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Band Name: Children Of Bodom
Album Name: Are You Dead Yet?
Rating: 4.5 / 5 User Rating: 4.4 / 5
Label: Spinefarm Records
Buy Album: Amazon.com
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Tracklist
1. Living Dead Beat
2. Are You Dead Yet?
3. If You Want Peace... Prepare For War
4. Punch Me I Bleed
5. In Your Face
6. Next In Line
7. Bastards Of Bodom
8. Trashed, Lost And Strungout
9. We're Not Gonna Fall
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The Hate Crew is back and more focused than ever on 'Are You Dead Yet', as Espoo, Finland's Children Of Bodom turn up with a career-defining album of deafening roars and slicing, razor-sharp guitar acrobatics. Led by the 'Wildchild' Alexi Laiho, Children of Bodom tear through passages of visceral thrash metal with the vengeance of that dealer of death which graces each of their album covers. Laiho has matured, both as a vocalist and a songwriter, to the extent that places the band within the elite of heavy metal artists. Deadly precision ensures the band's wicked attack comes across as profoundly annihilating at all times, especially on the anthemic title cut 'Are you Dead Yet?', as well as in the modern thrash styling of 'Living Dead Beat.' Laiho is not afraid to come forth with memorable choruses and his rough, sneering vocals have been perfected on this record as the singer emits the perfect balance of aggressiveness and melody to match the sharpened tone of the group's music. He also seems more comfortable than ever as a guitarist, taking care to not overwhelm or overplay, simply to deliver the most powerful wall-of-sound riffs and shredding licks that fans could expect. Stellar production quality enhances the band's overall sound, with tracks like 'Punch Me I Bleed' thundering as mightily as Metallica, vaguely hinting at the band's darker beginnings, all the while relying on Laiho's abrasive vocalizations to keep the song rooted in typical Bodom-style, gruff extremity.
Having done much to develop their own particular, signature sound, Children Of Bodom take pains to include a plethora of traditional metal themes in their songs, joining the gap between extreme metal and a classic style in a way no other group that has emerged from the European underground has been able to muster up. In making extremity accessible, they have stumbled onto one of the most memorable intense metal albums in the history of the artform. Being the band's first big league effort, it's obvious to the listener that the band have really stepped up to the plate for this record. Old-school fans of the group might disagree, and without taking away from this alcohol-fueled metal machine's past efforts, but the songs on 'Are You Dead…' are just that damn impressive.
'If You Want Peace…Prepare For War' slams through you like Megadeth at mach speed, with Laiho's gritty bark leading the charge. Drawing from a more general impression, one might deduce the brilliant tones across the board as being the deciding factor in this record's overpowering might. Laiho also proves to us that it's decidedly cool to be a shredder, his leads blazing across the fretboard with blinding speed, yet remaining accurate and deeply melodic all the while. Prominent keyboard effects during 'Bastards Of Bodom (where you will once again find intense lead guitar work) betray Bodom as definitely being a part of the Finnish scene, while the rumbling bass tone gives the track a rock-solid thrash metal foundation. For a textbook example of the band's mixture of abrasiveness and tunefulness, one should refer to 'Trashed, Lost and Strung Out, the group's driving thrash update, which connects with a swirling, ear-catching chorus.. Indeed, COB are one of those metal bands that look to punk rock as much as to metal for inspiration. That respect is represented here in the band's cover rendition of the Ramones' 'Somebody Put Something In My Drink', at least on the US version. You might have caught a bit of that track already on the 'Trashed, Lost and Strungout' EP that was released by Century Media earlier this year.
Ultimately, Children Of Bodom have progressed into one of the top acts in all of metal. This release solidifies that notion; showing that Bodom have both the songwriting chops and the overwhelming power necessary to create a metal album of classic proportions and the performance is top-notch as well. As this is likely to be a record that will cross over between fans of many different types of metal, the sky is the limit for 'Are You Dead Yet?' The deathroll is definitely picking up steam with the Hate Crew providing their most impressive album to date. Children Of Bodom have arrived as one of the premier acts in all of metal and they've brought the reaper with them. Are you dead yet?
Review by: EF
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