By Kelley Simms
SONS OF THE BALTIC
unsolved Lake Bodom murders in Finland,
what interested you in the case?
Alexi Laiho: We all grew up in the same suburb where that lake is, so we were familiar
with the story even before it went back on
the news. It is a fascinating and creepy as
hell story since the killer never got caught.
Mosh: “My Bodom (I Am the Only One) is
another take on the Lake Bodom theme.
How do you approach each theme-based
track and keep presenting it in a fresh
approach?
Alexi Laiho: For example, “My Bodom" is
written from the killer's point of view, kinda
like looking at the whole mess through the
killer's eyes the morning after everything
happened.
Children Of Bodom's Alexi Laiho
Photo: courtesy of Children Of Bodom
F
innish melodic death metal stalwarts,
Children Of Bodom (COB), have
rebounded nicely on their ninth fulllength release, I Worship Chaos. Though
some COB’s recent material has been somewhat substandard, 2012's Halo of Blood found
them emerging from a creative lull. On I
Worship Chaos, vocalist/guitarist Alexi Laiho
took creative control of the band. Despite
the loss of longtime guitarist Roope Latvala,
Chaos is a solid record, even with Laiho
recording all the guitar parts. Hailing from
Espoo, Finland, COB grew up immersed in
the mystery of Finland's still-unsolved 1960
murders at Lake Bodom. Naming their band
34 illinoisentertainer.com march 2016
Children Of Bodom seemed like a natural
choice, as guitarist Alexi Laiho explained to
IE.
Mosh: As we “speak,” you’re performing on
the 70,000 Tons of Metal Cruise. Have you
played the event before and what’s the
whole experience like?
Alexi Laiho: Yeah, we've done that cruise
before. Its pretty rad as a concept, but there
are always a lot of technical issues during
the shows. But I’d say everything went better this time around.
Mosh: With the band name based on the
Mosh: I Worship Chaos is a great album
from start to finish. What was your mindset
while writing and rehearsing the album?
Alexi Laiho: I always try to go out of my
way to not think about anything when I start
writing new music, because that’s the only
way to keep it fresh and genuine. But of
course, there are certain things you need to
think about, mostly what you can do better
or what not to do. That’s why I always listen
to our previous albums before I start writing. Keeping your head clear is the key. You
just write what comes out naturally and
hope for the best. I don’t believe you can
please people intentionally when it comes to
creating something new.
Mosh: “I Hurt” is a great way to kick off the
album. Was it an obvious choice for albumopener and how hard is it picking the track
order for an album?
Alexi Laiho: “I Hurt” was a pretty clear
choice for an opener from the get-go. But as
far as the whole track order goes, it’s a bitch
to put together because I see an album as a
whole as opposed to just a fistful of songs.
Maybe I’m old school that way, but it’s very
important to me.
Mosh: Your cover art has always depicted a
cool perspective of the grim reaper in oneform or another. What were you going for on
this cover (created by Tuomas Korpi)?
Alexi Laiho: The reaper kinda just stuck
around after the second album. It’s definitely become a part of the band. With this particular artwork we just went for sort of a
post apocalyptic vibe. Basically, it’s a picture
of what Lake Bodom would look like after
the end of the world. But they're just cool
pictures as far as I’m concerned, they never
had or will have any "hidden messages" in
them.
Mosh: Guitarist Daniel Freyberg recently
replaced Roope Latvala and will be joining
the band on its upcoming tour. How has he
been fitting in to the lineup so far?
Alexi Laiho: So far he's been doing a great
job. He's a hard working dude who's
extremely committed to this, which I appreciate. And he's played in touring bands
before so he knows his way around the
stage.
Mosh: You're on a great bill in Chicago on
March 17 with Megadeth, Suicidal
Tendencies and Havok at The Aragon
Ballroom. What do you like about the other
bands on the bill and playing in Chicago in
general?
Alexi Laiho: I grew up listening to both
Megadeth and Suicidal, so I’m super stoked
for this tour! Chicago has always been a
good crowd for us, even when we first
played there in 2003, so I’m looking forward
to it for sure.
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