Warmen @ Dante's Highlight

The Scythes Of Bodom Blog packed its thermal underwear and travelled to a face-shreddingly cold Helsinki last week, to attend Warmen's 10th Anniversary show at Dante's Highlight.


Inside the downtown venue there is an air of anticipation for this event, only the third live show of the band's career. But showtime is still a couple of hours away and right now, the only sign that Warmen are in the house is a large banner bearing their name, draped across the front of the stage (apparently it was too big to be used as a backdrop on the small stage and will be lowered when the show starts). Hanging beneath it is a second banner, proclaiming the merits of a well-known Finnish beer. Take a quick glance and you could be forgiven for thinking that the two banners are one and that "Warmen ... sounds like Koff"!


On our way to the bar, we discover that there's some Warmen merch available - well, t-shirts, anyway. Design courtesy of Antti Wirman, the text on the back reveals the band's sense of humour:


Nice to know they don't take themselves too seriously!

Just past midnight, the banner falls and the show gets under way, and it's clear from the get-go that Warmen mean to enjoy themselves tonight, launching straight into the instrumental opening track from the new album, Japanese Hospitality and following up with the first of the evening's guest artists, Timo Kotipelto, who joins the band for Eye of the Storm and Spark. The mood onstage is festive; there's plenty of banter between band members, guest


singers and friends in the audience, and the party atmosphere is heightened when, after another Warmen favourite, Beyond Abilities, Jonna Kosonen appears, clutching a bottle of wine and a glass, to perform three songs ... and so it continues, with instrumental classics from the back catalogue interweaved with more songs from the new album, delivered this time by Pasi Rantanen. And then, from the keyboard, Janne introduces the final guest singer: Alexi Laiho, who, as a finale, reprises his 2008 Spinefeast appearance with Warmen, singing Somebody's Watching Me. The audience loves it, and Alexi looks like he's enjoying himself, too.



The crowd wants an encore, but when the band and guests return to the stage it's to stand in line and take a smiling and somewhat ragged bow. Warmen gigs don't come round very often, but when they do, they're well worth the wait. The band's 10th Anniversary has been duly celebrated; it's been a fun night and we're more than happy to applaud them!



Check out footage of Alexi and Warmen performing Somebody's Watching Me here

Alexi @ FME

It's just a short walk from the metro station to the Cable Factory in Helsinki, the venue for the 2010 Finnish Metal Expo, but in a snowstorm and with the temperature around -20, plus windchill making it feel closer to -30, the distance seems to take on rather more epic proportions. Happily, the temperature inside the cavernous Cable Factory is a great deal more user-friendly. We wander around, checking out the various stands, including Spinefarm Records, ESP Guitars (where we spot two of Alexi Laiho's signature models on display), Levykauppa Äx and the Hellsinki Rock Shop.


On the live stage, the day's performances include sets by Sonata Arctica and Apocalyptica. Later, after sampling a plate of stir fry in the food area, it's time to head over to the Musamaailma stage, where the focus of attention tonight is an interview with Alexi Laiho. The event is eagerly awaited and the room is packed, all the way from the stage to the back ...



After an introduction from Jone Nikula, Alexi appears, stumbling a little as he climbs the stairs leading onto the stage. Hunched on a stool, head down, his trademark peaked cap (this time worn the right way round) casting a shadow over his face, he looks at times a little shy, and even vulnerable as he sits listening to the often protracted and rambling questions being put to him; indeed, at one point he smilingly requests that Nikula repeat the question, and make it shorter, as by the time it had been delivered, Alexi wasn't even sure what he was being asked!


As it is, the themes are fairly familiar, including the band's various cover songs: Alexi humorously describes the reaction of some fans who were mightily pissed off by the choice of a Britney song, and he also mentions the Creedence cover; he reveals too that, even after all these years, he loves touring more and more.


Nikula cites how Bodom's success has meant that, in their home country, they have become a band that cannot be ignored by the media, even though their music can hardly be considered mainstream; to underline the point, he refers to an article in Finland's largest-circulation newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat, which reported on one of Bodom's shows on the band's North American tour last year.


Of course, everyone's focus is now very much on the next Bodom album, which the band is currently working on, and Alexi reveals that it's 95% certain that they will again record in Petrax Studios, in Hollola, Finland (their current bestselling album, Blooddrunk, was also recorded there), and that there will be a producer - just who, he's not telling yet!



Many thanks to COB Forum member Celeb for her invaluable help with translation of the questions and answers

FMA hat trick for Alexi

Photo reproduced by kind permission of COB Forum member Celeb, with many thanks


The annual Finnish Metal Awards give the public the chance to vote for the best of Finnish metal. The FMA 2009 gala was held at the Cable Factory on 20th February, as part of the Helsinki Metal Meeting, and for the third time, Alexi Laiho won the "Musician of the Year" category (he previously received the award in 2005 and 2008).


Accepting the award, Alexi commented that he wanted to thank the fans who had voted for him.

Local hero

It must be every hardworking local band's dream that, midway through their set they're joined by a famous guitarist, who steps up from the audience, borrows a guitar from one of the band members and proceeds to jam with them ...yeah, only in the movies, right? Well, wrong, actually, because for West Haven, Connecticut covers band Liplok, this is exactly what happened during their gig at Z's Corner Cafe last month, when none other than Children Of Bodom's Alexi Laiho took to the stage (well, more accurately the floor - it's a tiny venue) to join them in a couple of songs.


Alexi was at Z's with Rock House Method instructor and co-owner, John McCarthy, who also happens to be a long-time friend and former guitar teacher of Liplok's lead singer/guitarist Kevin Lawless. We asked Kevin to fill us in ...

"We were about to go on for our first set at Z's Corner Cafe in West Haven, a small bar that only fits about 45-50 people ... John and Alexi (who I'd previously met a couple of years ago when he was in town filming his first Rock House DVD) walked in to the bar and I said to them that, if you feel like playing anything, just come on up ... We played the first set and the bar got pretty crowded and then right before we started the second set, John and Alexi asked if I knew "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns 'n' Roses, which I did ... my bass player, Glenn Celentano, had only just joined the lineup and didn't know the song but in the audience, my friend and sometimes fill-in bass player, Mike Winters, knew it and came up to play. Alexi grabbed my black Les Paul - the first thing he said was, 'Wow! These are heavy!' The three guitarists fiddled for a minute to make sure they were all playing it right, then ... off we went. Song went great and at the end, Alexi turned to me and said, 'Cool dude! You hit that hard note!' and gave me a fist pump ... that was cool for me, and the people there loved it and went nuts!"




The guest musicians started taking off their borrowed guitars but the crowd, not surprisingly, wanted more, so Kevin handed the set list to Alexi and asked him if he wanted to play another song ...


"He saw Metallica's "Enter Sandman" and said, 'I know that!'. Our bass player Glenn grabbed his bass and, with drummer Geoff Permison, we started the song ... it went really great, too and again the crowd went nuts ... It was truly very cool of Alexi to just get up with a local cover band, with no practice at all and just jam and have a good time, which he did, as you can see him smiling in the pictures."


John and Alexi left shortly after because they had an early morning video shoot, but what a night to remember for Liplok and Z's lucky audience. A final word from Kevin:

"It was a great time for me, my band and the people in the bar. It was an honour to play with Alexi, and I thank him and John McCarthy for understanding the fun side of music and just playing to have a good time ... to have someone of his stature and unbelievable musicianship get up with local musicians in a tiny bar shows what a great person he is. Plus, he bought me a shot of Jameson's Irish Whiskey!"



Check out video footage of Alexi and Liplok here

Rock House DVD #3 for Alexi

Since their release, Alexi Laiho's Metal Guitar: Melodic Speed, Shred & Heavy Riffs, Levels 1 and 2, which won the prestigious Music & Sound Retailer Award for Best Instructional DVD of 2008, have been bestsellers, and now Rock House, the world renowned musical instruction site, has revealed that Alexi is currently working on a third guitar instructional DVD, which will further explore his inspirational techniques, delving into how he thinks, what he uses that makes him unique and how aspiring guitarists can use these insights in their own playing.



Rock House posted behind the scenes photos and a video of the recording process, which can be seen here. The dvd is due to be released in summer 2010.

Alexi talks shop at Finnish Metal Expo

The main event of the Helsinki Metal Meeting, the annual Finnish Metal Expo, takes place at the Cable Factory, Helsinki on 19th and 20th February. Fifty operators in the metal music industry showcase their latest offerings in the exhibition area, and the hottest metal acts take to the stage. As part of Helsinki music shop Musamaailma's instrument clinics, Alexi Laiho will be featured this year in a special interview, on Saturday 20th February.

Alexi goes to Hollywood (well, Anaheim, actually)

The Winter 2010 National Association of Music Merchants Show (NAMM) takes place from January 14th-17th in the Anaheim Convention Centre, California, and Alexi Laiho will be in attendance at 2pm on Saturday 16th in Room 213D to take part in the artist signing session on behalf of ESP guitars. He will also be signing at EMG Pickups, from 4:30 to 5:30.