Relentless Reckless Forever (Out March 8th, 2011)

[srob7001]

Do you think they all even remember how to play half the old songs? I doubt it.

Most bands only remember how to play all the songs they are going to play on the live sets.

I just saw them on the Berzerkus tour and I don't think they played a single song from SW.

 

[EvilKatarn]

When they have the chance to play only like 8 fucking songs, then of course there'll be only the stuff that's more popular in america.

 

[Crzy_Aus]

Alexi says the album is better than AYDY and Blooddrunk.

He'd have to be stupid to say otherwise.

What I've seen is bands often start off being very original, partly because they're still inexperienced. Then they peak, making music that's nicely original and nicely experienced. Then they become more "mainstream". COB peaked around HCDR if you think it this way and I think majority would agree, that was the transition period for them.

It's a common progression, yes, but not one I approve of. There's nothing wrong with making music big, if the music's still good. Of course Alexi could say that he genuinely likes the mainstream pop-party-metal shit like what he was trying to sell on AYDY, but I could reply that I don't like his music

I just listened to a Something Wild track and after that the WIWI trailer. The way the stuff in WIWI sound million times easier to digest is staggering. The keyboard choir kind of is the high point about the whole thing to me. Sounds like a bunch of guys having fun playing music, but absolutely nothing to do with death metal. WIWI sounds ultra modern compared to the original sounding SW. Two different bands.

Easier to digest != better. Britney Spears is easier to digest than Beethoven.

I realize sometimes easily accessible (plain good sounding) music is confused as commercial which is not necessarily the right term always.

Because it is (commercial). Bands who record more mainstream stuff when they used to be more esoteric usually do it with express purpose of selling more CDs. Plain good-sounding music doesn't have to be overly simplistic, and bands don't have to resort to it to continue existence.

But then again, how often do CoB lyrics make sense or be "intelligent"?

True dat. I guess if they released more samples or an actual single already, we wouldn't be having this conversation

 

[srob7001]

When they have the chance to play only like 8 fucking songs, then of course there'll be only the stuff that's more popular in america.

So you think they base the set list by where they are going to be playing? I doubt that. If that were the case they would never play anything from AYDY or BD in Europe, as most of you guys from there seem to hate both of those albums...at least more than we do in the states.

They did play some stuff off FTR and over half the crowd was standing there like they've never even heard it before. The songs from HCDR and AYDY got the biggest responses in whole from the crowd. But I am proud to say that there were not too many teens there. Mostly an older crowd (21-40)

 

[Necroraven]

If that were the case they would never play anything from AYDY or BD in Europe, as most of you guys from there seem to hate both of those albums...at least more than we do in the states.

Mostly older fans "hate" those albums, but 90% of the crowd in CoB shows are 14-16-year old kids who haven't probably even listened to the first albums, or they just automatically love everyhing because it's omgomgcob.

They did play some stuff off FTR and over half the crowd was standing there like they've never even heard it before. The songs from HCDR and AYDY got the biggest responses in whole from the crowd.

This is just the reality. Even though there are people who love the older songs and dislike the new ones, most of the audience loves the new songs. If 90% of the crowd wants to hear the new stuff and 10% wants to hear the old stuff, it's quite obvious that the band isn't going to play the old songs, aside from taking maybe one or two not-so-often-played older songs (like Bed of razors for example) to the set occasionally.

 

[EvilKatarn]

So you think they base the set list by where they are going to be playing? I doubt that.

Well it was all one tour for the USA, so yeah, location might've had a lot to do with it.

 

[kilon]

It's more like they play the songs that are a guaranteed good response: Silent Night, Hate Me, Downfall, HCDR, IYF and Angels.
Added with 1 or 2 songs from the latest album. And that are 8 songs.

 

[Delanoir]

Alexi: "We have nothing against selling albums."
Some people will translate that as YES, we sold out purposefully...

Alexi says you're stupid if you think "making metal music 'bigger'" is wrong. I will say no comment at this point.

While I know that this isn't what you're saying here, I think it's ridiculous to have anything against a band selling albums, or having a problem with them not being against it. If you're in a band and want it to be your job, why would you?

Besides, not having a problem against selling albums doesn't mean you're necessarily "selling out". And Alexi did explicitly say that they wrote the album not caring about what other people thought, and just did what was natural and they thought was good. Which is the exact opposite of the aforementioned "selling out".

As for making metal music bigger, why is that a bad thing either? Do you think that if more people get into metal, the music will therein be any less good or that being a fan of it will make you (or the music) less special?

For anyone thinking those things, you're listening to music for the wrong reasons.

If you like it, you like it. Who cares how many other people do too, or don't? If it's music which is really powerful to you and has deep meaning, or just makes you feel like having a great time, or whatever, then that's all that really matters. Not what everyone else thinks, how popular it is, or if you think other people don't understand it the way you do.

 

[Crzy_Aus]

^ The problem raised, however, is that a band whose music used to be what you like changes its style to include a broader audience that doesn't include you, the old fan. That's just disappointing. There's nothing wrong with making music to make money. There's something wrong with making music only to make money. I'm not saying that's what CoB is doing now, but they've been treading dangerously close to the line b/w music as art and music as commerce ever since AYDY.

 

[children of COB]

This is what I think

SW - 0
HB - 2
FTR - 1
HCDR - 3
AYDY - 1 or 2
BD - 3
RRF - 4

No, the setlist will be more like Joonas said. Remember about the last European tour.

SW - 1
HB - 3
FTR - 4
HCDR - 4
AYDY - 2
BD - 4

I'd say play more old stuff and play minimal tracks from HCDR, AYDY & BD, then play several tracks from the new album.

Excuse me? Are you not going to play Needled, ADK, Sixpounder or HCD? Not to mention that it'd be really cool if the brought Chokehold back.

 

[ChockeHoldTerror]

Well guys don't judge so fast, im 15 and i know and love all cob songs , but i do agree there's a lot of "omgomgcob" fans .

 

[reignofterror]

So you think they base the set list by where they are going to be playing? I doubt that.

I think they do somewhat, but that has more to do with the amount of time they're allocated for a set and whether it's a festival or they're headlining etc. They tend to do more headlining tours in Europe, and obviously festival dates.

 

[Wolf-Marionette]

My two favourite albums are Follow the Reaper and Are You Dead Yet? - so you can sort of see that I have sort of an almost "centered" taste in their sound, not really siding with old or new.
I have to agree that their new stuff is easier to take, like most songs on Are You Dead Yet?, except for some of the tracks on Blooddrunk. Songs like "Done With Everything", "Roadkill Morning", and "LoBodomy" (though one of my absolute favourites) would be easier to pull a melody out of, than, say, "Towards Dead End" or "Downfall", for example - though I guess it's all in one's own ears.
Anyways, I can say that I actually love all of COB's albums to an extent, so for me it doesn't really matter what they play live, or what they prefer. I think what's important, and what makes COB's music so personal to me is that I can feel the heart and emotion that is put into it - even the songs that aren't my particular favourites.

From an artist's perspective, music or painting or any kind of art has to be something you want to put your heart into. Art should come naturally and an artist should love what they are doing, not trying to be something they're not - otherwise they lose themselves. It's the same as if you are trying really hard to dress or act a way which you think you should or everyone will like - it doesn't feel right, and you begin to question yourself or hate what you are doing.
If a band is content and enjoying the music that they are playing, and continually inspired, then that to me is a good thing and they should keep doing what they are doing - even if their music begins going in a different direction, or gets more popular or whatever else of these "bad" things.
A good example that I know of is AFI. I was really into their early stuff - which was raw, hard-core punk. When they released Decemberunderground, I was kind of like, "Well, this is okay, but not really my thing." Then they released Crash Love this year, and it really showed me that, well, they've grown into a different band than I grew up with. But that's okay - it's nothing to be pretentious about, they're just different now.

Any good artist will grow, and will change - and Alexi, as both a songwriter and a person, definitely has. He says now, that he would rather forget most of the first album and also maintains that he thought Blooddrunk was a very good album. That's his taste, and maybe it wasn't ten years ago, or maybe it's not so much yours or mine today - but, again, he's still a person. Maybe he's made some mistakes, maybe he's written some weak songs, maybe he's grown up a little bit from his days of dog collars and teenage mind. Whatever has happened, I think it's good as long as he's happy with himself, his life. And same thing to everyone in the band; Henkka, Roope, Jaska, Janne.
I think I would stop listening to COB, or any band, if they intentionally changed their sound to match mainstream, or intentionally "went back" to their earlier sound. Either direction is, to me, giving up one's self up as an artist. I just want some soul in my music! Hahah.

((This post is not really directed at anyone in particular, it's just my take on the whole thing.))


...Now, as for OMGOMGCOB fans, as well as OMGOMGALEXI fans - well, I can say to them, "Fuck you!"

 

[eveningninja]

My two favourite albums are Follow the Reaper and Are You Dead Yet? - so you can sort of see that I have sort of an almost "centered" taste in their sound, not really siding with old or new.
I have to agree that their new stuff is easier to take, like most songs on Are You Dead Yet?, except for some of the tracks on Blooddrunk. Songs like "Done With Everything", "Roadkill Morning", and "LoBodomy" (though one of my absolute favourites) would be easier to pull a melody out of, than, say, "Towards Dead End" or "Downfall", for example - though I guess it's all in one's own ears.
Anyways, I can say that I actually love all of COB's albums to an extent, so for me it doesn't really matter what they play live, or what they prefer. I think what's important, and what makes COB's music so personal to me is that I can feel the heart and emotion that is put into it - even the songs that aren't my particular favourites.

From an artist's perspective, music or painting or any kind of art has to be something you want to put your heart into. Art should come naturally and an artist should love what they are doing, not trying to be something they're not - otherwise they lose themselves. It's the same as if you are trying really hard to dress or act a way which you think you should or everyone will like - it doesn't feel right, and you begin to question yourself or hate what you are doing.
If a band is content and enjoying the music that they are playing, and continually inspired, then that to me is a good thing and they should keep doing what they are doing - even if their music begins going in a different direction, or gets more popular or whatever else of these "bad" things.
A good example that I know of is AFI. I was really into their early stuff - which was raw, hard-core punk. When they released Decemberunderground, I was kind of like, "Well, this is okay, but not really my thing." Then they released Crash Love this year, and it really showed me that, well, they've grown into a different band than I grew up with. But that's okay - it's nothing to be pretentious about, they're just different now.

Any good artist will grow, and will change - and Alexi, as both a songwriter and a person, definitely has. He says now, that he would rather forget most of the first album and also maintains that he thought Blooddrunk was a very good album. That's his taste, and maybe it wasn't ten years ago, or maybe it's not so much yours or mine today - but, again, he's still a person. Maybe he's made some mistakes, maybe he's written some weak songs, maybe he's grown up a little bit from his days of dog collars and teenage mind. Whatever has happened, I think it's good as long as he's happy with himself, his life. And same thing to everyone in the band; Henkka, Roope, Jaska, Janne.
I think I would stop listening to COB, or any band, if they intentionally changed their sound to match mainstream, or intentionally "went back" to their earlier sound. Either direction is, to me, giving up one's self up as an artist. I just want some soul in my music! Hahah.

((This post is not really directed at anyone in particular, it's just my take on the whole thing.))


...Now, as for OMGOMGCOB fans, as well as OMGOMGALEXI fans - well, I can say to them, "Fuck you!"

Here is my take on "the whole thing": it's as simple as: I like these songs, I don't like those songs. I really don't give a fuck what's going on in Alexi's or his pet dog's life (I used to when I was obsessed) that is affecting his music, whether he is homosexual or heterosexual, whether he is zomggrowing as an artist or staying stagnant, whether he is happy or not, or whether he intentionally wrote something different from what he truly is or whatever the fuck. As long as the music offers me something of value, I'll give it a chance. If it is shit, then it's shit. It's ridiculous how many threads are filled with detailed essays and reports of people trying to label each other as this and that, people claiming others are fags for liking AYDY/BD, others calling each other elitist pricks, bandwagoning, anti-bandwagoning, anti-anti-bandwagoning...

Why does everything have to be so deep?

 

[Conti]

tldr

 

[Wolf-Marionette]

Here is my take on "the whole thing": it's as simple as: I like these songs, I don't like those songs. I really don't give a fuck what's going on in Alexi's or his pet dog's life (I used to when I was obsessed) that is affecting his music, or whether he is homosexual or heterosexual, or whether he is zomggrowing as an artist or staying stagnant.

Why does everything have to be so deep?

Hey man, Joonas can write a novel, but I can't?
I read long books, listen to fifteen-minute-long songs, and therefore write really long posts that are sometimes so fucking deep your ass explodes!
YOU ARE KILLING MY STYLE ON THIS SERIOUS INTERWEBS.

...Nah, whatever. I kind of expected haters to hate.
Your version is better - but not entirely true. I really do care and need to know what Alexi's dog takes a piss on every morning!

 

[Wolf-Marionette]

tldr

You are forgiven - because you like Amon Amarth.

 

[Crzy_Aus]

Why does everything have to be so deep?

Cause it's no fun otherwise.

 

[predator2353]

^ The problem raised, however, is that a band whose music used to be what you like changes its style to include a broader audience that doesn't include you, the old fan. That's just disappointing. There's nothing wrong with making music to make money. There's something wrong with making music only to make money. I'm not saying that's what CoB is doing now, but they've been treading dangerously close to the line b/w music as art and music as commerce ever since AYDY.

I can't agree more. There is difference between making music for money and taking your time, probably take advice or two from your old fans and then do something about it. I can honestly say that from all 9 tracks on blooddrunk, I like at about 3 or 4, and that's just like. I really can't compare em to the old stuff. We all know that they will not go back to what they used to be, it's going to the point where it's like "yeah let's make another commercial metal album and it will sell off cause the lil kids are stupid and they are gonna buy anything that says COB on it". That's how I honestly feel about it right now. Omgomgcob

 

[Crzy_Aus]

^ The CoB image is certainly going that way. We'll have to see whether the music is once we hear the album though, which would either confirm or disprove "commercial metal" as the new CoB direction. Hard to say from a 30-second sample. I remain skeptical, though.