Follow the Reaper

Genius, madness, art: Alexi Laiho is thy name. "Follow the Reaper" represents not only the peak of Children of Bodom as musicians and of Alexi Laiho as a composer: this album perfectly embodies the capability of the human mind to craft something beautiful, original, innovating, unforgettable, memorable, a real piece of art never to be forgotten by the generations to come. Reviewing an album of such calibre is surely no easy task, but as a great Children of Bodom fan, I'll try my best to try to convey at least part of this masterpiece's beauty through my words.

The reason to the success of Children of Bodom, hailed since more than twenty years as real innovators in the world of music and one of the most beloved bands in the panorama of metal, resides in the talent, the genius of their frontman: the legendary Alexi Laiho. This (at the time) young man was capable of mixing extremely different influences and styles (power metal, melodic death metal, classical music, thrash metal, to name just a few) to create a completely new, innovative and unique sound, so inimitable that, still twenty years after the band's foundation, Children of Bodom still stand as a case in its own right in the world of metal.

Indeed, although they're nowadays universally labelled as belonging to the melodic death metal ranks, you won't be able to find a single band coming even close to resemble their style. This album perfectly amalgamates and displays all the core elements and influences of Children of Bodom's music: thrashy rhytm parts, screamed/raspy vocals (according to the case), a strong emphasis put on melody, evident recalls to power metal music, and the adoption of a neoclassical style when it comes to the keyboard and guitar leads. The music is fast, playful, technical, extremely melodic and catchy, pleasantly exuberant and never redundant, always seeking for memorability and originality at the same time, without sacrificing the technical approach even in the slightest, instead, making of the axeman's and lead composer's bravado its main strenght.

The duo composed by Alexi and legendary keyboard player Janne Wirman spends the whole time interweaving beautiful, intricate and gorgeous melodies, adorning stanzas, choruses and bridges, as displayed in each of the nine tracks the platter is made of. Even the solos, with their frequent use of scales directly taken from classical music, result absolutely engaging, su much that you will find yourself eager for more as the album goes on. The lead guitar in particular results incredibly playful and emotional, thanks to the seemingly infinite amount of expressive means adopted, such as arpeggios, tapping, wild bendings/vibratos and most of all a heavy use of pinch harmonics and of the vibrato bar, in a way that would put Alexi as a real innovator in the world of guitar playing and shredding.

The whole lot is complemented by the harsh vocals, perfectly and beautifully opposing the extremely melodic style of the music. Furthermore, this is the album where Alexi started improving his vocals, something that would incredibly benefit the music as a whole. Last but not at least, the production: and honestly, saying it's perfect seems as an understatement. Every instrument finds space to breathe and express itself at its best, resulting in a fantastic, vivid sound. The guitar tone especially, not too polished, crisp and a bit raw, makes all the songs sound even better, and perfectly matches the album's mood.

Speaking of the platter, mentioning only certain tracks seems to me unfair, as each and every one of them is top notch stuff, without the shadow of a weakness or of a filler to be found. But since I have to, I'll just say that the melodies of "Children of Decadence" are some of the most ingenious leads ever written in a metal song; the chorus to "Bodom After Midnight" is something that will never, ever leave your mind after you've heard it, not to mention the melodies played in the meanwhile; same goes for the moshpit-inducing leads adorning the chorus of "Follow the Reaper", while "Kissing the Shadows" possesses the most thrilling and gorgeous solo-battle session I've ever had the pleasure to listen to. Finally, I cannot end the review without mentioning the CD's slow banger, that is, the immortal "Everytime I Die", a song so famous and memorable that it really doesn't need any further presentations.

"Follow the Reaper" is and will always be the supreme peak of Alexi Laiho's creativity and genius as a composer, the band's most accomplished result to date and one of the best and most innovative metal albums of all times. If you haven't already, go and listen to it now: boy, you're in for a thrill.