CHILDREN OF BODOM Frontman Discusses Forthcoming Album

CHILDREN OF BODOM's web site has been updated with a brand new interview with the band's guitarist/vocalist Alexi Laiho in which he discusses the Finnish metal group's forthcoming album, entited "Blooddrunk". An excerpt from the chat follows:

Q: I think we'll just start right away with the new album. Of course it's a bit too early to talk about "Blooddrunk" because I haven't heard the album yet and you don't like to talk too much about your music. I also don't want that you reveal any surprises that will be on it or other things. But maybe you can tell me what's the biggest improvement compared to "Are You Dead Yet?"

Alexi: Well, I guess that "Are You Dead Yet?" has a darker vibe in it and also it was more midtempo sort of music compared to "Blooddrunk". "Blooddrunk" is a lot faster and a kick in your face but at the same time it's very musical with a lot of melodies. And it's pretty catchy. That's what I think.

Q: Would you say that the theme of the album cover represents this attitude?

Alexi: I think this one is definitely pretty fucking hardcore compared to the "Are You Dead Yet?" cover which I never liked to begin with anyway. I just didn't like it... I don't like the whole fucking layout. I mean, it was a cool idea to have some sort of surveillance camera or something like that and everything is sort of blurry but I think it just didn't work out how we planned it on paper, you know? My favorite album cover so far has been "Hate Crew Deathroll" and I think "Blooddrunk"'s cover even tops that one. It's pretty fucking hardcore. You need to look at it for a while though but of course you can see the reaper behind the whole thing. I think it's pretty cool.

Q: This time you also had much more time to compose the songs. Do you think that the songs for "Are You Dead Yet?" were a little bit rushed when they were written?

Alexi: I think one reason that the songs on "Blooddrunk" are better is that we had a lot more time to write the songs but then again what the fuck do I know? Sometimes it goes the other way around. Sometimes you need to do the songs in a short period of time and don't need to think about anything but now we had four or five months. Especially after two years of touring you need some time to chill out and... break some bones. (laughs) But seriously, having some time off and then you can start the whole thing with fresh eyes and I think it turned out really good, so I'm definitely happier with "Blooddrunk" than I was with "Are You Dead Yet?" And this is honest speaking and no fucking bullshit.

Q: Is there something on the album you're really proud of? Or is it the album as a whole? I heard that you said that you're not only very happy with the result but also that it means a lot to you.

Alexi: Yeah, I am definitely proud of the album because it's definitely a good motherfucking heavy metal album and that's the fucking end of story. But it's nothing I would wanna explain any further but it got some sort of a theme... well, not with every song but sort of though. It includes stuff that I have done before and lyrically most of the songs are very fucking personally to me. One day you wake up and realize that you've been a kind of a human being and it's surprising how you can actually come up with so much text to write about. That's why... I think the fact is that you have to live and then you can write. I mean, if you don't fucking live, then you won't get some shit to write about either. That's how it works, at least for me.

Q: "Blooddrunk" seems to be a really heavy album, at least some songs on it. Jaska once told me that one of the new songs has the fastest double bass part he ever played.

Alexi: Yeah, that's what he told me, too.

Q: So, still no commercial mainstream acoustic guitar ballad with clean vocals about a cheesy love story?

Alexi: No... (laughs)

Q: Maybe next time. I guess it was you who came up with the album title "Blooddrunk". Do you decide alone to give an album a name or do you ask the other members what they think of it?

Alexi: Well, I came up with it and I don't really need to ask the other guys because they trust me when it comes to the album title and stuff like that. Usually they ask me what the album title will be and I don't need to sound like a fucking dictator or anything because it's just some certain responsibilities. When it comes to me then I take care about the music and lyrics but there's a shitload of other stuff for the whole band to take care off and that's the stuff they do. I trust the other guys when it comes to handling the business side and they trust me when it comes to album titles and the music. That's just the way it works and that's just the way it always worked before.

Q: Were there other titles than "Blooddrunk" that you had in mind for the album name?

Alexi: That was the first one that I came up with and I knew that this was the one.

Q: Is there a special reason why you called the album like that? The title "Are You Dead Yet?" was very personal when you asked that question to yourself standing in front of a mirror. So, was there a story behind the new name, too?

Alexi: Yeah... I mean, it's pretty much what I told you before. The song "Blooddrunk", for example, is about when you're addicted to spill around blood and this doesn't necessarily mean stupid shit like cutting yourself what I used to do. I mean, I don't do that shit anymore but I used to fucking cut myself, you know? But it's also in other ways, like within the last two years I have fucking hurt myself more than ever and I figured that I have some fucking addiction to hurt myself so bad (laughs) and that's what the song is about.

Q: The words "blood drunk" actually appear in the movie "300". But I guess there was no relation to that, right?

Alexi: I've seen the movie but I've heard it before that, even in other movies. I think it's just some sort of expression and it fits, you know? But yeah, I've seen that movie, too.

Q: OK, can you tell me some new song names? So far "Tie My Rope", "Blooddrunk", "Pray For The Devil", "Roundtrip 2 Hell And Back" and "Good Morning Roadkill" are known.

Alexi: Well, actually you got the old song titles, nowadays the name of one song is "Smile Pretty For The Devil" and the other one is called "Roadkill Morning", so that you get the song titles right.

Q: I see... well, then it was some wrong information in the Internet.

Alexi: Well, when does the fucking internet know anything anyway (laughs)? If you read some fucking shit from Blabbermouth, then never trust it.

Q: I hope the BODOM title will be cool. Actually I'm still waiting for the day when you call a BODOM song "Bodom, Bloody Bodom".

Alexi: Hmm, it could work, yeah... (laughs)

Q: Did you already decide the track listing on the album, which song will be the opener, etc.?

Alexi: Yeah, that's already done and the opening track is called "Hellhounds On My Trail".

Read the entire interview at this location.