Children Of Bodom
Relentless Reckless Forever

I recall a snippet from an interview with a fairly well-known producer where he stated something like: "I like working with emerging bands; when a famous band calls you, it's because they've run out of ideas a long time ago".

Unfortunately for the Finnish Children Of Dodom, the phrase fits perfectly. Not only because the group enlisted an external producer, specifically Matt Hyde, but also due to the lack of ideas that seem to have been missing from Alexi & Co.'s house for some time.

Already in 2008, "Broodrunk" cast a shadow over the band. The intentions of the album were perhaps to return to a slightly more direct sound after the modernist temptations of "Are You Dead Yet". In fact, the 2008 album turned out to be a misstep, not only compositionally but also in terms of reception; old fans did not find the originality and spark of the past, and those won over by the previous work (especially in the States) were left baffled by the sound's "drought".

The new "Relentless Reckless Forever" (a slightly less adolescent title would have been more appreciated) unfortunately does not escape the problems that plagued its predecessor.
The feeling is of a band that, out of fear, inertia, or a genuine loss of ideas, is afraid to place its feet in a single recognizable and especially credible direction. The newborn from the Bodom house appears disoriented and uncertain, and its parents have attempted to cover these deficiencies with a bombastic title and production (as usual).


01. "Not My Funeral"

Already the opener poses some dilemmas. If you open a mediocre album with a not-so-great track, things don't add up right from the start. There are echoes of the past here and there, but it's not enough. The mix of old and new appears quite bland, and even the brisk pace seems tired and sluggish. The harmonies do better, but the song's profile remains low.

02. "Shovel Knockout" 

The beginning of the track is not bad, but it loses its grip as it progresses. It tries to play the mannerism card, and despite the excellent leading riff, the melodic part smacks too much of "already heard".

03. "Roundtrip To Hell And Back"

One of the better tracks, though far from being a masterpiece. It presents itself as a mid-tempo armored with fairly effective harmonies. However, the chorus and the section that follows are of little impact, and the solo, while virtuosic, lacks expressiveness and hobbles the track.

04. "Pussyfoot Miss Suicide"

Apart from the lousy and puerile title, it has a good opening, albeit marred by not-so-successful sudden accelerations. It tries to play the card of the guitar and keyboard duel, but the past is gone, and the solution is barely pleasant.

05. "Relentless Reckless Forever"

Unfortunately, yet another excellent riff not developed properly. It gets better as it progresses, but the fit is poorly executed. A missed opportunity for what could have been one of the highlights of the album.

06. "Ugly"

Another powerful start failing to provide constant tension throughout the track. Acceptable but excessively derivative, the melodic part of the track. A shame for the good speed-rooted riffing.

07. "Cry Of The Nihilist" 

Gives the impression of being an atypical piece more than it actually is. The riffing is highly mannered, but the song as a whole doesn't seem to work, and once again, the melodies are trite and predictable.

08. "Was It Worth It?"

The first single presented to the world, which we've had ample opportunity to get to know. "Was It Worth It" is a "passable" track sung by a filtered voice. It's good for a party-song (as Alexi himself defined it). Good guitar playing accompanies decent solo parts.

09. "Northpole Throwdown"

Perhaps the best track of the entire work and the one that shows the greatest similarities with the past, which it tries to rework. The clear thrash influences naturally and seamlessly marry with effective, undoubtedly Nordic-style keyboards. The guitar-keyboard challenge takes us back for a few seconds to when C.O.B. were at the top of their class.

What is disappointing is that there are elements in the album different from the past, but they are poorly exploited and developed. A careful listen also reveals how Alexi's playing style (a hallmark of the group) now consists of "atonal" licks, whereas in the past, neo-classical solutions were adopted. The pieces are now more intricate than in the past, but not structurally, mind you, but in the riffs' framework and harmonies that now don't always seek the immediate effect.

Yet what innovation there is gets drowned in a sea of confusion and stylistic derivation, as if the group were undecided whether to play "new" or "old-school", and fails even to find an ideal point of mediation. 

What would be desirable from the band is not a forced return to the early works, ignoring the intrinsic and necessary changes of the musicians. The old works "simply" worked because they were well composed. The parts that made up the songs were exciting for different reasons (including the technique, something in which the Finns seem to have even regressed), and everything was heterogeneous but perfectly mixed. Even works like "Hate Crew Deathroll" and its successor had their reason for existing in the updating of a still recognizable original style and spirit.

What we can hope for Children Of Bodom is to retrieve any compass to navigate the stylistic mazes and lead them on the least tortuous path possible.

In the meantime, I consign "Relentless Reckless Forever" to the sands of time, conscious that sooner or later, Lake Bodom will shine again, once more attracting strange shadows to its shores.