Children of Bodom
Something Wild
Nuclear Blast
Excellent Viking metal! Plenty of Manowar warrior imagery, blitzing guitar solos, AMAZING keyboards leads and awesome vocals form a young man calling himself “Alexi Wildchild.” This, at least for me, brings speed metal up to another level, where the keyboards really work. I mean, Children of Bodom sound like they recorded in an old church (before they burned it, I suppose) and laid down the most evil church organ riffs they could. The result being “The Nail,” that fuses Bach’s “Toccata and Fuge in D Minor” with hybrid death metal percussion and guitar work worthy of mid-80’s Metallica. “Deadnight Warrior,” “In the Shadows,” and “Red Light In My Eyes” all let the hysterical keyboards of one Janne Wirman take the lead, the effect has to be heard. This rocks the walls of the mightiest of cathedrals. “Touch Like Angel of Death” finishes off the album with a crescendo of Bach, Mike Oldfield and blitz-polka metal. A triumph! Nuclear Blast America, P.O. Box 43618, Philadelphia, PA 19106; http://www.nuclearblast-usa.com
