NEW ALBUM Q42 017/Q1 2018

" There are lots of songs on this album that will be remembered a classics in the years to come. "
I don't think so. There are lots of good songs on this album, but not classics. ( I think (!) and sadly. )
 
Now that you mention it, no, none of these songs will be classics. Now that the initial hype has worn off I really don't know how to rank this album against the modern COB albums. Hexed will not have any classics but they're all so damn solid. I'd rather listen to Hexed all the way through but if I had to pick one or two songs to listen to they wouldn't be from Hexed. I think by the time the next album rolls around none of Hexed will be played live anymore.

The heavier and thicker Alexi's sound gets the less lead guitar he writes. I think he should write the next album with the classic Jackson/Lee-Jackson premap setup. When you have a guitar tone that's fat and heavy, you cannot resist doing chugga chugga heavy stuff on it. On the other hand, when you have a smooth and creamy tone you cannot resist playing leads.
 
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They should play Knuckleduster and Hecate's Nightmare live, and keep switching third one between Glass Houses and other songs.
 
So I finally listened to this new record. I had it for a while but wanted to really concentrate and cherish it. Because I love this band. A LOT.

At first I was unsure what to expect. Hearing 'Under Grass and Clover' as a promo, I was a bit put off at that moment. My impression is that they were just doing more Andrew W.K. stuff, and that i hoped the record wasn't watered down simplicity.

I should have know better. They would never write a dull record. The band is just far too good at what they do - being superb musicians.

-I started on my normal table top stereo. I use this as a reference setup. 'The Road' hits and i'm immediately aware of the fact that these guys have yet again raised the bar on production, writing, counterpoint, mixing, rhythm breaks, and tones. I had to listen to the rest on my HS5's. The sound was so inspiring, i lifted them off the desk to get the best possible impression.

The vocal phrasing, which Alexi has been doing forever, as been rhythmically improving as he ages. A lot of people wouldn't understand this, but his actual rhythm on the vocal phrasing is like an instrument of its own. His gutteral style is of course legacy.

Anywayz, this record is amazing. I hear some stone influence in there. I think Daniel really kicked the band up in writing.... the stereo guitars are awesome sounding. I had to push the bass up - which is a good thing because too many stereos and headphones are bass biased now and its fucking lame. (beats, bose, etc) Janne slayed on this record even more than before. The patches he used were fucking DIALED. The solos were very well placed.. there is nothing forced about the arrangement or actual solos. Henkka of course holds the foundation, his tones varied with some roaring cut through and other parts with the mids and highs rolled back. And Jasaka... fuck. What a blessing to have such a consistently reliable drummer. The upbeat switches are placed well... also the accents, fills. Fuck. What a band.

And here I am, falling back in love with my favorite metal band. I just was curious to see when they come around and BOOM they will be here next Friday. I gotta get permission from my slavemaster boss to go, but i'm not taking no for an answer.

In regards to the subject of Alexi's appearance... I think Finns don't talk openly about things quite enough. Look at their tour schedule. Look at the drive time. Holy shit, to be playing this music at his age is like being an athlete. What happens when 1... just 1 person gets sick in their crew? They all have to play sick until they get better. That is so gnarly. Alexi is tough as nails. I've met him... i've look into his eyes and shook his hand. He's very cognizant of life and what' s going on around him. I just really hope that they have a great tour, have fun and make lots of money. I didn't realize they would be crushing it in Russia so long. I bet the Russians fucking love them. We all love them! The Asian dates must be in 2020?

COBHC

oh. and the freakin Artwork too? So sick. I can't wait to get a shirt

Great post. I wasn't going to listen to this album anymore, see my previous post for info.
Reading this though I'll give it another shot.
 
Atm I like Glass Houses most out of the new songs, cos that harmony is like the best stuff they used to do, too bad it's so short. The song has some ingredients to be epic, but it turns into unnecessary riffing and growling.
 
After all the euphory is gone, here's my new voting for the songs.

01. This Road 6/10
02. UGAC 2/10
03. Glass 6/10
04. Hecates 4/10
05. Kick in 5/10
06. PABW 7/10
07. Hexed 7/10
08. Relapse 7/10
09. Say Never 7/10
10. Soon Departed 8/10
11. Knuckleduster 6/10

My main problem with this album is, that it gets boring really fast and that there is nothing memorable except the outro of Hexed, the bridge of Say Never Look Back and the chorus of Soon Departed.
At first I thought it is a solid album but now I skip more than half of the songs.

If only I would go after my votes, it would be a solid 6 of 10 album. But it's also the most repetitive album with propably the most boring and recycled solos and I expected something more after they get Daniel in the boat. So it's only a 4,5/10.
 
Felling the same. I go for a walk, put on the album, it's mildly decent and I just find myself switching to something else cause I want something more interesting and fresh.
 
" I got Aaron back in the crypt! This time we get his take on Lords of Chaos, we talk about the epic Bodom show we saw in Detroit on Monday. We also discuss some recent studies that have been done on the effects of Death Metal. Horns Up! "
 
Well Hexed isn't dead to me, to still listen to this album every day mostly more than once... I absolutely love it :)

In the meanwhile I'm waiting for them to announce the European Tour dates. Hope they decide to put more songs from Hexed on the setlist then and I need Alexi to eat some more over the next months :yow:
 
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Well Hexed isn't dead to me, to still listen to this album every day mostly more than once... I absolutely love it :)

In the meanwhile I'm waiting for them to announce the European Tour dates. Hope they decide to put more songs from Hexed on the setlist then and I need Alexi to eat some more over the next months :yow:

Same!
 
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I've been loving the album. As a whole it is very good. However it seems to be missing a standout track. IWC had songs like Suicide Bomber and Widdershins (the latter being one of their best songs ever imo) and Halo had the title track, All Twisted, Scream for Silence...... Hexed is a very consistent album, I just wish it had at least one exceptional song to grab me.
 
Seems like a good day to give it a try and write my thoughts on Hexed, now that a few people are talking about it.

Well, first of all I gotta say that Hexed did not accomplished my expectations the very first day it leaked, but I admit it's almost my fault cause I did build up some expectations after the track-by track videos.

Only Glass Houses, the ending of Hexed, Kick and Look Back were the real highlights.

But then, the more I listened to the album the more I started to dig it, and began to understand it's rythms and melodies (cause I always struggle the first days of a new album on memorize it's songs) and compare to the rest of the albums.

I spent the last three weeks listening to Hatebreeder, Follow, HCDR, Blooddrunk and Hexed almost every day and I gotta say now that I just fucking love it and there are some songs that mean a lot to me.

That being said, I'm with you on there's no REAL HIGHTLIGHT SONG but I don't really see as bad thing cause I find the album very consistent. I pretty much like every song.

---
Thoughts on each song:
- The Road: I think it's the weakest song on the album and a shame being the opener but anyway it's last minute is gold. Pure gold.
- Under Grass: The chorus is really uplifting and works pretty well while I'm at the gym.
- Glass Houses: The main melody on the keys, it just gets me hard. Also the lyrics are quite funny.
- Hecate's: Best intro in ages. Btw I hate that cringey lyric-video.
- Kick in the Spleen: 10/10 It just kick ass. 1:50 onwards is subleme.
- Hexed: I know it has a weird outro but it's just beautiful and hypnotic. Never heard keys and bass all alone in COB.
- Relapse: It's chorus stucked in my head and I just love this little Bloodrunkish song.
- Say Never Look Back: Man, this is serious shit. Not even a bland second on it. Jaska and Janne just kill'd it.
- Soon Departed: The lyrics really hitted me but I would prefered a more explosive ending. Anyway I needed a sad song.
- Knuckleduster: 100000/10 we all know it.

We all can agree that it's not the best cause it lacks some memorable melodies and stuff BUT I really think that COB is ending this decade with a pretty solid purple atmosphered album and I'm really glad about it.

Don't really know what can we expect next from them, maybe more melodies and guitar licks?
 
I definitely still listen. Even though the hype has worn off, it’s a good album. It’s just a solid album and seemingly has something for everyone.

Like, Glass Houses, Kick in a Spleen, and Hexed are by far my favorite, but not everyone likes them. I don’t like Hecate’s Nightmare, Say Never Look Back, or Soon Departed much, but other people really do. It’d be hard for anyone to make the argument that it’s a “bad” album when each song is seemingly popular with at least somebody.
 
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Seems like a good day to give it a try and write my thoughts on Hexed, now that a few people are talking about it.

Well, first of all I gotta say that Hexed did not accomplished my expectations the very first day it leaked, but I admit it's almost my fault cause I did build up some expectations after the track-by track videos.

Only Glass Houses, the ending of Hexed, Kick and Look Back were the real highlights.

But then, the more I listened to the album the more I started to dig it, and began to understand it's rythms and melodies (cause I always struggle the first days of a new album on memorize it's songs) and compare to the rest of the albums.

I spent the last three weeks listening to Hatebreeder, Follow, HCDR, Blooddrunk and Hexed almost every day and I gotta say now that I just fucking love it and there are some songs that mean a lot to me.

That being said, I'm with you on there's no REAL HIGHTLIGHT SONG but I don't really see as bad thing cause I find the album very consistent. I pretty much like every song.

---
Thoughts on each song:
- The Road: I think it's the weakest song on the album and a shame being the opener but anyway it's last minute is gold. Pure gold.
- Under Grass: The chorus is really uplifting and works pretty well while I'm at the gym.
- Glass Houses: The main melody on the keys, it just gets me hard. Also the lyrics are quite funny.
- Hecate's: Best intro in ages. Btw I hate that cringey lyric-video.
- Kick in the Spleen: 10/10 It just kick ass. 1:50 onwards is subleme.
- Hexed: I know it has a weird outro but it's just beautiful and hypnotic. Never heard keys and bass all alone in COB.
- Relapse: It's chorus stucked in my head and I just love this little Bloodrunkish song.
- Say Never Look Back: Man, this is serious shit. Not even a bland second on it. Jaska and Janne just kill'd it.
- Soon Departed: The lyrics really hitted me but I would prefered a more explosive ending. Anyway I needed a sad song.
- Knuckleduster: 100000/10 we all know it.

We all can agree that it's not the best cause it lacks some memorable melodies and stuff BUT I really think that COB is ending this decade with a pretty solid purple atmosphered album and I'm really glad about it.

Don't really know what can we expect next from them, maybe more melodies and guitar licks?

I completely agree with your thoughts on each song! But you missed Platitudes :D

Platitudes - Catchy melody, love that song but I miss a sick guitar solo here.

I think every song something which makes it special on it's own way, even This Road which to me is also the weakest on the album. I actually enjoy the intro and verse of that song, but that's about it ^^
 
Im still listening to the album on a daily basis, often multiple times per day.

If I had to rank the albums at this point, it would probably look like this:

10/10 HCD and Hexed
9/10 FTR and BD
8/10 HB, AYDY, IWC, RRF
7/10 SW
5/10 HoB (The Sound on this one just ruins it)
 
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Im still listening to the album on a daily basis, often multiple times per day.

If I had to rank the albums at this point, it would probably look like this:

10/10 HCD and Hexed
9/10 FTR and BD
8/10 HB, AYDY, IWC, RRF
7/10 SW
5/10 HoB (The Sound on this one just ruins it)

I can completely relate to that post =) Still listening to it daily, and loving it as much as the second time (first listening is a discovery). Though I would swap BD and SW, and would give HoB a 7/10. But otherwise we have a pretty similar ranking.
 
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I haven't listened to it since the second day after release. There are some good songs but they just don't interest me enough to waste time on when there is so much other good stuff to listen to, including evete Bodom album up to Hexed.

I guess this will be one of those albums where you rediscover it every so many months, enjoy it and then forget about it again for half a year.
And maybe some songs still end up on a playlist.
 
Metal-archives review:

Bodom's Most Melodic Album - 85%
Dragonchaser, March 27th, 2019

Children Of Bodom have fallen a long way since their glory days, producing uneven albums that, while always enjoyable, are more frustrating than anything else. I’ve been a die hard Bodom fan since my teen years, and it was great to see them get so much recognition when ‘Hate Crew Deathroll’ dropped in 2003, but like many bands I treasured (Nightwish, Sonata Arctica, Edguy), the new millennium and its pressure to be heavy enough to appeal to the youth of the day turned this band into something I didn’t like. True, I’ve enjoyed everything they’ve put out to a certain degree, but I’ve yearned for them to return to the ‘Follow The Reaper’ sound, and I thought we were almost there with 2013’s killer comeback ‘Halo Of Blood’. Then they put out just another muddy Bodom album with ‘I Worship Chaos’, still hitting that ‘Blooddrunk’ vein with no fucks given. So I approached this one with trepidation. Thankfully, I was rewarded in spades, as this is the best album this band have recorded since 2003.

I think this record could be taken in one of two ways. Either people will think it insipid and lazy, or they’ll appreciate its considerate melodic direction. I hope it’s the latter for most people, because this is a pretty remarkable album. With a crystal clear production job, ‘Hexed’ is a smooth, crystalline attempt to recapture this band’s more intricate, melodic side that was present on ‘Hatebreeder’ and ‘Follow The Reaper’, only it’s played with the conviction and anger of ‘Hate Crew Deathroll’. While it certainly feels like their old stuff, this is still very much a modern Bodom album, only they’ve ditched the dirty, abrasive groove riffing and replaced it with catchy melodies, subtle arrangements, and a touch of their old neo-classical flair. The album opens with ‘This Road’, a pretty typical modern Bodom tune that isn’t particularly noteworthy; it’s a cool song, but not representative of the album as a whole. Things pick up with my favourite cut on the album, the melodic, hair-raising ‘Platitudes And Barren Words’, and it never lets up from there. This run from ‘Platitudes’ to ‘Knuckleduster’ is crazy good. The title track is an epic monolith that references all of Bodom’s past, from its tinkling harpsichord refrain to its jagged power metal riffing, this is a classic in the making. The backing vocals are so infectious, you’re forced to join in. It’s not optional. Then the zesty riff of ‘Relapse (The Nature Of My Crime)’ kicks in and you’re fucking owned by a spicy banger that could’ve easily been on ‘Follow The Reaper’. ‘Say Never Look Back’ is a somber melodic piece, and we end with the sucker punch that is their reimagining of former b-side ‘Knuckleduster’, which finishes the album off in style. That main riff is a bone breaker.

I understand your skepticism regarding Bodom’s return to form, because this isn’t a straight up tribute to the past. It’s a new age Bodom album, much more considered in terms of melodic composition, with well structured songs full of atonal key changes, sweeping displays of guitar/keyboard interplay, and of course, Alexi’s hostile bark, which is as innocuous as ever. It’s not as in your face as many of their past efforts. I’d go as far to say this is actually Bodom’s most melodic album to date. It has low points; ‘Hecate’s Nightmare’ is a drag, and the first half of the record is not as inventive as the second, but that run mid-album is just heavenly, and such a shot in the arm for a band like Children Of Bodom, who prove with ‘Hexed’ that they are still a vital band.

https://www.metal-archives.com/reviews/Children_of_Bodom/Hexed/747990/Dragonchaser/117580
 
I can completely relate to that post =) Still listening to it daily, and loving it as much as the second time (first listening is a discovery). Though I would swap BD and SW, and would give HoB a 7/10. But otherwise we have a pretty similar ranking.

Blooddrunk is an album that really grew on me over the years. I initially didnt really like it, but it became one of my most listened CoB albums and I rank it in the same category as FTR because I feel like these two albums are very similar in their soundworld.
The reason why I rank SW that low is pretty much the same that Alexi mentioned in his ranking of their albums: SW has many amazing parts in its songs, but those parts feel like theve been thrown together absolutely random. Most of the SW tracks simply arent good songs. I still listen to it once in a while because of all these great parts in each song and its definitly an interesting document of bandhistory. But I would never recommand SW to anyone, who wants to start discovering Bodom.

but I’ve yearned for them to return to the ‘Follow The Reaper’ sound, and I thought we were almost there with 2013’s killer comeback ‘Halo Of Blood’. Then they put out just another muddy Bodom album with ‘I Worship Chaos’, still hitting that ‘Blooddrunk’ vein with no fucks given.

I honestly cant understand this attitude of the old school fans. They always ask for FTR Part 2 and at the same time most of them call Blooddrunk the worst album. Bloddrunk IS FTR Part 2, they are just too blind to see it for some reason. The sound of these two albums is cold and harsh, the keyboards sound quite similar and are extremely dominant in every song of these two albums and they all have crazy long as fuck solos/instrumental parts.

Then he calls IWC an album similar to Blooddrunk, when IWC is more like AYDY Part 2 instead of Blooddrunk Part 2, and HoB an Comeback in FTR style, when HoB is the worst album they ever made (speaking of the sound).

Except for the fact the he likes Hexed, I completely disagree with this review.