Little more, little less.

In a few words, that's how I would define "Relentless Reckless Forever," the latest album by Children of Bodom released just a few days ago.

From my words, you can infer my point of view: over these years (since '97 if I'm not mistaken), Children of Bodom have undergone a process of change and "smoothing" (if this word exists, since Word marks it as an error) in their creative capacity, slow and steady. From album to album, the differences are noticeable in the nuances, and by now COB have grown from the first "Something Wild". And after all, I believe a radical change in musical direction is now difficult; the COB brand has long become an integral part of modern metal.

Moving on to this latest creation, I would say there are no big surprises, neither positive nor grim. But there are small adjustments and nuances that distinguish it from its predecessor.

First of all, I would say that the keyboards are scarcely used and are limited to creating long red carpets where all the other instruments dance on top.

The drums are, as always, essential but not bland, and with one adjective, I would define them as "claviculating" (if this word exists, since Word marks it as an error).

The voice of our blonde hasn't changed a bit in ten years, and this time is no exception... I'm not saying it's bad, in fact I like it, but it has been incredibly static for a decade.

The bass is used sporadically and in few episodes, but like in previous albums, it just (when the blonde deems it right) extends long red carpets (instead of keyboards... they often take turns) where all the other instruments dance together on top (this time even the keyboards dance).

Finally, I would define the entire electric guitar setup as stable since "Are You Dead Yet?": the solos are a bit too showy and excessive with a neoclassical background (as always) and the rhythms are dampened and varied (as always too).

But there are also some positive aspects that I have encountered.

First and foremost, I would say that their creative ability has matured just right finally. And among the songs, you can find references to many of their previous albums. In particular, I have encountered (happily) scenes more progressive than usual. COB have always included rhythms or passages with irregular cadence, but this time they also extend to the chorus, the choirs, the keyboard solos... I found a lot of things played off-beat and with medium difficulty slowdowns, moreover, it's quite clear that the tracks are the result of deep research, the melodies blend well and every day you'll want to listen to them again... Let's just say, for this aspect, I am very pleased.

A very strange thing is that there is no song dedicated to BODOM, which has practically tormented all albums periodically, except for this one obviously. I don't know, I almost thought it was a satanic ritual for the evocation of the drowned souls in that lake, but maybe I was wrong. After "Lake Bodom", "Silent Night, Bodom Night", "Children of Bodom", "Bodom After Midnight", "Bodom Beach Terror", "Bastards of Bodom" and "Lobodomy" the chain breaks, are we entering a new era for the children of Bodom? Who knows...

The absorption of this work is high (as with every COB work), although there are few songs and everything measures only 39 minutes. But I can assure you that it has kept me glued to the iPod for a week now.

Ultimately, I would say it's an album definitely worth listening to, after all, we are talking about Children of Bodom, and anyone into metal who has encountered them in their life has come out enchanted and captivated by such technique and the unclassifiable and transcendent genre. But let it be clear, as stated from the beginning, you won't be either enthusiastic or disgusted by this latest work.

Speaking of "indecipherable and transcendent genre": to make you all happy, I'll just put the tag "Metal", so we'll avoid debates balancing for almost half a decade.

(If you want to listen to my theory: COB lie on the "Centroid" of an equilateral triangle. The vertices of this triangle are respectively "Melodic Death", "Black" and "Neoclassical". This way we also get rid of this Power which I find stupid (think of Stratovarius alongside COB). In fact, I consider them more Neoclassical than Power, both for the solos and the rhythms and for the moderate use of keyboards (like in Neoclassical) and not principal and essential (as in Power indeed).)

(attached is an excerpt of "Shovel Knockout" which I find interesting at least vocally)

I hope you enjoyed the review and especially the album in question.

By LuGrezzo

Tracklist and Videos

01   Not My Funeral (04:54)

02   Shovel Knockout (04:02)

03   Roundtrip to Hell and Back (03:46)

04   Pussyfoot Miss Suicide (04:09)

05   Relentless Reckless Forever (04:40)

06   Ugly (04:13)

07   Cry of the Nihilist (03:30)

08   Was It Worth It? (04:05)

09   Northpole Throwdown (02:54)

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Other reviews

By Digirock

 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.

 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.