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Rating: 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.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
02 Are You Dead Yet? (03:54)
Don't hear, don't deem
Drown in before you dive
Don't care, commit
To your self destruction drive
I kiss the ground with
Love beyond forever
Flip off the sky with
Bleeding fingers till I die
Enemy, take a one
Good look at me
Eradicate what
You will always be
Your tainted flesh
Polluted soul
Through a mirror I behold
Throw a punch, shards
Bleed on the floor
Tearing me apart but
I don't care any more
Should I regret or ask myself
Are you dead yet?
Wake up, don't cry
Regenerate to deny the truth
The fiction you live
In blindfold your eyes
Disclosure, self loathing
This time you've gone too far
Or could it be, my nemesis
That you are me?
Enemy, take a one
Good look at me
Eradicate what
You will always be
Your tainted flesh
Polluted soul
Through a mirror I behold
Throw a punch, shards
Bleed on the floor
Tearing me apart but
I don't care any more
Should I regret or ask myself
Are you dead yet?
03 If You Want Peace... Prepare for War (03:57)
Pain ain't even really what you wanna be
5 feet under seeing your humanity
The opportunity to divide
the opportunity of being apart!!
Soon be there, the moon in the sky tonight
We're burning on a purified
Smash your face and then I beat it down
Are we really gonna die
Get up and fight, release your rage, come on and fight
Standing straight faced, it is your fate, calling my name
Calling me pain, and if you stay, you'll bite the scythe
Waiting for you I want to just tell you
If you want peace, prepare for war
Fuck!
Get up and fight, release your rage, come on and fight
Standing straight faced, it is your fate, calling my name
Calling me pain, and if you stay, you'll bite the scythe
Waiting for you I want to just tell you
Get up and fight, release your rage, come on and fight
Standing straight faced, it is your fate, calling my name
Calling me pain, and if you stay, you'll bite the scythe
Waiting for you I want to just tell you
If you want peace, prepare for war
04 Punch Me I Bleed (04:51)
From the reign I’ve built
Of shame and guilt
I go back and take a look
At myself and what
I have done so far
At the bridge he’s lying
Waiting till light
No choice to go
Back where, he was
Okay to us
You’re to come
And save me
Going down I walk
My way till now
Deep to the obscurity
Obliterating you in every way
With my life’s insanity
Battered up again
I’m going right inside
Curled up on the floor
Wonder ways to kill the pain and
What doesn’t kill you
Will only make you pissed off
Sweep back to kill
You can't make it go away
So let's, take a shot at me
Just when you punch me, I bleed
Going down I walk
My way till now
Deep to the obscurity
Obliterating you in every way
With my life’s insanity
-Solo-
No choice to go
Back where, he was
Okay to us
You’re to come
And save me
Going down I walk
My way till now
Deep to the obscurity
Obliterating you in every way
With my life’s insanity
06 Next In Line (04:19)
Let me tell you to try
What did you tell yourself
Another day goes by
Tell me why does [??]
So this is why
We're falling down
The...
I am the chosen next in line
Sent to slaughter your mankind
Rip the souls, born to die
No reason for you to fight
What is this for?
I to say
And we leave
I am the chosen next in line
Send to slaughter your mankind
Rip the souls, born to die
No reason for you to try
I am the chosen next in line
Send to slaughter your mankind
Rip the souls, born to die
No reason for you to try
09 We're Not Gonna Fall (03:25)
Woah yeow
They try kicking and screaming as loud
Contation break us apart
Will not control us they wont hold you down
I'm sorry give my life to you
Another day of falling down your way
Pushing and screaming cause
they thought it might be right
Hey
Take my hand and fly
Will you never be that tall
Don't you be afraid
We ARENT* gonna fall
Did you think
I'd let you mix it up
Give me a reason bitch
You're gonna f**k it up
Hey
Take my hand and fly
Will you ever be that tall
Don't you be afraid
We ARENT* fall
Hey
Do you believe in what we've got
Try it, one shot
We stand once and for all
We're not ARENT* fall
[Solo]
Well you thought you had the authority
To slay, kill the minority
Together we stand tall
Not gonna crash, not gonna fall
Did you think I'd let you mix it up
Give me a reason bitch
I'm gonna f**k you up
It's real, into the charge
At the end we're standing up
10 Somebody Put Something in My Drink (03:19)
Somebody
Somebody Put Something In My Drink
Somebody
Another night out on the street
Stopping for my usual seat
Oh, bartender, please
tonic's my favorite drink
I don't like anything colored pink
That just stinks...it's not for me
It feels like somebody put something
Somebody put something in my drink
Somebody put something
Somebody put something
Blurred vision and dirty thoughts
Feel out of place, very distraught
Feel something coming on
Kick the jukebox, slam the floor
Drink, drink, drink, drink some more
I can't think
Hey! What's in this drink?
It feels like somebody put something
Somebody put something in my drink
Somebody put something
Somebody put something in my drink
Somebody put something
Somebody put something in my drink
Somebody put something...in my drink...in my drink...in my drink...in my drink
So you think it's funny
A college prank
Goin' insane for something to drink
Feel a little dry
Oh, I couldn't care what you think of me
Cause somebody put something in my drink
I can't think
Hey! Give me a drink
It feels like somebody put something
Somebody put something in my drink
Somebody put something
Somebody put something in my drink...
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Other reviews
By AndJusticeForAll
'Are You Dead Yet?' is a very technical album, but it doesn’t resonate.
The solos lack feeling, they are uninspired.
By Masahiro
With 'Are You Dead Yet?' the Children of Bodom take another step forward, reaching what they did not achieve with 'Hate Crew...'.
You will hardly forget the choruses of 'Are You Dead Yet?', 'Trashed, Lost & Strungout', 'We're Not Gonna Fall'.
By 100x100 HELL
The chorus of 'Are You Dead Yet?' stuck in my mind and every day I sing it to the point of exhaustion.
The CD is magnificent and certainly, in my opinion, the best after 'Hatebreeder'.
By Painkiller
"Are You Dead Yet?" is a great album, with some tracks that deserve to be listened to over and over again, however, it fails to live up to the masterpiece "Hatebreeder."
The title track reaches its peak of cruelty and violence in the chorus... leaving you perplexed in a good way.
By Alexandrino
A great job, guys, with ultra-powerful and gritty tracks at extremely and damnably warlike rhythms!
If after 8 years you’ve never heard it WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU WAITING FOR? ... BREAK YOUR EARS!!!!!!
