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By JEFF MAKI
Finland's heavy metal sons Children of Bodom are a unique band. There's no doubt about who you're hearing when you listen to one of their CDs. The band began its career by introducing a combination of death and power metal with a twisted sense of humor. After several popular albums and building a decent following, Bodom has shifted gears somewhat with recent releases, adding more accessible material and, to some extent, Americanizing their sound. Don't get me wrong; this isn't radio-rock. Bodom is still incredibly heavy, though the style is more thrash metal than it was in the early years. Their last album, 2005's Are You Dead Yet, was successful using this new formula, but also received criticism from longtime fans. Perhaps sensing this, the band cranks up the speed dial on Blooddrunk for a nine-song thrashfest.
Blooddrunk is a darker take of Bodom's sound. It's unforgiving, fast and rough around the edges. Don't fret, the band's signature keyboards are still the driving force of the band (every song has keyboard and guitar solos), along with master shredder and vocalist Alexi Laiho. If you're a fan of the band, you'll be satisfied with this album. Songs like “Hellhounds on My Trail,” “Blooddrunk,” “Smile Pretty oor the Devil” and “Banned orom Heaven” are all classic Bodom. The shouted gang chorus and thrashy guitars in the title track make this one sound just plain tough. The guitar harmonies, soloing and playing in “Banned from Heaven” are near god-like and this may well be the best song here, even though its tempo is the slowest.
How does this release stack up against the Bodom discography? I'd rank it slightly behind Hatecrew Deathroll. There's nothing as catchy as “Next in Line” or “Living Dead Beat” (from Are You Dead Yet?), but there are similarities to songs like “Needled 24/7” or “Triplecorpse Hammerblow” from Deathroll. So it's not the best Bodom album, though I'm sure there would be a great debate as to which previous disc has that distinction.
As good as Blooddrunk is, you sort of get that feeling that you've been there and done that. One reason is Laiho's vocals. While he is a great screamer, there is little if any variation. This, combined with the ever-present keyboards, cause a number of Bodom's songs to be almost interchangeable. This also doesn't totally feel like a complete album. At nine songs and 36 minutes, I can't help but wonder why the band couldn't have come up with another couple of songs. These are minor gripes and things that Bodom has to live with. The band has become popular enough that expectations will be high from here on out. Blooddrunk isn't a drastic departure from anything they've done in the past. Children of Bodom have a sound all their own. They are a successful extreme metal band and have a good fanbase. Why fix something that isn't broken? That being said, I think they'll need to push the envelope and experiment with their next release if they're to continue to be frontrunners in the genre.
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