Children of Bodom, Trivium, Amon Amarth Concert
Average Rating: 5 Skulls
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Children of Bodom, Trivium, Amon Amarth Concert
Average Rating: 5 Skulls |
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Death's Review (11/27/05, House of Blues, Hollywood, CA):
I'll just come out and say it: Children of Bodom are definitely one of the best live acts in today's metal scene. Deftly combining musicianship, showmanship, and just plain fun, Bodom inspires more live energy and wins over more fans per audience member than the vast majority of their more somber death metal contemporaries. Frontman / guitarist Alexi Laiho and the rest of the band just take over from note one. At this point, if I had a non-metal friend who I was going to take to a show to try to get them into it, I'd probably want to show them Opeth, Lamb of God, and C.O.B.
Photos by Hel
Children of BodomWith Bodom finally lining up a U.S. headlining tour, this was certainly going to be a killer show. Just after Thanksgiving and on a Sunday night, it was still not to be missed. Openers Amon Amarth and Trivium provided enough diversity to ensure a broader core audience (young metalcore fans, older death metal fans). But while each did a decent enough job, they were really both background music for the drinking, partying schmoozing and catching up with friends I was engaging in upstairs at the West Hollywood House of Blues, which I have now decided is one of the best overall venues in L.A. Good food, a multitude of well-stocked bars to choose from, good sight lines (especially if you get to hang in the VIP area of the upstairs balcony), great sound, and comfortable backstage areas, H.O.B. gets it right on many counts. And so I was really just chillin' until Bodom went on. I did catch a focused few moments of Trivium - in including the hits "A Gunshot To The Head of Trepidation," and "Pull Harder On The Strings of Your Martyr," both of which the crowd ate up.
TriviumBefore long, we took a seat at a reserved table up front and watched Bodom tear through a killer set before a fired up L.A. fanbase that had clearly grown exponentially since the tour with Nevermore a few years back. They opened up with "Living Dead Beat" from their new album, Are You Dead Yet, and then tore all of the hits like "Sixpounder" and "Silent Night, Bodom Night." Even cooler was the extended Alexi / Janne guitar / keyboard solo, a dying art that had all of the musicians in the crowd with their mouths open and their jaws on the floor. Of course, it was over much too soon. But when Bodom's in L.A., the party is just beginning when the show ends. Can't wait until they come back to the U.S. for another run later this year.
Hel's Review (11/27/05, House of Blues, Hollywood, CA):
Why is it Children of Bodom always seem to play L.A. on Thanksgiving weekend? Fortunately, this year the show fell on Sunday night, and we arranged to be back in time to be able to catch the show. Things went well and I was actually able to be comfortably ensconced in the photo pit before Amon Amarth started their set. How unusual! It was refreshing to already be in the venue when an opening band I really wanted to see took the stage.
Amon AmarthAmon Amarth always put on a great live show, and tonight was no exception. The vocalist is unashamed of his physique and never even bothered with a shirt, as usual. Could we interest you in a nice leather vest, perhaps? Did Vikings wear vests? Maybe something in a fur… It would go nicely with the horn at your waist… Fashion peccadilloes aside, the band delivered a fierce set and the crowd really warmed up to them.
Trivium, on the other hand, didn’t receive a particularly warm reception. While there were certainly people in the crowd who where there to see them, the majority of the audience seemed to feel they didn’t fit on this bill – I sentiment I myself felt from the moment I saw the line up. While I appreciate the band’s effort to be embraced by the metal fans, at the end of the day they are still a hardcore band on a death metal bill. And one of my least favorite hardcore bands at that. Blame Sirius’ “Hard[core] Attack,” I do.
Children of BodomFinally, the moment everyone was waiting for: Children of Bodom. After a far-too-long wait between bands, during which I briefly found myself in their dressing room as well as in the men’s room (don’t ask), the Finns finally arrived onstage to lay waste to Hollywood. Another thing that always seems to happen when CoB plays this venue is that the security guys get really uptight and insist on kicking the photographers out the first time they even see a hint of someone coming over the barricade. It happened yet again, and a power-tripping security guy quickly decided it was imperative to our “safety” to get out. Please. Just because he’s scared of a few crowd-surfing kids… The kids had good reason to go nuts, as CoB handed them their heads time and again. They did a fun little guitar vs. keys duel amongst the chaos, showcasing both their astounding skill and their playful side. All in all, I’d have to say Hollywood ate it up with a spoon. Again.
Now that I’m a mom, it’s become difficult to make it out to shows, but from the first minute this one was announced, I was determined to go. That’s just how good Children of Bodom are live. While I can’t quite wrap my head around the success they are achieving (headlining the House of Blues!), it is certainly well-deserved, and I’m much happier to seem them receive accolades than some of the other bands who have been getting them. I look forward to their return in the spring.
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