Artist: Children of Bodom
Label: Nuclear Blast
Release Date: 1/22/01
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Title: Follow the Reaper Artist: Children of Bodom Label: Nuclear Blast Release Date: 1/22/01 |
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Abyss's Review:
Children of Bodom’s last album, Hatebreeder, was a big success in my eyes. Although many believed it to be to happy and flashy, I believe it filled a nice niche between the melodic death metal that was spawned in a place called Gothenburg, and the flashy guitar work of the guitar gods of the eighties. Now, I’ve often put down bands that are long on talent but short on composition, and the reason Children of Bodom is exempt from this criticism is due to their distinct attention to songwriting. And while some of their solos come across as a little showy for my tastes, they are always done with the composition of the entire song in mind.
"While there is no doubt this band is influenced by a great deal of the European metal around them, they have taken that base and made something all their own out of it." But if you are one of those who believed Hatebreeder to be just a little too chipper for your tastes, you will have the same problem with Follow the Reaper. Even the base (no, not bass) riffs, while no doubt heavy, seem upbeat and I find myself smiling and thinking pleasant thoughts while listening, rather than scowling and dreaming up ways of disemboweling my neighbors. Pleasant thoughts, you know, like how you feel on a beautiful spring day when the sun is shining on you and you’re prancing barefoot through the soft clover while wearing your prettiest spring dress…..Ooops! Did I say that out loud? Please disregard that statement.
The vocal attack comes across well, being very energetic and resembling a less grating Dani Filth at times, and pretty much staying clear of the trend of adding clean vocals for boosted “emotion”. And for a band that is often criticized for being very derivative, their sound seems easily identifiable to me. I think their evolution since Something Wild has been commendable; each effort being successful in its own way. And while there is no doubt this band is influenced by a great deal of the European metal around them, they have taken that base and made something all their own out of it. So all you brutal metal heads out there, do yourself a favor and come over to the light side for a moment, cause we all need to prance in the clover every once in awhile.
Death's Review:
Along with Opeth, C.O.B. stole the show at last summer’s Milwaukee Metalfest, convincing the assembled masses that the promise shown on 1999’s Hatebreeder album was only the tip of this Finnish iceberg. Guitarist Alexi Laiho had the performance of the festival (yes, better than Andy LaRoque or Mike from Destruction), cementing himself as a legitimate contender to be considered as part of the next generation of shredders. Guitar magazines would do cover story features on this guy if they were only hip enough to know about him. Anyway, C.O.B. kicked ass, everyone knows it, and now they’re about to unleash one of the first big releases of the real new Millennium, Follow the Reaper? Do they deliver on the promise? Yes, yes, YEEEESSSSSS!!!!!! A screaming, devil horns waving “YEEEEEESSSSS!!!!”
"Do they deliver on the promise? Yes, yes, YEEEESSSSSS!!!!!! A screaming, devil horns waving YEEEEEESSSSS!!!!" For those previously unaware of C.O.B., they are melodic, yet CDNow’s four-sentence bio calls them black metal. An error in subcategorization coming from a mainstream music on-line database is not surprising. Still, the notion intrigues me. Are Children of Bodom a black metal band. Hmmm. Some of the elements are there, I guess. I hear it in the vocals and the keys primarily. But black metal is only part of it, at least on Follow the Reaper. I also hear thrash, progressive and a traditional Maiden influence which (as is inevitably true when that influence is applied to a combination of black, death or other more extreme metallic patterns) overlaps substantially with a strong flavor of Gothenberg-death. Picture In Flames mixed with Yngwie Malmsteen mixed with Cradle of Filth. C.O.B. meld these styles well. They are extreme, yet at the same time the progressive keyboard/guitar dual soloing reminds me some moments of Dream Theater, at others of Yngwie. Ultimately, it’s their musicianship and, most importantly, their emphasis on the guitar, which makes C.O.B. great. And Follow the Reaper is a fantastic representation for them. They’re just plain better than the immediate competition. Compare Follow the Reaper with, say, Dimmu Borgir’s Spiritual Black Dimensions. The differences between the two are exactly why my favorite blackened friends are Children of Bodom. Something tells me 2001 is going to be a big year for C.O.B.
Hel's Review:
Children of Bodom = very cool band. Since the very first moment I heard Hatebreeder, I was hooked. This was only reinforced by their astounding Milwaukee Metalfest appearance last summer. And now, the new album Follow the Reaper... What do I think of it? IT'S FUCKING KILLER! That's what I think.
"If you would like to know what brilliantly executed, completely brutal metal is supposed to sound like in the year 2001, pick this up now" One of my favorite things about this release is the very cool cover artwork. And, of course, the music on it rules. I was addicted the first time I heard it, several months ago, and I basically bogarted it until forced to relinquish it, not too long ago. So, by rights, I should be passing along an insightful, detailed analysis of each track. However, it really isn't necessary, since all I would ultimately do is come up with a long-winded review with lots of large useless extra words. Superfluous.
The nitty gritty facts are these: Fans of European melodic death will be satisfied, Children of Bodom fans will most likely be ecstatic. I know I am. If you would like to know what brilliantly executed, completely brutal metal is supposed to sound like in the year 2001, pick this up now.
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