Alexi Laiho
By Steven Patrick
As far as guitar players go, Children of Bodom's Alexi Laiho has few competitors. His name is often mentioned by metal guitar aficionados in the same sentence as Eddie Van Halen, Kirk Hammett, Zakk Wylde, or Dimebag Darrell. Laiho's technical skill with the electric guitar is unquestionable, as are his vocal abilities and knack for complicated musical arrangements. Children of Bodom's sound falls somewhere between power metal and black metal with guitar/keyboard duels being a primary fixture. The band got their name from grisly murders that occurred at a lake bearing the name of Bodom. Consequently, death is a major topic covered in C.O.B.'s songs.
The Finnish metal group is currently touring on their latest album, "Blooddrunk," which is the band's biggest selling album to date. Despite being in the middle of a grueling touring schedule, Laiho was kind enough to sit down to answer a few questions.
UW: How would you say "Blooddrunk" is different from your earlier albums?
Well, for example, the one before it ["Blooddrunk] is definitely a lot faster. It's more aggressive, too. I think "Are You Dead Yet?" had more like this darker, mid-tempo…well, not really mid-tempo, but slower feeling in it and this one is definitely faster. Honestly, I'm just so much happier with the songs. It's different because it's better.
UW: You recently won the Dimebag Award for Best Shredder at the Metal Hammer Awards. What was that like for you?
Well, obviously it was a great honor. Yeah, it was cool, dude. I was not expecting anything like that, but of course it's very flattering. But of course you've got to remember that I don't do this shit for awards or anything like that. I do it for the music, but of course it makes you feel pretty good…appreciated. You know, like you haven't been working your ass off for 15 years for nothing.
UW: C.O.B. has played both small venues and large arenas on tours like Gigantour and Unholy Alliance. What kind of venues do you prefer playing?
Well, they're different. There are good sides to playing clubs. It's got more atmosphere, you know? You feel more connected to the crowd, and stuff like that is really important. But then again, you know, you play these arenas like we did on Unholy Alliance or Gigantour…when a venue like that is packed it's pretty f***ing amazing. You know, playing in front of so many people. You know, they've both got their good and bad sides.
UW: You're the principal songwriter in the band. Can you describe your writing process?
Well, I get ideas in my head all the time. I pretty much just need to get them out. I grab a guitar and try the thought out. Once I get the first riff, or sometimes it's the chorus of the song I come up with, then it's like doing a puzzle, you know? I like that…coming up with the next part and then the next part and doing the arrangements and stuff. Usually I have either a whole song or a couple of riffs, you know, and then we just go to the rehearsal place to try things out. The other guys are involved with the arrangements as well, but I do the actual writing.
UW: Each of your albums feature cover songs, some of which are pretty unusual. How many of these are jokes and how many are personal favorites?
*laughs* Some are favorites, but some we're just f***ing around like doing Britney Spears or something like that. You know, the thing is, actually when it comes to, like, my personal favorite music…that's not the stuff I would cover. I mean, first of all, for us it's kind of boring to do a metal cover. It's so much more fun and challenging to take something totally out there, like Britney, or what we did this time around. You know, we did Credence and Kenny Rogers, stuff like that. We enjoy doing something like that, plus we just enjoy f***ing with people. Some people take this s*** so seriously that, you know, if a band like Children of Bodom covers Britney, they get all serious, like, "Oh my God, I can't believe they did that! I'm never going to listen to Bodom again!" And it's like, c'mon dude…get the f*** out of here. It's fun to read their reactions, though. *laughs* It's entertaining.
Children of Bodom will be performing with the Black Dahlia Murder and Between the Buried and Me at the Newport Music Hall on Friday, Oct. 3. Tickets are $22 in advance and $25 D.O.S. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. For more information, please visit www.cobhc.com.
Originally Published: Issue 671 - October 1, 2008
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