Customer Reviews

Blooddrunk

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Finnish thrashers Children of Bodom follow up their last album with what sounds like a sequel of sorts - Blooddrunk. This is not alluding to a second offering of Are You Dead Yet? per say, but the songs are eerily similar in style and lyrical content. You could probably swap songs from one album to the other without much of an evident difference, even taking the song titles into account. Is this a negative? No, but it's not necessarily a positive. Children of Bodom have arguably slumped in the studio the last couple albums (In Flames is another similar heavy hitter arguable of doing the same), but the results on record depend on your point of view. Do you enjoy something dark and brutal? Or do you enjoy something slightly catchy, but heavy? If you answered the latter, then Blooddrunk is for you.

While the band's sound has changed to some extent, you can still expect the usual sounds from albums of old - double bass drums and keyboards all over the place, Alexi Laiho's technical prowess on guitar, and spine-tingling anthems in general. Children of Bodom carry on to play as intense as hell in songs like "Smile Pretty for the Devil" and "Roadkill Morning," but on the other hand have lessened the pace to allow for manageable head banging in songs like "Done with Everything, Die for Nothing" and the title track "Blooddrunk." The majority of the album is keyboard-laden, which is no surprise, but not absolutely necessary. Although, the guitars and keyboards do have a few appreciative tangos at times. Keyboards or not, Blooddrunk is a ladder rung above the last album and is a step in the right direction for a true Children of Bodom revival.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I have always been a really big fan of Children of Bodom. But I think the one thing that has always been sort of a put off as far as they are concerned has been their rather in-your-face use of the keyboards. I know it makes them unique and is something that is common to this genre, but it has always been a tough pill for me to swallow. Almost like something I simply tolerated.

I'm happy to say that while the keyboard sections haven't been toned-down, they do seem to fit in much better with the music this time around. That was the first thing that won me over.

Once I wrapped my head around that, I realized that the music on this disc is some of the heaviest stuff COB have ever done. It certainly is a lot different than their earlier work. It doesn't have that neoclassical vibe that COB had when they first came onto the scene.

Now things are just a tad slower, a tad heavier, and in my opinion, a tad better. I know that a lot of COB diehards will disagree, but I think this style suits them much better. For whatever reason, this cd gets my head nodding. Can't say that has ever happened with any other Bodom release.

My thinking is that touring with acts like Lamb of God had a huge influence on Alexi. I can see twinges of Mark Morton and Willie Adler in Blooddrunk.

But anyway, to sum up my already short review - this cd is very different than COB's past releases. What you get are songs that are a lot shorter and a bit less complex, but backed with more memorable and crushing riffs and solos. Going into this with an open mind, and not expecting to hear lake bodom pt. 2, I can't see how any heavy metal fan can be disappointed.

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.

This album is excellent. It's short, but packed with amazing riffs and fascinating solos and melodies. It's certainly different from other releases, but I enjoy the new stuff they've done here. There are riffs and solos which stand out clean like on a power metal CD, then sort of trashy, rougher sounding melodies in other parts on the same song. I do miss the neo-classical shredding from Hatebreeder and Something Wild. I also miss the blast beat drumming. However, something from the earlier albums which seems to have made a strong return is the more free-flowing songs. So in other words, the beginning and end of the songs don't tie in an relate to each other all the time. This way the songs are less predictable and keep me curious and listening for more surprises. I'm really impressed with COB for having a slightly different sound on this album, trying a few new things, throwing in some old, proven elements, and making a product this is really great!

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.