And now decades later ...

" ... the waters of Bodom
turn a blood shade of red
As the Children Of Bodom
take their last breath"

June 5th marked the 50th anniversary of Finland's most notorious, and still unsolved, crime: the murder of three young campers on the shores of Bodom Lake in 1960 - the location of the incident which would lend its name to one of Finland's most successful heavy metal bands.


Despite the grim happening, the area around Bodom Lake is beautiful and remains a popular place to visit for walkers and those who like to fish. Even fifty years after the event, Bodom murder tourists still show up each summer, to take pictures and to search through the muddy lake bottom with metal-detectors for the elusive murder weapon.


The murders have remained unsolved despite the fact that a few years ago the police were nearly positive that Nils Gustafsson, the only survivor of the gruesome attack, had committed the killings of his friends. He was finally brought to trial in 2005, but was found not guilty on all counts ...

Suffering for his art

Alexi Laiho is often seen in a wide variety of metal magazines, but for their interview with him in the May edition of Finnish magazine Image, a strikingly different portrait of the COB frontman graced the front cover. In the interview, Alexi revealed the frustrations (and resultant injuries!) of writing new songs for the band's forthcoming 7th studio album.

"Alexi Laiho lifts his bandana from his forehead. From under is revealed a long, bloody wound and a big bump. What has happened? The rock-star sits at home on his couch in Vuosaari, Helsinki and speaks:

'Sometimes I’m such a fucking idiot, seriously. Last night I was working on this one riff and thought I’d just invented the best and coolest thing ever.'

Laiho was sincerely happy and thought that this was going to be something very cool for the next Children of Bodom album. Then he started to hesitate. The riff sounded vaguely familiar. He began to go through his cd-collection.

'It turned out that it was some riff from Pantera, it was somewhere in my subconscious. I got so pissed off that I drank every drop of alcohol I could find from here. And after that I smashed one of our gold records into my head.'

And that wasn’t the end of it.

'Then I was so fucking drunk and I became anguished by the shards of glass. I started to vacuum and stumbled over the vacuum cleaner pipe and fell against the wall.'

Laiho shakes his head and sighs. 'I don’t take anything in this life as seriously as making an album and sometimes I take it a little bit too seriously. I guess I would need some kind of therapy. There’s no sense in this whole thing.'

No. There is no sense in smashing a gold record to your forehead, but exactly because of that passionate attitude, 31-year-old Alexi Laiho is one of the best guitarists in the world."

Thanks to COB forum member Celeb for translation

Horns up, Finland!

After an 18-month world tour, Children Of Bodom took a well-earned break at the end of last year, before beginning work on their seventh studio album. As Henkka reported recently, the band now has a new rehearsal space, which allows them to rehearse whenever and for as long as they wish, and they're currently enjoying getting together and jamming Alexi's latest ideas. The studio is booked for early summer, but before then, there was a treat in store for COB's Finnish fans, when, to prove they were not forgotten in all the recent globetrotting, the Hate Crew took to the road in April for a 3-date Finnish mini tour.


Kicking off, fittingly perhaps, on Alexi's birthday (the crowd, of course, sang Happy Birthday to him while he sipped a celebratory drink!) the first stop on the tour was at Pakkahuone, Tampere. The band were relaxed and enjoying the occasion: "they were all in a good mood; Janne was telling jokes about the Tampere dialect ... he put on a granny-style bra and commented that he was worried that some grandmother somewhere would be shocked to discover her undies had been stolen".

Happy Birthday to me! Alexi toasts himself onstage

Janne gets in touch with his feminine side

At one point, Alexi managed to confuse the band by introducing a song in the wrong order: "Blooddrunk and One Day You Will Cry were played in a different order ... I was standing next to the FOH table and had seen the setlist. The next song was supposed to be Blooddrunk, so when Alexi began introducing 'a song that has never been played in Tampere before' I was confused. There was a tiny, silent moment on stage ... then Janne told Chiddy to play the intro to the next song, One Day You Will Cry, because 'suprisingly, Alexi messed up the setlist'!

Of course, not having played live for a while, the band may not have been quite as tight as usual, but in Jaska's case at least there were additional mitigating circumstances: "Jaska told the audience that he was really nervous before the gig because his back was operated on 5 months previously, and he feels that his legs are not yet functioning as well as they should".


Some felt that it wasn't the band's finest performance ever: "I must say the gig wasn't COB's best ... they didn't play that well, but in Jaska's case I understand", while for others "the gig in Tampere was freaking awesome ... it really was one of the best I've seen. The band looked like they were enjoying it and so did the crowd." And certainly the setlist found universal favour:

"They played Kissing the Shadows, which they'd never played at Tampere, and also Chokehold (Cocked N' Loaded) which isn't played much anymore. I was very pleased when they played Everytime I Die. I hadn't heard it live in years. It was a nice surprise, too."

"Nice setlist ... good to see Silent Night Bodom Night back in"

"The setlist was great ... I was quite surprised about some of them, but in a good way"

"I loved the setlist: Kissing the Shadows, Downfall, Silent Night Bodom Night, Hate Me, Angels Don't Kill ... all my favourites were there"


As K-Man commented, "the show went exceptionally well and the guys really had a blast". The general concensus certainly seems to have been that it was "an awesome show".


Onwards then to Oulu and Vuokatti, the latter being virgin territory for the band. Here the response from the audience was somewhat underwhelmed - "kinda lame crowd, and not just for us, but all the bands, but the boys had a good time", and for K-Man the Oulu show, as far as the crowd went was "the best (wow!)" - respect, Oulu!

So, mini tour over, the band boarded their orange Nightliner bus back to Helsinki, and now we wait ... summer's coming and that means the new album gets a little bit closer. Henkka has promised some studio diary updates and in the meantime there'll be those summer festival appearances to look forward to ... good times!

Gallery





Photo credit: Celeb









Photo credit: Sergey


Special thanks to K-Man, and to valkokukka and Celeb (COB Forum) and Ronja for their on-the-spot reports and info

Intro: Studio Julmahuvi's Roudasta Rospuuttoon
Outro: Mötley Crue: Girls, Girls, Girls

Musikmesse 2010

Alexi took time out from writing COB's forthcoming new album and travelled to Germany last month, to take part in a signing session for ESP Guitars, along with Gus G from Firewind and Michael Paget from Bullet For My Valentine, at the annual Musikmesse trade fair, held in Frankfurt.


Photo credit: ESP Guitars


Unlike its US counterpart, NAMM, Musikmesse is open to the public on the final Saturday, and there were plenty of fans waiting in line to get the frontman's signature and photo. And after the session, a little partying at Champs Sports Bar was in order for Alexi and friends, as our pictures show.

Photo credit: ESP Guitars




Thanks to Kristen Mulderig for permission to use these photos

Hungary for more

Children Of Bodom have been confirmed to appear at one of the largest-scale events in Europe, the Sziget Festival, which takes place between August 11-16 on Budapest, Hungary's Hajógyár Kikötö (Shipyard) on the Danube River's Óbudai Island.



And it seems that Hungary just can't get enough of the band: an exhibition entitled From the Land of Metal Music has just opened at the Budapest Museum of Ethnography, presenting one of Finland's best-known cultural exports - heavy metal. The event focuses primarily on the bands Amorphis, Nightwish and Children Of Bodom, who, as the Museum's curator comments, create new musical styles from their own traditions and adapt international music trends in a Finnish way. The exhibition includes band t-shirts, branded accessories, CD artwork and products related to concert tours. The exhibition is connected to another held last year, entitled "What are Finns like?", and runs until 9 May.

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