CHILDREN OF BODOM

Subject to a contradictory and polemical verbal battering for years, Children of Bodom's critics seem to have hurled every slice of condemnation at the Finnish Hate Crew that could be aimed at a band. Thus they've been accused of everything from not progressing enough with their sound to progressing too much away from their erstwhile essence. Whatever your opinion and wherever you sit within that spectrum of polarised opinion, one fact is undeniable - Bodom have continued to make music with their virtuosic integrity intact and have risen, and continue to rise, in global popularity. Personally, I've followed their career from day one - well, from first album 'Something Wild', and have never failed to be impressed by their output. Sure, there's been some progression with their sound between releases but in a very positive sense, and full credit to the band for not resting on their laurels and making the same album over and over. And 'Halo', their eighth full-length studio recording, is another strong addition to their ever-impressive back catalogue of work. They've not only managed to recapture traits of their sound that many would align with their earlier output à la 'Hatebreeder', 'Follow the Reaper' and 'Hate Crew Deathroll', but they've also succeeded in injecting the ten compositions with a fresh, renewed vigour that serves as a reminder of what made the discovery of Bodom so exciting in the first place all those years ago. It's kind of testament to their songwriting skills and virtuoso tendencies that so many metal subgenres are bandied around when describing their sound - melo-death; prog; power; neo-classical;thrash;symphonic; traditional. It's an amalgam of all of these, and more, of course, and such is the natural blend of those elements in the unique sound they've forged within their long-established, inimitable aesthetic, that I think too many critics take for granted just how skilful Bodom are at what they do. And their multi-genre metal fusion remains every bit exhilarating in 2013 as it did in 1997 so I can confidently recommend 'Halo of Blood' as an essential purchase.

LABEL:

FORMAT:

Nuclear Blast

Album

HALO OF BLOOD

Review by Mark Holmes

RUNNING TIME:

41:38

RELEASE DATE:

7th June 2013

TRACK LISTING

1) Waste of Skin
2) Halo of Blood
3) Scream for Silence
4) Transference
5) Bodom Blue Moon
6) Your Days are Numbered
7) Dead Man's Hand on You
8) Damaged Beyond Repair
9) All Twisted
10) One Bottle and a Knee Deep

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

Finland

"...their multi-genre metal fusion remains every bit exhilarating in 2013 as it did in 1997..."