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| Children Of Bodom Review |
| 4/23/2004 – Eagles Ballroom, Milwaukee, WI. by Karma E. Omowale Children of Bodom was dramatic, explosive, dynamite, raw, powerful, catchy…breathtaking. They are one hell of an act!! On April 20th, I attempted to see CoB at the Metro, in Chicago. I must commend the Metro for their “professionalism” in listing incorrect times on both their website and pre-recorded phone message which caused me and others to miss Evergrey’s entire set. By me doing the Evergrey Interview, I pretty much missed CoB’s entire set. Luckily I caught the entire CoB set later in the week on Friday, April 23rd at The Eagle’s Ballroom in Milwaukee. Guessing it is rather difficult to perform longer when the headlining act is poised to perform a 2 hour set. CoB’s set was a little longer than the 30 minute slot allotted to Evergrey. Well then again, Iced Earth's set is two hours long. Masters of power/black metal: Alexi “Wildchild” Laiho – Vocals, Guitars, Jaska Raatikainen – Drums, Janne Warman – Keyboards, Roope Latvala – Guitar & Henkka T. Blacksmith – 5-String Bass. As the crowd thrashed and moshed about, the band filled the halls of the Ballroom with Alexi’s powerful voice coupled with a shredding guitars, killer rhythm section, and sharp keys, in the beginning of their set the volume was a touch on the loud side, good thing they rectified that issue. Seeing this band perform is pure fun. Their sound is complex as you peel back the many layers: Alexi tosses his blonde mane and body while spitting on stage all in time with the assault from his infectious guitar playing. Not hard to imagine how why he has been dubbed “Wildchild”. Did I mention how clear Alexi’s vocals were? His solo on “Angels Don’t Kill” was AMAZING. Janne: effortlessly played the keys, almost to the point of him appearing bored as his fancy fingers worked electronical magic. He makes it look so easy knowing full well its not. His playing is chilling yet beautiful. Henkka: A favorite amongst the swooning female populous can play his ass off. Roope: who replaced long time fan favorite guitarist, Alex “Ale” Kuppola, is a good showman as he displays his rich talent in guitar playing. Jaska: reminds you of Animal from the Muppets, never missing a beat, seemingly takes out the aggressions of the world as he pounds away on his drums and crashing his cymbals. There is never a dull moment as this band leaves you with a dropped jaw, kid you not! For this group to be so young, they are definitely accomplished musicians. Setlist Intro Needled 24/7 Hate Me Chokehold (Cocked N' Loaded) Silent Night Bodom Night You're Better Off Dead Sixpounder Angels Don't Kill Everytime I Die Hate Crew Deathroll Downfall/Hate Me Later in the evening, I chatted, if that’s what you can call it with Roope through his thick Finnish accent, as it is very hard to understand him, he joked that he couldn’t believe a death metal band would play 3 slow songs in a row. Well it works, as hordes of fans adorned in CoBHC t-shirts felt the same as the mass happily sang along to each and every tune. Personally, I thought the show at the Metro was better due to audience participation/level of energy to the best of their ability since there is an ordinance in place by the City of Chicago against moshing in a public facility. Some could say I am biased considering I think the Metro is one of the best places to see a live act. But then again so is Alexi, I hear the band has an affinity for Milwaukee. To allay my prejudice, I asked Alexi how the Milwaukee faired against the show at the Metro. He felt that the Milwaukee show was better due to crowd response. Of course I see how he could come to such a conclusion all things considering… The band formed in Espoo, Finland back in 1993 taking their name from one of the most gruesome & notorious killing sprees in Scandinavian history that occurred near campsites at Lake Bodom in 1960. What cracks me up is that a band with lyrics and music this dark and haunting can be as sweet as apple pie…OOPS, perhaps I shouldn’t have told their secret. But I cannot say enough about their personality as their fans feel the same way. You can usually find them hanging out with their fans once they are after their set. Just because the Grim Reaper is their mascot, they have a lot of love for their fans which also explains how deep the Hate Crew’s fan base runs. If you are a metal fan, you owe it to yourself to see these guys next time they roll through your town; you will not be sorry! Seeing how they are a household name in their native land, it will not be long before the rest of the globe will join the Hate Crew as well. At the conclusion of their set, the crowd chanted BODOM! BODOM! BODOM!! You too will join in the chant and sing their praises as well!!! Click here for Interviews with Alexi & Henkka. And here for new interview with Alexi |
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