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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Blooddrunk: Still essential Bodom!, April 19, 2008
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.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
All for none, and none for all, April 17, 2008
Bodom is back, and yes, it is good. I have been the hugest fan of Bodom for the past few years, with Follow the Reaper being my favorite album. And while I liked AYDY? more than most people, I was hoping that Bodom would put forth a better record this time around. Despite my high expectations, the album has not disappointed at all, especially my favorite tracks Hellhounds on My Trail, LoBodomy and Tie My Rope. Definitely a must for all metalheads.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Still Wild!, July 17, 2008
It's hard to believe Finland's wildest export Children of Bodom are already on their sixth studio album. Even though Something Wild 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 Hate Crew Deathroll 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.
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