ROCKET REVIEW: CHILDREN OF BODOM – “Halo of Blood” (CD)

Finnish melodic death metal act CHILDREN OF BODOM have released Halo of Blood via Nuclear Blast Records in 2013. It is the eighth studio offering by the band. Producer Peter Tägtgren (Dimmu Borgir, Amon Amarth) is at the controls and the melodic death outfit seems to want to be taken seriously again after the recent lackluster albums they have released.

The record starts off with the high energy “Waste of Skin, the title track “Halo of Blood” and the keyboard heavy “Scream for Silence”. The latter no doubt being filled with the coolest guitar playing at this point. Alexi Laiho on lead vocals and guitar shreds the microphone and lead solos as well as he ever has. Drummer Jaska Raatikainen backs up the rhythm section with a constant pummeling.

My favorite tracks are “Transference”, which has a killer groove to it, and the highly technical guitar shredding on Bodom Blue Moon (The Second Coming) is stellar. Even the keyboardist Janne Wirman throws down some serious ass kicking on the keys during this head slammer. The next tracks on the album are the black metal sounding “Your Days Are Numbered”, the somewhat stagnant “Dead Man’s Hand on You”, and the solid as all hell “Damaged Beyond Repair”. Ending with the redundant sounding “All Twisted” and “One Bottle and a Knee Deep”. I would certainly admit COB’s Halo of Blood is well above average but just not good enough to call a classic. It is awesome to see that the band is back to taking themselves seriously again. Now we will just have to see if this leads them back in the right direction as far as their future output is concerned.

TMD
TMD

ROCKET REVIEW:
[starreview tpl=16]
CHILDREN OF BODOM – “Halo of Blood” (CD)
(Nuclear Blast/2013)

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

http://www.cobhc.com/