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Children Of Bodom: Halo Of Blood

Halo Of Blood is the latest instalment from chief songwriter/guitarist and vocalist Alex Lahio and his Children Of Bodom band mates. And it soon becomes apparent that Halo Of Blood is their strongest release in years, with more Children Of Bodom style metal carnage no matter what the pace. Halo Of Blood is in part a return to what made their earlier albums so revered by many but still not a massive difference from recent outings. So maybe Halo Of Blood will be cause for less division and a welcome release by both the new and original Children of Bodom fans.

The Grim Reaper makes an appearance on the cover of this their eighth studio album keeping the tradition going. Speaking of traditions Children Of Bodom were named after the Lake Bodom murders mystery of 1960 and here they have another Bodom song "Bodom Blue Moon (The Second Coming)".

COB certainly have their own sound it's rare to hear one of their songs and wonder who you are listening to and on Halo Of Blood "Dead Man's Hand on You" is the most different a very slow haunting song that has an infectious potency and Alex mixes up his vocals.

Alex's growls are backed by those gang chants and his compelling guitar work never disappoints. Janne Warman's keys are there though I never feel like there's enough anymore. Keyboards most definitely have a place in their music so call me greedy but I really enjoy his playing and want the opportunity to hear it more up front. When he cuts loose with a solo or unites with Alex's guitar it always sounds great and Halo Of Blood goes someway to fixing this though the guitars are so dominating.

Songs wise the album has many real trail blazers and some slow numbers, starting with "Waste of Skin" and Alex gives a lesson of how to be ever so potent but still melodious on his lethal axe, "Halo Of Blood" is smoking fast in parts with a frenzy of blast beats and if this song is any indication of what COB would sound like if they went Black Metal then count me in. "Scream for Silence" is a such a cool mid paced song the solos while brief fit so well, "Transference" was the teaser they released for this new album and another killer COB metal track, the vibrant but dark feel is irresistible. As is the intro of "Bodom Blue Moon (The Second Coming)" one of the best songs COB have recorded in recent times, the gang chants and Alex's vocals coupled with that COB music is so totally awesome. "The Days are Numbered" is another supercharged metal number while "Damage Beyond Repair" kicks off with a great groove that just gets better, and the band continue to unveil more compelling metal as the album continues.

It is never easy to classify Children Of Bodom as they play more than just melodic death metal, so whatever style of metal it might be the band still continue to do it so well.


Track Listing
1) Waste of Skin
2) Halo of Blood
3) Scream for Silence
4) Transference
5) Bodom Blue Moon (The Second Coming)
6) The Days are Numbered
7) Dead Man's Hand on You
8) Damage Beyond Repair
9) All Twisted
10) One Bottle and a Knee Deep

Added: June 30th 2013
Reviewer: Scott Jessup
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 3269
Language: english

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» SoT Staff Roundtable Reviews:

Children Of Bodom: Halo Of Blood
Posted by Pete Pardo, SoT Staff Writer on 2013-06-30 08:40:05
My Score:

Nice to see the Finnish veterans returning to some of their earlier sounds on the latest CD Halo of Blood. That blend of symphonic melodic blackened death metal is in full force once again here, and for many longtime fans who grew tired of the whimsical approach they started to display a few releases ago, it seems that they are finally back on track. Not to knock the band trying to win over the US market, but with countless tours here in recent years and a few albums that seemed to steer a bit too close to modern metal & metalcore, I think it was a right decision to take a step back and assess just what they do best, and they are back doing just that here on Halo of Blood. Plenty of guitar & keyboard histrionics abound throughout this one, and the songs are plenty heavy and bombastic, which is just want you want from Children of Bodom. Though there is a sort of 'sameyness' on a few of these songs, it's still overall a strong mix of melody, brutality, and virtuoso musicianship, which is all we really want from this band after all.



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