Metal Review – Children of Bodom – Relentless Reckless Forever (2011)

March 03, 2011   Mike   4 Comments

Metal Review - Children of Bodom - Relentless Reckless ForeverIt has been 3 years since the release of 2008’s Blooddrunk by Finland’s Children of Bodom. While I was not the biggest fan of Blooddrunk, it did have some nice tracks on it, and overall, it was still a solid release that would have been massive for any other band outside of Children of Bodom.

Children of Bodom has their own unique sound that not many can duplicate. They are definitely on the technical side of the Melodic Death Metal subgenre of metal and make heavy usage of keyboards in their music. While I am not a big fan of keyboards in metal, Children of Bodom has always had a very nice mix with their songs. Of course, Alexi Laiho is simply an exceptional guitar player that is very underrated by many metal fans.

With the release of Relentless Reckless Forever, I was licking my chops to hear some of these new songs. A few had leaked early, but I finally got my hands on the full CD. From the outset, I was not overwhelmed with the opening track, Not My Funeral. It had the typical Children of Bodom sound, but did not have much that made it stand out from the crowd of what has now become a whole lot of Children of Bodom songs. Sure, there were great vocals and a few nice riffs, but it did kind of sound like the same old Children of Bodom song that we have all heard.

The second track on the album, Shovel Knockout, definitely made me take notice. From the opening bass riff to the intricate guitar work that comes in to the all-out onslaught which follows, I could tell that Shovel Knockout was going to be a standout. This is a very fast-paced vocal melody for the verse, which ended up becoming more melodic. There are some great lead fills and the solo is a knockout, especially the end of the solo before coming back into the song.

Pussyfoot Miss Suicide opens up with one of the best riffs that I have heard in a long time. The song of littered with some amazing riffs, although it is a song that seems a little disjointed. I wish that it was a little more standard and just followed the great groove that they had going on with the opening riff. Overall, it is a very solid song though.

Relentless Reckless Forever is a track that has a ton of solid riffs as well. The chorus is just pure power with a ton going on, but it just sounds right. The strength of this track lies within the riffs though. The same can be said for the song Ugly as well.

From a few listens, I am really liking Relentless Reckless Forever right now and I have a feeling I will rank this one up there pretty high on my lists of favorite Children of Bodom albums. There are a ton of amazing riffs on this release, which I think was the problem with their previous effort.

Relentless Reckless Forever Tracklist
1. Not My Funeral
2. Shovel Knockout
3. Roundtrip To Hell And Back
4. Pussyfoot Miss Suicide
5. Relentless Reckless Forever
6. Ugly (Download)
7. Cry Of The Nihilist
8. Was It Worth It?
9. Northpole Throwdown

Children of Bodom Lineup
Alexi “Wildchild” Laiho – Vocals, Guitar
Roope Latvala – Guitar
Janne “Warman” Wirman – Keyboards
Henkka T. “Blacksmith” Seppälä – Bass
Jaska W. Raatikainen – Drums

Children of Bodom will release its new album, “Relentless Reckless Forever”, on March 8, 2011 via Universal Music. Recorded in Finland’s Petrax Studios with famed rock producer Matt Hyde (Slayer, Monster Magnet), the CD is the seventh studio album of COB’s illustrious career and the first new record from the band since 2008’s “Blooddrunk”.

Children Of Bodom (Band)

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  • Thanks for reading. I may have sounded too harsh on Blooddrunk. I am not a hater of the album in any way. You mentioned Lobodomy. That is one of my favorite COB songs from any album. Yes, you are correct. There were plenty of nice riffs from both albums, but there was something about Blooddrunk that sort of let me down (from COB standards). I will say that, while I think that Alexi is an amazing player, we cannot put him in legendary status just yet. He may get there someday, but legendary, to me, makes me think of players like Rhoads and Gilmour.

  • Cas

    i think this review is good although some of your remarks werent right in the sence that the album sounded the same as the usual and also Blooddrunk had no amazing riffs ? try the first track Hellhounds on my trail, or even Lobodomy. Blooddrunk kicks ass, and so does the new release. and Alexi is more than just an exeptional, he is a guitar legend. all in all its an alright review

  • Thanks for the comment. Let me tell you, I keep listening to it and am liking it more and moor each time. They really knocked it out of the park.

  • sparky

    I think the album is great too. It does seem to have a hardcore influence, but what the hell…its done quite well. Alexi has played the some really beautiful solos like in UGLY or SHOVEL KNOCKOUT or even Cry of the NIHILIST. Roope’s soloing is also highlited and he has provided a Alexander-Kuoppalla-ish rhythm section. Jaska and Henkka do excell with some interesting work, which may probably outshine what they have done in Blooddrunk. Last but not the least, Janne wirman’s insane speed and technicalities r at their peak. Every song has such good lead sections from him. And the downfall/Mask of sanity type crystal sounds he provides is really great for the melodic aspects of the album. Overall, a really really enjoyable release. Keep up the counterblast! \m/