Children of Bodom
Are You Dead Yet?

THE REVIEW

Children Of Bodom, a band that in the late '90s was frighteningly talked about, offering a genre that was absolutely innovative, energetic, but at the same time extremely technical and impactful, in 2005 releases, after the excellent "Hate Crew Deathroll," the controversial "Are You Dead Yet?".

An album that decidedly and especially definitively marks a clear change in the band's sound. Although there were already some hints of different sounds in the previous album, it was almost imperceptible because it was overshadowed by the melodic imprint that has always distinguished them, and which continued to prevail though to a lesser extent.

"Are You Dead Yet?" presents itself as an experiment by the band in search of a unique and always new sound, a choice absolutely not to be criticized, regardless of the quality of the album itself, given that after 4 albums that more or less maintain a common style, it is natural (almost obligatory at times) for the artist to constantly try to "innovate" their own style.

This is evident right from the first song, "Living Dead Beat", and even from the first moments of the song, with a keyboard intro never heard before among the masterpieces of Children Of Bodom ... an intro that strikes especially for its style, abandoning the old canons of Children Of Bodom and moving towards a more "electronic" style. It is followed by the title track, "Are You Dead Yet?", one of the best pieces on the album. The third, "If You Want Peace Prepare For War", has a not very convincing start, redeeming itself with a good dose of heaviness and melody. "Punch Me I Bleed" almost seems to confirm that the Children Of Bodom of "Hatebreeder" are no more, but if you get accustomed to this new sound, it's not bad.

"In Your Face", unlike the previous one (at least at the start) gives hope for a "melodic return," thanks to its catchy intro, but then aligns with the style of the other songs... Very accomplished nevertheless. From one extreme to another, "Next In Line" is surely one of the least successful of the album. While "Bastards Of Bodom" might seem to have the worst intro, it picks up later. The work concludes with "Thrashed Lost & Strungout" and "We're Not Gonna Fall", the first very beautiful from every point of view, while the second might not make much of an impression but is very, very catchy from start to finish.

And this is "Are You Dead Yet?", the culmination of those dark and evocative melodies that characterized Children Of Bodom for years and the beginning of a new style, still to be mastered and experimented with. A style characterized primarily by the style of the keyboards, abandoning that melodic timbre that has always set them apart, especially in songs like "Downfall", "Bed Of Razors", "Towards Dead End", and embarking on influences that somewhat recall Industrial. Even the riffs are less melodic, but more violent and marked, with many Thrash influences, the vocals, always in scream, are however less powerful and scratchy compared to albums like "Hatebreeder" or "Follow The Reaper".

The solos are an element ALMOST unchanged; the technique and skill are not lacking, but they are less harmonious and more "dull," and overall, everything can only be amplified. At first impact, "Are You Dead Yet?" therefore mostly appears as a weak, dull, dry album, almost a disappointment, that does not offer much to the listener, despite proposing a completely new sound, this innovation seems not to hold up against previous albums, some considered true masterpieces, although it contains good songs. On a second listen, this new sound may seem interesting, experimental, but unfortunately, still not up to the previous works.

We can only hope that over time, Children Of Bodom will manage to evolve this sound into something even more innovative and majestic, so as to once again offer us true masterpieces as in the past.