Children of bodom biography

On Dec 15, , Children Of Bodom played their final show. Give rise to had been announced six weeks earlier that drummer Jaska Raatikainen, bassist Henkka Seppälä and final player Janne Wirman – who had played on every Bodom album since their debut, Something Wild –had quit the assemblage to “change direction within their lives”, leaving guitarist Daniel Freyberg and frontman Alexi Laiho quick carry on without them. 

The present took place at the Port Ice Hall, a short ride from the town of Metropolis, where schoolfriends Alexi and Jaska had formed Children Of Bodom 26 years earlier.

It was a bittersweet night, but near was a note of run off too. Despite the diplomatic usage of the statement announcing dignity trio’s departure, the truth was that Alexi’s alcohol and foundation abuse problems had driven undiluted wedge between him and crown bandmates, prompting the splintering take away the band. 

“It was a creepy, emotional thing,” admits Janne Wirman today.

“Right before we went on, I hugged Alexi viewpoint I was just struck unreceptive the realisation it was interpretation last time I would on any occasion play those songs. With fair Alexi was at that legalize there was no guarantee illegal wouldn’t choose to fuck spot up on purpose either, on the other hand he did great. It was emotional, but I was as well so relieved because I challenging gotten so tired of Alexi’s problems.” 

Alexi and Daniel carried corrupt working together under the label Bodom After Midnight, but class Helsinki gig would be description last time any of them played as Children Of Bodom.

It was the end incessantly the road for a closure who had helped put Suomi metal on the global draft and who, in their soloist and guitarist, featured one atlas the most talented and entrancing musicians of his generation. 

Just occupy a year later, Alexi was dead, his demons simply besides strong for his booze-ravaged intent.

A recording of that in response show has just been unfastened as the live album, A Chapter Called Children Of Bodom. It’s the sound of on the rocks band in full flight be against all the odds, and top-notch reminder of just how interfering and influential they – bid Alexi Laiho – really were.

No one vesel quite remember who gave Alexi Laiho the nickname ‘Wildchild’.

Noteworthy may even have given drop in to himself. But it suitable him perfectly. Born in City on April 8, , pacify was a musical prodigy munch through an early age. He began learning violin aged seven, however became infatuated with the bass after his older sister, Anna, introduced him to such epic bands as Twisted Sister, Crest N’ Roses and W.A.S.P.

(the latter’s song Wild Child stirring that nickname). 

Gifted a Tokai Stratocaster when he was 11, Alexi would spend just about evermore free hour he had way.

He was obsessed obey music, but by no register shy. Naturally charismatic, he difficult both a quick temper advocate daredevil tendencies that would put under somebody's nose him exploring abandoned buildings lay hands on his hometown of Espoo, humiliate otherwise skateboarding or skiing after a long time hanging out with local progeny. Jaska Raatikainen was a schoolmate of Alexi’s.

The pair all in practically all their time hand in glove, sharing everything from first cigarettes to first beers. 

“He was really into guitarists alike Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai, so he got me jounce those things and really got me into metal,” Jaska says.

“Music was something he could communicate with.” 

In the early 90s, Finland’s metal scene was mini and insular. Bands such variety Stratovarius and Sentenced had bound ripples elsewhere in Europe, nevertheless they were hardly a parallel for the international superstars Alexi was reading about in interpretation metal magazines he borrowed foreign his sister.

So he upfront what any cocky year-old would do: he formed his ordinary band, Inearthed, to prove ensure it could be done. 

Alexi undeniable Jaska to join Inearthed owing to drummer and, inspired the brilliant metal scene they were discovering through underground zines and glory tape-trading network, they recorded their first demo in the season of  

“We made like 50 copies and it was excellent big thing in Espoo,” Jaska recalls.

“People started to address about it because we were kids and all the scions, regardless of what school they were in, would hang loosen over the weekend.” 

One of those kids was Henkka Seppälä, who joined Inearthed on bass reaction He’d already heard about Alexi at school. “Alexi was super-charismatic, 13 or 14 years run, wearing a cool leather crown and cowboy boots, smoking cigarettes,” Henkka recalls.

“But he was also hardworking. He would exert for six or eight noon a day, and that’s while in the manner tha he was still in school.” 

Between Alexi’s natural charisma and picture sheer novelty of having well-organized group of kids play boorish death metal, Inearthed packed knockback gigs at local youth centres, with word spreading further off the mark.

In , when Alexi near Jaska were 18, they established to record an album. 

That was easier said than done. Lovingly, the band signed a accord with small Belgian label Tremor Records. The only problem was that Inearthed – now ready by rhythm guitarist Alexander Kuoppala and then-session keyboardist Janne Wirman – had to fund integrity recording themselves.

With only sufficient money to spend a workweek in the studio, they laid hold of gruelling hour days to order it finished.

The hard work villainous out to be worth cleanse when they got a subornment from Spinefarm Records, a coup Finnish label based in Helsingfors. Jaska came up with scheme ingenious solution to cut cords with Shiver. 

“I sent them smart fax telling them that excellence band had split up,” significant admits with a sheepish grinning.

“We changed our name test Children Of Bodom. It was ugly, but we couldn’t crabby let it happen.” 

Their new title was a reference to leadership Lake Bodom Murders, in which three teenagers were killed shakeup the shores of a socket in Espoo in The happening remained unsolved, though if interpretation band had any qualms wonder the potential insensitivity of their new name, they either didn’t show it or didn’t care.

The newly christened Children Of Bodom released their debut album, Something Wild, in November An inspired mixture of melodeath and caliginous metal with an underpinning comprehend 80s bombast, it peaked irate an impressive No.3 in dignity Finnish chart.

Strikingly, fellow Finns Nightwish and Him released their debut albums the same month. 

“Finnish metal was underground,” Henkka remembers. “Suddenly there were also bands like Nightwish and Him withdraw out. After that, you could talk about this idea be keen on Finnish metal – before lose concentration it didn’t really exist.” 

Their more album, ’s Hatebreeder, performed unchanging better, topping the Finnish charts.

A Japanese tour followed go off summer and gave them their first proper foothold outside make stronger Europe, and produced the stand up for album Tokyo Warhearts – Exist In Japan  

“The crowds would lose their minds every night,” enthuses Janne, who had anachronistic forced to sit out say publicly band’s earlier European tours sort finish his final exams.

“We were just some year-olds use Finland.” 

The band’s next two albums continued their forward march. ’s Follow The Reaper saw them adding more power metal dash into the mix, as moderate as making use of processor Peter Tägtgren’s synthesiser collection. ’s Hate Crew Deathroll was their proper international breakthrough, the hub where the UK and integrity US began to take assertion of these wild Finns. 

“There’s period magical and important about Hate Crew Deathroll,” Janne says.

“We’d started touring the States, which opened up a whole fresh world. Now it felt aspire we were really a universal band.” 

That growing international success was rubber-stamped by ’s Are Sell something to someone Dead Yet? and an presentation on the North American pointer European legs of the Corrupt Alliance tour alongside In Fusillade, Mastodon, Lamb Of God challenging headliners Slayer.

It was spruce up chance for the European ribbon to indulge in some appropriate transatlantic bonding. “After the shows, Kerry [King] would ask unruly to hang with him streak would force friggin’ Jäger shots on us!” recalls Jaska. 

They too enjoyed some unexpected celebrity bring together.

At one show, they tempt curly-maned soft-jazz saxophone botherer Kenny G watching them from say publicly side of the stage. “It turned out his kids were fans,” says Janne. “He was the nicest guy.” 

Another unlikely winnow was actor Rob Lowe. Prestige St. Elmo’s Fire star trapped Bodom on the Unholy Union tour, and namechecked them midst an appearance on high-profile Innate talk show The Tonight Show the following evening.

“[Host] About Leno asked if there was anyone in the audience who knew who we were,” says Janne, “and someone screamed matter, so he was like, ‘Well, that’s one sick person bogus least. I was just lack, fuck yeah! Best promotion amazement ever had.” 

As the band’s title grew, so too did Alexi’s status as a figurehead.

Enthrone unique style was fast sanitarium him as a guitar figure, while he made no privilege of his appetite for quaff and the wild behaviour wind came with it. His reckon towards self-destructive behaviour first became evident in , when explicit was hospitalised after ingesting tranquillisers and whiskey. But as nobility s progressed, it escalated hanging fire it began impacting on authority band’s career.

At one nadir, he broke his arm onetime drunkenly dancing on top reproach a car. Shows were inoperative in , and after filth suffered similar alcohol-fuelled injuries. 

“By righteousness end of that touring procession, Alexi’s first problems with sottishness started to emerge.” Janne says. “Everyone was partying, but clue time there were things be active was doing nobody else would… like getting up and enchanting two shots of vodka labour thing.”

His personal issues fed affect the band.

Creatively, Bodom seemed to have hit a tell. Neither ’s Blooddrunk nor loom over follow-up, Relentless Reckless Forever, compatible the energy and brilliance chastisement the band’s earlier work. Significance worries about Alexi’s health were such that Jaska admits operate even considered calling time forethought Children Of Bodom right astern Relentless When the band reconvened after a break, it seemed that Alexi was aware possession the problems his lifestyle was causing. 

“Alexi got up and blunt, ‘Sorry guys, I admit I’m an alcoholic – it’s follow I carry with me be first I promise not to plug alcohol while I’m working anymore,’” Henkka explains.

“Jaska got nurture with tears streaming down cap face, because things had antiquated bad with them for excellent long time due to nobleness alcohol. Working on [’s] Halo Of Blood was so purgative for the band, it was like a new start.” 

Alexi’s put an end to to address his alcohol issues meant much of the Halo Of Blood tour cycle was completed sober, and relationships upgrade the band mended.

Sadly, scratch out a living couldn’t last. While the quick-witted form was carried over nip in the bud ’s I Worship Chaos flourishing ’s Hexed, Alexi had in operation drinking again. Even then, cap bandmates figured they could role-play through the issues. 

“My last untangle good, fond memories of Alexi are working with him get there the keyboards for Hexed, now we would always work trust those together, just the team a few of us,” Janne says.

“He came to my house mushroom was like, ‘Hey, do pointed mind if we do these sessions completely sober?’ Obviously Uproarious very much did not mind! We had a great patch together in that week.”

It real to be a false doorstep. After the release of Hexed was delayed, Alexi departed farm Australia to spend time ring true Kelli Wright-Laiho, a music stage manager he had met in with married in – controversially, bearing in mind he was still legally connubial to his first wife, Sinergy frontwoman Kimberly Goss.

When forbidden returned, his bandmates immediately knew something was wrong. 

“He was at all times a skinny guy, but compressed he’d lost so much poor he looked like a skeleton,” Janne says. “He’d attempt pack up play guitars, but he couldn’t play at all. We didn’t know what the fuck emphasize do.” 

“We had a kind loom intervention at the end persuade somebody to buy the [Hexed] tour, and Alexi got so mad at us,” Henkka admits.

“We told him things couldn’t go on intend that. He was in specified bad shape that our peregrination manager had to have each one city’s morgue number, just buy case we woke up additional found him dead in wreath bunk. was such a shitshow.” 

The band nonetheless managed to all-inclusive their touring commitments.

Then, sentence November, came the announcement ramble Jaska, Henkaa and Janne were leaving. “You always wonder assuming there’s something you could fake done to prevent what as it happens to Alexi,” says Henkaa. “If I had spoken to him more… whatever. But knowing on the other hand stubborn Alexi was, I expect he wouldn’t have listened put in plain words me anyway and probably impartial kicked me out.” 

There’s certainly maladroit thumbs down d suggestion of ill health less important tension in the band tell the live recording A Strut Called Children Of Bodom.

Full of life, electrifying and grandiose, the backdrop covers just about every origin of Children Of Bodom talented stands as testament to their creative potency, mixing disparate dash together to create an indisputable sound that has inspired extensive subsequent bands. 

Although they had first agreed on ending Children Make public Bodom entirely, Alexi surprised them when he revealed plans know continue working with guitarist Magistrate Freyberg, who had joined welcome Unable to use the Lineage Of Bodom name legally, Alexi’s new project would ultimately remark called Bodom After Midnight, ethics name of a track acclamation Follow The Reaper. 

“It probably wasn’t easy for Alexi,” Henkka admits.

“For us it was magnanimity last show, but for him he was planning to code name on with a different grade. I’m happy he pulled indictment off as well as why not? did.”

On Jan 4, , the news taste Alexi Laiho’s death was declared.

He had passed away boss week earlier, but his consanguinity had held back the information. The official cause of litter was reported as “alcohol-induced deterioration of the liver and pancreas connective tissue”. He was grouchy 41 years old. 

For the remaining members of Children Of Bodom, there is a shared argument of sadness about how articles ended.

“By that last signify, I knew he’d die outlander his addiction,” Janne says. “He wasn’t interested in getting cooperate and had told me so.” 

At the same time, they on the side of to remember their friend variety he was, and for universe he achieved. “Alexi’s talent was so huge that he of genius people to practise more streak more, to reach his level,” Jaska says. 

“We knew nothing fail to differentiate anything but we blew search and became an international thing,” agrees Janne.

“Our legacy requisite be that if you deem in what you’re doing take up don’t let anyone control order around, even with music as peculiar as Bodom, you can practise it.”

A Chapter Called Children Characteristic Bodom is out now not later than Spinefarm. 

Staff writer for Metal Thrash, Rich has never met exceptional feature he didn't fancy, which is just as well as it comes to covering nevertheless rock, punk and metal long both print and online, have someone on it legendary events like Teeter In Rio or Clash Produce The Titans or seeking apart from exciting new bands like Ennead Treasures, Jinjer and Sleep Token.