my thoughts about COB (ramblings from some dude)

[NoLimit]

well, today was my birthday. I turned 35.

I'm a guitar player... since i was about 12. I picked up the guitar when I saw Slash on MTV and I loved(still do) GnR. I grew up in Southern California, and basically my musical projects were trendy from metal to punk, then to ska/reggae. Studied classical guitar at 18 and learned Bach, Weiss, etc.

I then came back to a metal/punk mix around 2003, and onto metalcore in 2005. Basically I just played what I thought was cool, because I had never had anybody tell me about 'true metal'. It was like I was blind to entire world of sounds.

I had a few bands, and the biggest show I ever played was to about 1000ppl.

Then in 2006, I heard Bodom, Kalmah, Amon Amarth, etc. from a message board. It was Hate Crew Deathroll that really caught my ear... specifically - Six Pounder... because I could comprehend it since it reminded me of Pantera a bit.

The production and overall sound of Bodom was so strange to me... it sounded so different than anything I had heard. I showed to my music friends and we were all sort of taken back... it was almost like computer music metal.. so much complexity, emotion and color... I had heard bands like dream theater before, and of course grew up on metallica/megadeth/slayer etc. But while my friends got over it or weren't that obsessed, something about this band really dug into my brain. It brought me back to that magic on 'rust in peace' when i was a kid... it feels like flying

Anywayz, its a trip. Bodom beach terror... it used to make me think of this idea.. that out in Northern Europe.. Finland.. had a culture unlike anything I had ever known. I had abstract visions of this far off land. I had no idea about Finnish people, and out came these new chord progressions, flawless guitar playing and beautiful melodies. Really, Bodom changed my entire view on music. And these new progressions are heard in other bands from Finland, like Sonata Arctica and Kalmah.. but the hate crew opened the door for me.

Like.. I thought I liked Yngwies neoclassical music before I was a Bodom fan, (yes sweden ok stfu) but now I listen to all of it. There are a lot similarities I think.. although obviously they are different. And Yngwie would probably never admit that Bodom is kickass... Stone is amazing too. Norther tho... lol. I'll admit they had a few parts, but how sickening to bite that hard!

I've got every record and a few shirts now. I've met the guys a few times here and there.. at NAMM and at signings. on all occasions they were polite and surprisingly humble. Its crazy too about their fans... seems like most of them don't really comprehend the musicality.

Bodom has marketed itself effectively to get big and headline world tours, which is all good. Alexi is smart and sells his image well... when I first saw his picture, I originally thought "man, this guy must love skid row"(i do too) But I don't think the kids at Hot Topic have any clue how groundbreaking the music is. I can't believe how lucky he was to have met Janne to. I am still curious about the first guitar player Alexander Kuoppala and the influence he had on the song writing.. if anybody cares to comment, that is what I'd like to know most about. How do you quit in the middle of a tour tho?!? shitty!

One thing I REALLY love about Bodom is that they always push harder to progress the art. I hear a lot of the fans saying that Bodom hit their peak with Hatebreeder or before Roope joined, but they probably can't understand what is going on musically. Its been a huge trip to listen to them progress.

And that is what inspired me to write all this... Hate Crew Death Roll came on today on my ipod shuffle.. on my birthday.. and I fell back in love with those days. Its a huge mindfuck comparing it to Halo of Blood. The chord progressions are so different..seems like things are much more chromatic on Halo of Blood...the vocals start to wear me down. and I personally liked RRF better. But man, every fucking record they make carries weight.
Not ONE SHITTY RECORD>>> Its crazy that they've been doing it so long and are still going strong. a gift to music! they deserve all good things for their hard work.

As a guy who is trying his best to write metal, Bodom is a shining light.


the end,

AR


PS: it will be the Moonsorrow lyrics that teach me some Finnish haha!

 

[(__Joonas__)]

Bodom is musically the most electrifying and climatic band in the existence, but unfortunately even most metal people don't agree, because their music sounds fast and computerized as you say, so in their melancholic mindset the "true-metallers" can't let these great musical ideas sink in as it sounds superficial. The reason ordinary people can't stand this music boils down to two things: the nature of these vocals, and the way people want melodies to be suitable for dancing. Alexi was beyond epic with his best vocals; contradictingly his worse vocals are not really listenable. The melodies in Bodom describe things like mystery, fate, destiny, sorrow, joy and heroism, (even some complex emotions, such as Blooddrunk: joy mixed with careless life habits) but just because they're not dance melodies, people can't enjoy them, despite Bodom having an incredible amount of stunning melodies. You do find dance melodies in folk metal, but most of the melodies in these styles are too fast for dancing to begin with. When there's metal vocals, heavy electric guitars, melodies with mysterious energy, so much speed and technicality, no ordinary person can listen to it. But you'll rather belong in an underground elite minority, than a public mainstream ant-colony that listens to Justin Bieber.

 

[Hatebreeder01]

What annoys me is peoples reaction when I say my favorite band is Children of Bodom, you get the ''pff, bodom...'' reaction. It's like they don't see it as metal or that they think they are too mainstream or whatever I don't know. Then you ask them the question what bands they are into and you more oftan than not hear they listen to bands that can't play even half the stuff CoB can because they are simply not as good musicians. I think it has something to do with the direction CoB took with the start of HCDR. Their first 3 albums is as metal as you can get imo. It's not the heaviest stuff but I don't want that either. I want my epic melodies, dark lyrics and the young vocals of Alexi that he sadly can't do anymore. That's the music that creates an atmosphere that no other band has made me feel as strong. And not only CoB. Listen to Alexi and Roopes guitarwork in Sinergy..! It's simply amazing!

Another thing is that people don't understand how talented Alexi (and the rest, especially Janne) is. He writes all the music and lyrics, he can shred and sing at the same time, he can play the guitar like few people can (yes there are better guitarists out there), he is just spitting out music like there is no tomorrow. Alexi is one of the hardest working musicians out there and I feel he isn't credited enough for it, especially not by the people with the ''pff, Alexi...'' attitude.

Now I feel I went all ''Joonas'' but I often share his opinion when it comes to Bodom!

 

[(__Joonas__)]

^Exactly. It's really fucking frustrating how people diss Bodom, and how they diss Alexi. They just don't know any better. It nearly makes me consider suicide when people think Bodom sucks, eating fresh fruits and vegetables sucks, thinking deep sucks... All the true diamonds and the important things get buried in mud as these swines pollute our planet. Media is the true weapon of nations, not the nuclear bombs... If only somebody actually presented in the mainstream media how great these melodies are and how talented such a musician is, people would directly change their minds without even thinking themselves. They hear one thing in the mainstream and that's what they take as fact, the media's power is that strong. Only thing you can do is set a silent example, without preaching, to the people near you, in whatever area you're more educated than average. Watch as this planet gets destroyed by the human virus, living your lonely life of true royalty. Nothing you can do about dumb people, so save your mental health.

I'm not really sure whether I would call Bodom "death metal" at its purest. Songs I would label true death metal from Bodom would include such as Hatebreeder, Black Widow, Everytime I Die (as DM ballad), Hellhounds on My Trail, Halo of Blood... the excess of melody and the point when the vocals become too clear, and when the riffing isn't exactly malevolent, is when it's not really death metal to me. Bodom label themselves as "metal". They're melodic metal with solos and screaming vocals.

I'm guessing in the distant future humanity will establish COB's melodies and composions as the foundation of all good music. In 2097 you'll have cool, futuristic remixes of Bodom's songs playing everywhere. That is, if things progress in that respect. What is required is basically COB's owners loosing all copyright to the music; for some techno artists to make instrumental remixes of their songs, then followed by female vocals or whatever... before mainstream will listen to it.