Follow the Reaper

Every now and then an album comes along that makes you stop and play it again, just to be sure that it is as good on the second listen as it was on the first. "Follow the Reaper" is one of those albums. Its not flawless, but there are no weak or filler tracks and certainly no indication of the change in style that Children of Bodom underwent after this release.

"Follow the Reaper," like Children of Bodom's prior releases is a speed metal/power metal hybrid with black metal, sometimes blackened death vocals. Keyboards are used not only to create the dark atmosphere of the album, but also for solos, sometimes dueling with the lead guitar.

"Follow the Reaper" goes full out, balls-to-the-wall right from the start. After a brief (9 seconds) spoken word intro, the title track immediately kicks off with the keyboards and an infectious riff that draws you in. From there to the end of the album, the fantastic guitarwork and the keyboards create a sound that both defines and is defined by Children of Bodom.

By far the spotlight of this album is the solos. Mini solos and full fledged solos abound, in every song. My personal favorites are the solo near the end of 'Kissing the Shadows' and the one in the title track. Regardless of which song or where in the song the solos are, Laiho's skill consistently shines, leaving the solos both blisteringly fast and catchy. You'll find yourself backtracking just to hear some of them one more time. Thats not to say that other bands don't have infectious, blazing solos- its just something about the frenetic way Laiho attacks the guitar combined with the accompanying keyboards and the equally frenetic drumming and *gasp* audible bass parts.

Aside from the solos, the general musicianship is tight. The drumming is good and not overdone, the bass can be heard and contributes greatly, and the keyboards sync quite nicely with the guitars.

The vocal style fits quite well with the music. Laiho's relatively distinct, high pitched raspy growls and shrieks compliment the blazing music it accompanies. The lyrics for the most part are kind of silly, but then again Children of Bodom (and most metal in general) really isn't known for the greatest or most poetic lyrics you'll ever hear, and it certainly doesn't detract from the greatness of the CD. MY only real complaint with this album, however, is that Laiho doesn't have the power behind his vocals that some other metal vocalists- its not that they sound weak, its just that sometimes it seems that they are a little strained.

As a entire cohesive unit, all aspects come together and form what is one of the most enjoyable, I dare say fun, metal albums I have ever heard. There are no real weak spots, and the minor ones that are present are almost negligable when compared to the album as a whole. Truly, this is the pinnacle of Children of Bodom's career- marginally better than Hatebreeder (Laiho's vocals seem to be a little better on this album than on Hatebreeder) and miles better than "Are you dead yet?" and "Hate crew Deathroll."