With HCDR they still had that "youth energy" going on in the music even tho they'd gone down the thrash path. Obviously for me atmosphere in music is very important and that's quite abscent in HCDR when you compare it to some other albums. It definitely ranks among the "new COB." They just didn't do the drop-tuning riffing much yet but it was very strongly in the air in HCDR and they started capitalizing on it with the EP and ever since...
With the new albums it often feels like the vocals/lyrics have too important role, and the music less so and it's frustrating especially when bearing in mind the music during vocal parts is less attractive now than in the past, plus the new vocals/lyrics are mostly just random venting, so it's not a very good deal... this is not how it is with every song, but a generalization. I think they should just do slower and more black'ish vocals like the Hatebreeder album and Everytime I Die, or just stop doing the shitty vocals like Not My Funeral and Cry of the Nihilist for example.
I would like them to concentrate more on making interesting, atmospheric melody ideas and beats and forget about the thrash elements. I'd be disappointed if the next album was just another thrashy Bodom album. But I'm not going to hold my breath for that one like I did for the last two.
I just counted at least 10 COB tracks where I'd have a special idea how to make it sound better... one of them is Roundtrip to Hell and Back, the chorus and pre-chorus should've had some kind of moody riff with some ahh choirs they did for the NMF and WIWI intros. With just a touch of creativity this could've been done and it would be so much better. It was good they managed to do one bull's eye for the new album that had a clean, determined world-conquer feel from start to finish. I think either SKO or Roundtrip should've been the single, but it doesn't really matter these days.
There's little things in certain songs that could be different imo...
Towards Dead End - the vocal sections ruin a potentially diamond track.
Black Widow - the 1:16 - 1:23 idea should've been used more often during the song (just leave the very last notes away)... how you synchronize that with the weird chorus I dunno...
Kissing the Shadows - the chorus, if that was changed this would be one of the greatest songs...
Chokehold - chorus keyboards are inaudible, why, they're great live.
Lil' Bloodred Ridin' Hood - should've been the single for HCDR, with more emphasiz, more serious feel, touch more mood and heaviness. (Or make Needled the single and LBRD the opening track for the album.)
Living Dead Beat - verse and chorus keyboards are genious, why are they inaudible on the record?
Are You Dead Yet? - chorus melody is barely audible.
Punch Me I Bleed - one of their most moody and atmospheric songs, it just wasn't perfectly captured in studio, the live version is pure magic. Again little things that create big difference at the end. Maybe the entirity just works better live, which is why I think they should play it live.