Children of Bodom’s Blooddrunk…Seems like a Formula to Me

Okay, Laiho and crew are probably one of the hardest working metal outfits out there. It seems like they come to San Francisco at least twice a year and have been doing so for the last three years. I’m actually seeing them in a few weeks on the Gigantour. That said, why do I feel like listening to this album is just a rehash of riffs and lyrics from their last three or so albums? And on top of that, why does the trademark scream of Alexi along with his and the keyboard player’s requisite solos sound, well, telegraphed and boring?

Maybe it’s because they tour too much and don’t slow down enough to actually smash their heads together and write a new and original album. Many fans would probably say that this album is right on target, picking up where “Are we dead yet?” left off. Fine, I will give you that one, but what about newness, innovation, especially when one considers the obvious talent in this band? I mean, “Are we dead yet?” was a disappointment for that very reason. It was “bro metal,” with hand pounding (or clapping) choruses and everything.

So here’s a quick review of the album. The album begins with the classic sounding “Hellbounds On My Trail”. The keyboards in this song sound fairly mundane and only add a complicated floridness to the song. However, “Hellbounds On My Trail” does have a pretty decent solo with an equally good main riff.

“Blooddrunk” begins with a kinda cheesy keyboard line followed by a mundane, if completely telegraphed, Bodom riff. The album’s speed picks up a bit with “Lodomy,” which is a little bit of a headbanger number. “Banned From Heaven” departs from the speed and is more mid-tempo.

“Roadkill Morning,” the album’s final song picks up the speed again, and attempts to end things with an aggressive flourish. I don’t know, but I am just not too impressed. Again, I feel like there’s a formula in play here.

The album was okay, but I think with the talent (I think the band have) they need to start doing something new, as their earlier albums sound much better than their last two. They need better ideas and a newer style, otherwise I fear that they are going to keep making the same album over and over again. If you are a mindlessly die hard Children fan, this will probably sound fabulous to you.

Children of Bodom - Blooddrunk

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