Disco de Children of Bodom: “Blooddrunk [Bonus Track]”

I would like to say this album is not a bad album. There are a few songs that stick out, but Blooddrunk is bodom's weakest album yet. I love the thrashy side of bodom, but they completely abandoned their neo-classical/metal sound on this album. Something about it feels empty. All the previous bodom albums i've played over and over after my first listen, but no songs really grab me on this album.

Now on the good side the guitar and keyboard work is amazing on this album. some of the best solos and harmonies bodom has done, but thats all that really stuck out to me is the solos. The songs also have to be catchy and strong! this is a very good metal album, and if this was a new band i'd give it 4 stars, but fact is this is children of bodom, and they are missing something on here IMO. well its worth a listen, but as a bodom fan i'll stick to hate crew and follow the reaper....

Children Of Bodom's sixth studio album proves to be quite a treat. "Blooddrunk" follows the release of "Are you Dead Yet?" with amazing intensity. Many long time fans will argue that "Are You Dead Yet?" took Bodom into a new mainstream direction with mostly catchy mid-tempo tracks and lacked the intensity of earlier releases such as "Hatebreeder" and "Follow the Reaper". Well the intensity is back but the vintage neo-classical style is still gone. Never the less there is a lot to like here with some really impressive tracks that hold up well even when up against the juggernauts from the aforementioned "Hatebreeder" or "Follow The Reaper" albums which set the standards extremely high.

Hellhounds On My Trail - Excellent opener that sets the mood for the rest of the album. It did not appeal to me at first, but it does grow on you. Thrashy beginning which develops into a menacing beat after the great solo. 4.5/5

Blooddrunk - First single off the CD. 4/5

LoBodomy - Technical track which has some depth to it. Nothing spectacular though and seems to be one of the weaker tracks on the CD despite the great solo and interludes between Alexi's guitars and Janne's keyboards. 3.5/5

One Day You Will Cry - One of the best songs on the CD. Amazing atmospheric intro which develops into a great beat and continues onto one of the most impressive solos on the whole album. 5/5

Smile Pretty For The Devil - The first song that was recorded for the CD. Straightforward Bodom song that develops into a great keyboard groove at the end after the lengthy battle. 4.5/5

Tie My Rope - Great song with complex guitar work. 4.5/5

Done With Everything, Die For Nothing - One of my favorites off the album. The song has a scorching beat to it and showcases Alexi's vocals very well. There are some really deep growls and a phenomenal chorus. 5/5

Banned From Heaven - The slow song on the album similar to "Angels Don't Kill" or "Everytime I Die" from their earlier albums. Has a very eerie feel to it and provides an excellent change of pace. 5/5

Roadkill Morning - Very fast track yet still melodic. Great album closer. 4/5

There are evident influences from the several bands that Children of Bodom have toured with in the last few years. Lamb of God and Slayer instantly come to mind when looking at such tracks as "Hellhounds On My Trail", "Blooddrunk" and "LoBodomy" where their influences can be heard throughout the entire songs. This is where the album develops a certain feeling of thrash. As a whole "Blooddrunk" feels a lot thrashier compared to their earlier works which were a lot more neo-classical. Whether this is a good transition or not depends on the listener, but it does loose some of their unique style and feel.

Although this review may come off as negative, it is only in the context of Bodom's previous work; any other band this would be a five star album! Give it a chance you might like it if you approach it with an open mind, but most importantly give it time as most great thrash albums take a lot of listens to grow on you.

It's hard to believe Finland's wildest export Children of Bodom are already on their sixth studio album. Even though

debuted more than a decade ago, and COB has been around long enough to have inspired several imitators (Norther and Skyfire to name a couple), they still seem like the same brash young upstarts who so dynamically challenged the metal status quo with their unique blend of death, black, thrash, and power metal.

Part of what keeps this image alive is that every new COB album still captures the energy and fire of this amazing band, and 2008's Blooddrunk is no exception. Blooddrunk is a completely intense album full of lightning fast riffs, amazing solos, those trademark Wirman keys, and Alexi Laiho's screaming vocals. It absolutely holds up to previous COB albums, and reminds me of

in particular. Same COB sound, same COB attitude. Of course this consistency means you really aren't seeing that much progression in the band's style from album to album, but this is one of those bands where you really don't need a lot of progression. They figured out a winning formula early and it continues to work for them to this day.

I can't see how any Children of Bodom fan could be disappointed in Blooddrunk. It is vintage COB, and proof positive that this band is still a force to be reckoned with.

NOTE: I'm a collector at heart, so I had to spring for the more expensive Deluxe Edition of Blooddrunk, which comes in a nifty digipack with a bonus DVD, even though I'll probably never watch the DVD more than once. The main reason I bought the Deluxe Edition is that the regular CD contains another soon-to-be- legendary Children of Bodom cover song. This time it's an absolutely furious version of the old cowboy classic Ghost Riders in the Sky that I don't think anyone could have seen coming! There was also an insert with a code to download some free COB songs from previous albums, which I thought was an especially cool bonus for new fans that might not be familiar with the band's earlier albums.

Children Of Bodom did their homework when they made this album. I really have no complaints. everything on this album works with each other, sorry to get off the subject, but 2008 seems like a promising year for metal, whether it is here in the USA or overseas. I hope the next album they release has lyrics with it. this is a cool release.

In 2000, Children of Bodom struck gold when they recorded their best album "Follow the Reaper" and followed it with the equally impressive "Hate Crew Deathroll" in 2003. Since that point, however, their two releases have been sloppy and uninspired in comparison.

"Blooddrunk" does a great job in retaining the stunning guitar and keyboard solos that Children of Bodom have used throughout their recording career, but have surely sacrificed other portions of their writing. The song tempos have slowed down, the drumming gets weaker by each release and the lyrics are still as poor as they always were (but the delivery is amazing).

The standout tracks on the album are Hellhounds on my Trail, Blooddrunk, Banned From Heaven & Roadkill Morning which all offer the more classic Bodom stylings. One Day You Will Cry and Tie My Rope are decent songs that have good instrumental mid-sections but lack the assault that you are used to from Children of Bodom. The rest of the songs on the album are simply filler that would have been left on the cutting room floor on other releases.

As to the DVD that comes with the CD, it is very weak. The 5.1 Surround mix is, like the music, okay at best. The video for Blooddrunk is kind of interesting but the making of the video portion might as well not even be on there. It is a couple moments of talking, then clips from the video itself followed by people blowing baking flour on things to make them look old. To watch that, you might as well just watch the video itself again.

As difficult as it is for most bands to evolve with their music over time and still sound good, Children of Bodom are doing it but are barely getting a passing grade in doing so. This ability escapes most metal bands, but maybe Bodom can be more convincing on their next release.