CHILDREN OF BODOM: Something Wild (DEATH METAL): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

We are in 1997, the Death Metal band Inearthed, created in 1993 by a bunch of 14 years old kids and rising on the Finnish scene, has just changed its name to Children Of Bodom to release its first album, after 3 demos. Signed under the label Spinefarm Records, the Finns finally reach a national visibility with a very short (33'27) "Something Wild". Extremely talented musicians for their age, the young adults draw their influences from the greatest classical composers (Mozart, Bach, Vivaldi) and other modern virtuosos (Vai, Malmsteen, Waters, Darell)... to deliver a perfect mix of Melodic Death Metal. Without Alexi Laiho's flayed voice, we could have talked about Speed Metal, but it is there and it fits better than ever to this surge of riffs, double pedal rolls and other epileptic reveries on keyboards.

It is with a distant explosion and a horror movie atmosphere, followed by gasps and a demonic laugh that 'Deadnight Warrior' is introduced. Melodic riffs, keyboards very sustained and complementary to the guitars, both in terms of riffs and soli, the variations are quite natural and build the song perfectly. The production is generous and leaves room for everyone. The saturated bass lines sustain the drum rolls, the guitars and keyboards share the space well thanks to the atmospheres and the independent melodies of the latter and the voice doesn't take over too much. In spite of the saturation, the sound is clear, square, we hear everything and well. 'In The Shadows' continues on the same way with its melodic theme around which the song is articulated and endless variations.

Then come two master pieces of the album, the 2 parts of 'Red Light In My Eyes', of which the second one begins with a short extract directly borrowed from the 25th Symphony of Mozart. The rest is only variations always more searched and nevertheless simple of listening. And this is the strength of the band: despite its tortured and endless neo-classical musical phrasing, listening is quite easy and each instrument is well distinguished. 'Lake Bodom', a real anthem of the band, continues to convince that the band has a considerable resource of creativity, youth, and desire. The lead guitar is only interrupted to accompany the rhythmic that alternates big power chords and fast back and forth punctuated by majestic feedback. It is not either with 'The Nail' that Children Of Bodom will dry up of creativity. The Finns excel in a neo-classical Heavy / Death Metal and seem to play with a Vivaldi tattooed with Roy (the grim reaper - emblematic figure of the band - which appears on the cover of the album). "Something Wild" ends in apotheosis with 'Touch Like Angel Of Death' one of the best tracks of the opus.

Despite its short length, "Something Wild" is an album that you must own. Children Of Bodom succeeds in mixing Neo-Classical, Heavy, Death, Speed-Metal genres with Thrash, sometimes almost Pop, and it takes several listenings to fully absorb the subtleties scattered all over... The Finns couldn't prepare the ground better for the following and have set the bar very high for this first album that will allow them to make a name for themselves. - Official website

CHILDREN OF BODOM

SOMETHING WILD

NUCLEAR BLAST

DEATH METAL