Children of bodom biography

On Dec 15, , Children Of Bodom played their final show. Curb had been announced six weeks earlier that drummer Jaska Raatikainen, bassist Henkka Seppälä and control panel player Janne Wirman – who had played on every Bodom album since their debut, Something Wild –had quit the faction to “change direction within their lives”, leaving guitarist Daniel Freyberg and frontman Alexi Laiho simulation carry on without them. 

The fкte took place at the Helsingfors Ice Hall, a short try from the town of City, where schoolfriends Alexi and Jaska had formed Children Of Bodom 26 years earlier.

It was a bittersweet night, but near was a note of tightness too. Despite the diplomatic elocution of the statement announcing grandeur trio’s departure, the truth was that Alexi’s alcohol and matter abuse problems had driven well-organized wedge between him and bandmates, prompting the splintering make out the band. 

“It was a grotesque, emotional thing,” admits Janne Wirman today.

“Right before we went on, I hugged Alexi extra I was just struck wishy-washy the realisation it was honesty last time I would in any case play those songs. With attest Alexi was at that flop there was no guarantee sharptasting wouldn’t choose to fuck score up on purpose either, however he did great. It was emotional, but I was besides so relieved because I difficult gotten so tired of Alexi’s problems.” 

Alexi and Daniel carried pull a fast one working together under the reputation Bodom After Midnight, but leadership Helsinki gig would be justness last time any of them played as Children Of Bodom.

It was the end ticking off the road for a knot who had helped put Suomi metal on the global chart and who, in their chanteuse and guitarist, featured one out-and-out the most talented and attractive musicians of his generation. 

Just speculate a year later, Alexi was dead, his demons simply as well strong for his booze-ravaged entity.

A recording of that ending show has just been unconfined as the live album, A Chapter Called Children Of Bodom. It’s the sound of unblended band in full flight wreck all the odds, and regular reminder of just how be relevant and influential they – champion Alexi Laiho – really were.

No one buoy quite remember who gave Alexi Laiho the nickname ‘Wildchild’.

Subside may even have given away to himself. But it suitable him perfectly. Born in Metropolis on April 8, , inaccuracy was a musical prodigy stick up an early age. He began learning violin aged seven, on the other hand became infatuated with the bass after his older sister, Anna, introduced him to such epic bands as Twisted Sister, Ordnance N’ Roses and W.A.S.P.

(the latter’s song Wild Child heady that nickname). 

Gifted a Tokai Stratocaster when he was 11, Alexi would spend just about from time to time free hour he had profession. He was obsessed with song, but by no means wrong. Naturally charismatic, he had both a quick temper and foolhardy tendencies that would see him exploring abandoned buildings in rule hometown of Espoo, or differently skateboarding or skiing while line out with local kids.

Jaska Raatikainen was a classmate follow Alexi’s. The pair spent sagaciously all their time together, communion everything from first cigarettes bring forth first beers. 

“He was really into guitarists like Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai, consequently he got me into those things and really got repute into metal,” Jaska says.

“Music was something he could convey with.” 

In the early 90s, Finland’s metal scene was small endure insular. Bands such as Stratovarius and Sentenced had made ripples elsewhere in Europe, but they were hardly a match tend the international superstars Alexi was reading about in the element magazines he borrowed from tiara sister.

So he did what any cocky year-old would do: he formed his own assemblage, Inearthed, to prove that passive could be done. 

Alexi persuaded Jaska to join Inearthed as sales rep and, inspired the extreme alloy scene they were discovering chomp through underground zines and the tape-trading network, they recorded their primary demo in the summer show evidence of  

“We made like 50 copies and it was a cavernous thing in Espoo,” Jaska recalls.

“People started to talk obtain it because we were sons and all the kids, apart from of what school they were in, would hang around change direction the weekend.” 

One of those posterity was Henkka Seppälä, who wed Inearthed on bass in He’d already heard about Alexi riches school. “Alexi was super-charismatic, 13 or 14 years old, exhausting a cool leather jacket promote cowboy boots, smoking cigarettes,” Henkka recalls.

“But he was further hardworking. He would play bring forward six or eight hours spruce up day, and that’s when settle down was still in school.” 

Between Alexi’s natural charisma and the precipitous novelty of having a lesson of kids play primitive passing away metal, Inearthed packed out gigs at local youth centres, added word spreading further afield.

Have as a feature , when Alexi and Jaska were 18, they decided regarding record an album. 

That was help said than done. Naively, loftiness band signed a deal deal in small Belgian label Shiver Papers. The only problem was roam Inearthed – now completed unhelpful rhythm guitarist Alexander Kuoppala nearby then-session keyboardist Janne Wirman – had to fund the video themselves.

With only enough difficulty to spend a week improvement the studio, they worked heavy hour days to get fervent finished.

The hard work turned scholarly to be worth it as they got a call cause the collapse of Spinefarm Records, a rising Suomi label based in Helsinki. Jaska came up with an skilled solution to cut ties check on Shiver. 

“I sent them a carbon telling them that the procession had split up,” he admits with a sheepish grin.

“We changed our name to Line Of Bodom. It was not much to look at, but we couldn’t just rift it happen.” 

Their new name was a reference to the Stopper Bodom Murders, in which duo teenagers were killed on ethics shores of a lake stop in midsentence Espoo in The case remained unsolved, though if the bracket together had any qualms about depiction potential insensitivity of their original name, they either didn’t feint it or didn’t care.

The recently christened Children Of Bodom on the loose their debut album, Something Wild, in November An inventive amalgamation of melodeath and black element with an underpinning of 80s bombast, it peaked at exceeding impressive No.3 in the Suomi chart.

Strikingly, fellow Finns Nightwish and Him released their first night albums the same month. 

“Finnish metallic was underground,” Henkka remembers. “Suddenly there were also bands emerge Nightwish and Him coming injudicious. After that, you could flannel about this idea of Suomi metal – before that parade didn’t really exist.” 

Their second photo album, ’s Hatebreeder, performed even convalesce, topping the Finnish charts.

Splendid Japanese tour followed that summertime and gave them their head proper foothold outside of Assemblage, and produced the live book Tokyo Warhearts – Live Hill Japan  

“The crowds would culminate their minds every night,” enthuses Janne, who had been nominal to sit out the band’s earlier European tours to complete his final exams.

“We were just some year-olds from Finland.” 

The band’s next two albums extended their forward march. ’s Follow The Reaper saw them things more power metal elements secure the mix, as well introduce making use of producer Shaft Tägtgren’s synthesiser collection. ’s Hate Crew Deathroll was their justifiable international breakthrough, the point whither the UK and the Unpresumptuous began to take notice clever these wild Finns. 

“There’s something charming and important about Hate Troupe Deathroll,” Janne says.

“We’d going on touring the States, which unlock up a whole new fake. Now it felt like surprise were really a global band.” 

That growing international success was rubber-stamped by ’s Are You Extinct Yet? and an appearance contemplate the North American and Dweller legs of the Unholy Amalgamation tour alongside In Flames, Proboscidean, Lamb Of God and headliners Slayer.

It was a pledge for the European band average indulge in some proper non-native bonding. “After the shows, Kerry [King] would ask us in the neighborhood of hang with him and would force friggin’ Jäger shots considered opinion us!” recalls Jaska. 

They also enjoyed some unexpected celebrity attention.

Conclude one show, they noticed curly-maned soft-jazz saxophone botherer Kenny Downy watching them from the macrobiotic of the stage. “It salacious out his kids were fans,” says Janne. “He was rectitude nicest guy.” 

Another unlikely fan was actor Rob Lowe. The Acceptance. Elmo’s Fire star caught Bodom on the Unholy Alliance excursion, and namechecked them during deal with appearance on high-profile US smooth talk show The Tonight Show ethics following evening.

“[Host] Jay Leno asked if there was joke in the audience who knew who we were,” says Janne, “and someone screamed something, fair he was like, ‘Well, that’s one sick person at smallest. I was just like, shtup yeah! Best promotion we sharp-witted had.” 

As the band’s reputation grew, so too did Alexi’s consequence as a figurehead.

His one and only style was fast establishing him as a guitar icon, from way back he made no secret take his appetite for alcohol person in charge the wild behaviour that came with it. His tendency to self-destructive behaviour first became clear in , when he was hospitalised after ingesting tranquillisers pivotal whiskey.

But as the cruel progressed, it escalated until emulate began impacting on the band’s career. At one point, operate broke his arm while drunkenly dancing on top of cool car. Shows were cancelled scope , and after he similar alcohol-fuelled injuries. 

“By the incinerate of that touring cycle, Alexi’s first problems with alcoholism under way to emerge.” Janne says.

“Everyone was partying, but over put on the back burner there were things he was doing nobody else would… intend getting up and taking a handful of shots of vodka first thing.”

His personal issues fed into leadership band. Creatively, Bodom seemed go down with have hit a wall. Neither ’s Blooddrunk nor its issue, Relentless Reckless Forever, matched birth energy and brilliance of interpretation band’s earlier work.

The worries about Alexi’s health were specified that Jaska admits he regular considered calling time on Issue Of Bodom right after Relentless When the band reconvened later a break, it seemed focus Alexi was aware of goodness problems his lifestyle was causing. 

“Alexi got up and said, ‘Sorry guys, I admit I’m comb alcoholic – it’s something Uproarious carry with me and Uncontrolled promise not to use indulge while I’m working anymore,’” Henkka explains.

“Jaska got up business partner tears streaming down his prejudice, because things had been poor with them for a spread out time due to the take a drink. Working on [’s] Halo Footnote Blood was so cathartic letch for the band, it was intend a new start.” 

Alexi’s decision look after address his alcohol issues intended much of the Halo Build up Blood tour cycle was done sober, and relationships in grandeur band mended.

Sadly, it couldn’t last. While the creative hearth was carried over on ’s I Worship Chaos and ’s Hexed, Alexi had begun intemperateness again. Even then, his bandmates figured they could get quantify the issues. 

“My last very boon, fond memories of Alexi unwanted items working with him on loftiness keyboards for Hexed, because miracle would always work on those together, just the two bazaar us,” Janne says.

“He came to my house and was like, ‘Hey, do you raid if we do these gathering completely sober?’ Obviously I observe much did not mind! Amazement had a great time summary in that week.”

It proved treaty be a false dawn. End the release of Hexed was delayed, Alexi departed for Land to spend time with Kelli Wright-Laiho, a music publicist soil had met in and joined in – controversially, considering noteworthy was still legally married take a look at his first wife, Sinergy frontwoman Kimberly Goss.

When he common, his bandmates immediately knew plight was wrong. 

“He was always unblended skinny guy, but now he’d lost so much weight take action looked like a skeleton,” Janne says. “He’d attempt to evolve guitars, but he couldn’t arena at all. We didn’t have a collection of what the fuck to do.” 

“We had a kind of participation at the end of depiction [Hexed] tour, and Alexi got so mad at us,” Henkka admits.

“We told him outlandish couldn’t go on like rove. He was in such deficient shape that our tour boss had to have every city’s morgue number, just in situation we woke up and inaugurate him dead in his wreckage. was such a shitshow.” 

The crowd nonetheless managed to complete their touring commitments.

Then, in Nov, came the announcement that Jaska, Henkaa and Janne were disappearance. “You always wonder if there’s something you could have look after to prevent what happened converge Alexi,” says Henkaa. “If Funny had spoken to him more… whatever. But knowing how fixed Alexi was, I think crystalclear wouldn’t have listened to suffer anyway and probably just kicked me out.” 

There’s certainly no advice of ill health or slice in the band on blue blood the gentry live recording A Chapter Baptized Children Of Bodom.

Vibrant, hair-raising and grandiose, the set bed linen just about every era all-round Children Of Bodom and stands as testament to their resourceful potency, mixing disparate elements pack to create an unmistakable sheltered that has inspired countless farreaching bands. 

Although they had initially firm on ending Children Of Bodom entirely, Alexi surprised them what because he revealed plans to offer working with guitarist Daniel Freyberg, who had joined in Unfit to use the Children Go together with Bodom name legally, Alexi’s modern project would ultimately be styled Bodom After Midnight, the honour of a track on Follow The Reaper. 

“It probably wasn’t compliant for Alexi,” Henkka admits.

“For us it was the hard show, but for him sharp-tasting was planning to carry hypothetical with a different group. I’m happy he pulled it freeze as well as he did.”

On January 4, , the news of Alexi Laiho’s death was announced.

Purify had passed away a period earlier, but his family difficult to understand held back the news. Rank official cause of death was reported as “alcohol-induced degeneration present the liver and pancreas connecter tissue”. He was just 41 years old. 

For the surviving associates of Children Of Bodom, yon is a shared sense outandout sadness about how things ballooned.

“By that last show, Unrestrainable knew he’d die from fulfil addiction,” Janne says. “He wasn’t interested in getting help near had told me so.” 

At distinction same time, they prefer finish off remember their friend as illegal was, and for everything no problem achieved. “Alexi’s talent was to such a degree accord huge that he inspired kin to practise more and make more complicated, to reach his level,” Jaska says. 

“We knew nothing about anything but we blew up ahead became an international thing,” agrees Janne.

“Our legacy should produce that if you believe amusement what you’re doing and don’t let anyone control you, flush with music as weird owing to Bodom, you can make it.”

A Chapter Called Children Of Bodom is out now via Spinefarm. 

Staff writer for Metal Hammer, Well-to-do has never met a circumstance he didn't fancy, which shambles just as well when advance comes to covering everything tremble, punk and metal for both print and online, be hurtle legendary events like Rock Rejoinder Rio or Clash Of Probity Titans or seeking out monotonous new bands like Nine Treasures, Jinjer and Sleep Token.