Children of Bodom Album: “Hatebreeder [PA]”

Deffinately a must own for any fan of melodic death/thrash/speed metal with a classical influence. After putting this cd in my cd player, I cant take it out. CoB are all teenagers, but the music they produce is purely unbelievable. Lead guitarist/vocalist pulls off riffs and solos that would make any proffesional jelous and he is 19 for god's sake. Keyboards fit in very nicely as well and the double bass drumming sound like machine guns are going off through out all of the songs. Deffinately a classical influence there as well and you will know what I mean when you hear the guitar solos. Note that the vocals are death metal vocals, and there are no clean vocals here what so ever. The faint of heart need not apply but a deffinate must own for any metal fan who enjoys that extra heavy push that just makes you want to mosh and bang your head non-stop. If you love In Flames and other melodic death metal bands you will love Children of Bodom as well. Do yourself a favor and get this album now, while you are at it, check out CoB's first album(Something Wild) also a great masterpiece.

Children of Bodom's sophomore effort shows how much they have matured since their first release. With "Hatebreeder", CoB have accomplished the perfect sound for their band, that is both appealing to fans of neoclassical and death metal, and that is very original.

"Hatebreeder" is an album that shows how much potential Children of Bodom have. Showing obvious influences by such classic heavy metal bands as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, Children of Bodom introduce their own way of playing the classical leads in the new century. Their combination of speed/neoclassical metal with death metal sounds great, and with the vocals very fitting for the type of music, this record is a one of a kind.

The musicianship of the band's members is better than most of the so-called "pros". When hearing the solos on this album, it's hard to believe that the person delivering those amazing solos and riffs is also the band's vocalist. The song and music writing is nothing short of great. Metallica would kill to be able to write the intense riffs accompanied by the most wonderful solos since Iron Maiden.

All in all, "Hatebreeder" is a must-have album for the fans of melodic death metal (In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, At The Gates, etc). But every metal fan should enjoy this record, and recognize the mighty force that Children of Bodom will become in the near future.

I've always liked Children of Bodom. Ever since I first heard the opening lines to Warhearts back in the day I've been a fan. "From now on we are enemies, you and I." Of all the albums CoB have released this is probably their best, as it was released before they experienced the massive influx of fans that they now have. The sound is true Bodom without other influences. Children of Bodom's combination of sweeping keyboards, hyperspeed guitars and solid rhythm section truly make Hatebreeder an album to remember.

Alexi Laiho, despite looking like a girly pretty boy much of the time, is a metal machine, belting out his signature vocals and guitar runs with pinpoint precision. You have to admire him for his love of music, as he dropped out of school to play in his own band he created. Now this might have some sort of correlation with the lyrics... I don't know if it's because English is not his native language (although he does love the word f*cking, which you would conclude if you have ever seen them live) or because his education in school was limited, but CoB's lyrics for the most part are pretty shallow and ridiculous. I really like the thrash influences Alexi puts into the guitar parts, as the shredding really goes well with the scales and melodic solos that are dispersed throughout the songs.

I'm not a fan of keyboard in most bands (for example I'm not a huge Nightwish fan) but for the most part CoB uses them properly. It does bug me, however, when they use effects to make the keyboards sound like a guitar. If you want to have a guitar sound, play a guitar instead of simulating one. That's the same reason real drummers are better than drum machines. You just can't imitate the real thing.

The bass playing on the album is a definite high point, and I love it when bands give the bass an empty space for them to showcase their sound. There aren't many things cooler than a naked bass line at super speed. Bass has always been a strong point in Children of Bodom, from Something Wild all the way up to Hatecrew Deathroll (or Trashed, Lost, & Strung Out, if you consider EP's)

It's really hard to classify CoB under just one category. Some call them Black Metal, (which they are not, although they have influences) while others say they are Melodic Death (also possible, as they play with melodies and keyboards a lot.) Personally I don't know where to place them. (Their CD's are between Immortal's and Nile's in my CD collection, if that makes any sense.)

The CD is a little on the short side, with only 9 songs coming in at 38:06. This is fine though, as CD's like this (much like Slayer's Reign in Blood) tend to work best when they are not to long. 38 minutes gives you enough time to thoroughly enjoy what the album has to offer, but not so long that it gets boring and repetitive. Usually I enjoy the shorter albums (30-50 minutes) more, as that prevents the album from getting repetitive and boring (this is still possible if the band sucks...) Epic albums do have a place in metal however, but the sound, the setting, and the mood all have to be properly implemented to ensure a memorable experience.

I highly recommend this album to everybody who has been sitting on the fence deciding whether or not to listen to Children of Bodom. If you want pure CoB, give this album a chance. If you want to start with something a little more easily accessible though, I suggest giving Hatecrew Deathroll a shot first.

\m/ Enjoy

I've never been so keen on death metal until COB made their debut. I liked Something Wild but when I heard Hatebreeder I became a fan immediately. It was far better than their previous with superior songwriting, better production, better performance... better in every aspect. Songs are extremely catchy, well played and constructed. It's like Laiho knew what it took to make me love this album so much. Hatebreeder is one of those albums (Sentenced's Down included) that totally absorbed me into listening it for many months in a row. Every day I had to take the cd for several spins so I would not turn unhappy.

Every song is a killer, but these are my very favourites:

"Silent Night, Bodom Night" fantastic rhythm guitars and beautiful melodies, haunting chorus and awesome mosh pit session before the solo, quite mellow track.

"Hatebreeder" heavier and faster, killer chorus and insane solo!

"Bed of Razors" a bit like "Silent Night..." with mellow and melodic touch, surprisingly lyrics are love related.

"Downfall" a lot heavier than all above but very melodic with nice keyboards and crunching riffs, not again to praise Alexi's amazing solo.

After listening to this album you can't deny the talent of Laiho and the band for composing some of the best melo-death metal songs ever with a performance out of this world. I recommend Hatebreeder to get first if haven't heard the band before. It's the tightest package from COB with best songwriting and soloing from Laiho. Buy it now or you're Better off Dead!!

Children of Bodom manage to make baroque music fun and headbang-able. I do not find any particular Iron Maiden influence, actually; I think they differ from other Nordic melodic extreme metal bands (In Flames, Dark Tranquillity) in that respect. This is pure fast, cerebral baroque music set to heavy metal instrumentation and harsh, wild vocals. The music is reasonably complex, but more in the harmonic sense than in the rhythmic department. What can be said is that it has an inimitable sense of melody. You will find yourself involved in this music straightaway, and it is impossible to divert one's attention wholly until the album has run its course. It is "catchy" and "entertaining," yes, but this is intelligent entertainment (whatever the silly title of the CD). Your mind (and body) will respond to its compelling intricacies. The only complaint I have about this CD is that it is too short, clocking in at under 40 minutes. A few more molten tracks of "death classical" (as I like to call it) genius and this could compete with Nevermore's "Dreaming Neon Black" for album of 1999.