Review of the House Of Blues, Los Angeles show
http://metalassault.com/gig_reviews...yr-rock-sold-out-house-of-blues-sunset-strip/
And lastly at 10 PM, all was in readiness for Children Of Bodom to stamp their authority on this stage. One of the challenges faced by bands touring North America regularly is the set list selection, which requires to be kept fresh and different for the sake of fans that see the band every time they come to town. Its great to see that Children Of Bodom have successfully managed to achieve that on this tour by bringing forth an excellently compiled set of songs that encapsulates the bands two-decade long career and ensures fans enjoyment from start to finish.
Quite a few of the overplayed staples were dropped from the set, and there was a touch of freshness in the ordering of songs as well, with the anthemic Hate Crew Deathroll coming in surprisingly early as the sixth song of the set. Children Of Bodom delved deep into their catalog to dust off tunes like Lake Bodom, Kissing The Shadows and Towards Dead End which were gleefully welcomed by this packed crowd with raised horns and banging heads. Critics often cite Children Of Bodom as a band thats on-and-off with the quality of their live shows, but on this occasion they were very much on top of their game, nailing just about every single note they played and doing great justice in particular to the rarities in the set. Frontman Alexi Laiho playing the ESP flying-V positioned on his left knee with his head tilted towards the instrument has become somewhat of an iconic sight in modern metal, and Laiho put on a delightfully good performance last night, specially on the guitar. His flawless rendition of the scorching riffs and solos on songs like Lake Bodom was in itself sufficient to send chills down the spines of the fans present at this show. Vocally he largely kept up with the demands of each song, and even though he was clearly intoxicated, he was very much coherent in his musicianship.
Laihos four band mates also fulfilled their duties excellently, with keyboardist Janne Wirman at his brilliant best in his duels and harmonies with Laiho, and also injecting some subtle visual humor with the shirt he was wearing, displaying the word Taco in the AC/DC style font. Besides the older material which the fans loved every minute of, Children Of Bodom also threw some light on their latest album Halo Of Blood which showcased a darker, more mature and wintery vibe in comparison to the thrashier, more angsty tunes of the early years. Dead Mans Hand On You from this new album was by far the slowest song of the set and brought forth a different facet of Bodoms musicianship. Then of course some of the typical Bodom classics were also played, as they ended the night with Hate Me!, Downfall and an encore performance of In Your Face.
Overall, this was arguably the best Children Of Bodom show Los Angeles has seen, at least in recent times, and even for people who might feel jaded towards Bodom simply because of the number of times theyve seen them, this tour is worth attending because Bodom have chosen a brilliant set list, and more importantly, are doing a great job executing it on stage. For new fans and people whove never seen the band, this is an ideal first experience, and for longtime fans its a reaffirmation of faith in every sense.
Set List:
01. Sixpounder
02. Living Dead Beat
03. Bodom Beach Terror
04. Halo Of Blood
05. Scream For Silence
06. Hate Crew Deathroll
07. Lake Bodom
08. Kissing The Shadows
09. Dead Mans Hand on You
10. Are You Dead Yet?
11. Blooddrunk
12. Every Time I Die
13. Towards Dead End
14. Hate Me!
15. Downfall
Encore:
16. In Your Face
