By Colin Flynn
It all started taking shape as the ’70s were coming to a close and the glorious ’80s were beginning. This era saw the evolution of metal as bands such as Iron Maiden and Dio told us tales of glory, knights fighting dragons and beasts destroying villages. Then the same era which ushered in this delightful silliness changed it all again for the worst.
Children of Bodom’s new disc, Are You Dead Yet?, takes us back to the time of blazing guitar and keyboard solos and grim tales of death. The only aspect of Bodom’s sound in line with the ‘new-era’ metal is the singing. Growling screams are the chosen method here and it gets tiring. You simply can’t understand what the hell the singer/lead guitar player Alexi Laiho is saying.
This fact is not enough to soil the album entirely beyond repair, since the instrumentation is so good. If you are a metal fan and miss the forgotten staple of talented musicianship, this band is definitely worth looking into.