, and as his big brother I want him to continue with his career. It'll be a good thing for him. We've decided that he's going to be with us until the end of the year, and Children Of Bodom is currently looking for a full time member. So yeah, Antti is here until the end of the year and that's it."
BraveWords: With regards to touring, how much new material is going to make it into the set? This deep into your career it's boring for the fans and the band to always hear the same songs every time Children Of Bodom hit the road.
Janne: "We definitely want to put more new material in the set. We all agree this is a really strong album so I'm hoping we're going to play at least four new tracks. Unfortunately, we've released so many albums that we have to leave some stuff out, but this time we feel we have to play a lot of the new stuff live."
Alexi: "Choosing the setlist doesn't get any easier. Obviously we have to play some of the old shit because that's what people want to hear. I don't know how many times we've played 'Hate Me!' - a bazillion times at least (laughs) - and you would think we'd be sick to death of the song. I suppose we are. However, when we see the crowd go totally fucking nuts for the song, that's the payoff."
