ALBUM REVIEW: Children Of Bodom – Hexed

Here I review the brand new album of one of my favourite bands CHILDREN OF BODOM which is out today on Nuclear Blast Records!

1. The Road fires right into things with classic era style Children Of Bodom riffing that is immediately captivating and loveable with the band drawing in on total strength. The guitar melodies and grooving drums along with Alexi’s signature scream all feel like something from one of the bands earlier albums like “Hate Crew Deathroll”. Keyboard solos brought this even more into the realm of classic COB and I truly have high hopes for this album, with a beginning this great it may even be their best release in many years. This opening song was beautifully nostalgic and totally fantastic.
2. Under Grass and Clover has been a song I listened to many times since the single was released. Drawing in with gorgeous synths and grooving riffs, all backed up by punchy drumming. The song drops into some “Relentless Reckless Forever” styled techno rhythms but with the soaring Melodeath style of the band remaining intact. The chorus is chilling and followed by some killer thrashy attacks that are exciting, drawing back into the main melody beautifully after some skilful solos from the guitarists and keyboards. Another fine piece of truly astonishing neoclassical Metal mayhem.
3. Glass Houses pulls out so much ferocious riffing from the very onset with contrasting keyboard that feel icy and the overall groove of the song is intense. Within the catchy and blistering Heavy Metal there is some melancholy but also a truly energetic sense of life that feels like the band have truly rediscovered themselves, playing with such a wonderful sense of confidence. There are some nice sleazy riffs, clearly drawn from Alexi Laiho’s love of 80s bands, adding a nice new dimension to the release. Excellent.
4. Hecate’s Nightmare opens with eerie keyboards and powerful drum kicks, the haunting atmosphere is increased by thunderous bass guitar and feels incredibly dark. This is certainly a stranger song for the band, trying something totally new which is a necessity for such a long-running career and it really pays off with a chilling delivery of some more experimental and eerie music that is filled with power but also much more reserved than the other songs so far. An unexpected guitar solo which runs from bluesy scales into melodic picking sounds totally wicked within the track. I really enjoyed this piece which adds some real diversity to the record.
5. Kick in the Spleen slows things further before driving into intense riffing and hammering drums that really do kick you in the spleen, with the full ferocity and force of the band. Speeding assaults from the who group throw intensity and brutality at you with everything they have. Meandering grooves and gloomy atmospherics bring this song into a nicely juxtaposed soundscape that is so damn in your face. Building and decaying with precision, this piece is a great example of how well the band have developed their songwriting skills. Naturally the song includes some blisteringly beautiful guitar and keyboard solos before one last barrage of aggression. Utterly brilliant.
6. Platitudes and Barren Words kicks into more old school Children Of Bodom riffs and drums but with more modern keyboard work that is immediately catchy and stunning to listen to. There is a menacing groove filled with foreboding to the guitars that contradicts the dancing synths and pounding drums in a really cool way. I love Alexi’s use of clean vocals that add a really tight old school vibe to the piece, something the band usually save for covers, but working really well in an original piece. There is plenty of neoclassical vibes from the guitars but also in complete contradiction some 90s pop sounds from the keyboard solo, genius.
7. Hexed storms in with fierce, aggressive guitars and drums that also get a flare of some neoclassical keyboard work. The song hammers out grooving and brutal attacks but balanced with beautifully intricate lead work and keys that a captivating and intensely played with profundity. Whiplash hooks to the whole piece, this is certainly going to be perfect fuel for mosh pits and headbanger in a live atmosphere, decimating us with skilful musicianship and tight songwriting. The production is, as usual on a COB record, perfect with no nuance left too buried. The guitar solos on this piece are ludicrously well played with such awesome shredding work. The way the song fades out is so cool too. Brilliant.
8. Relapse (The Nature of My Crime) fires into dancing melodic guitars, slamming drums and eerie synths that work together to create an atmospheric journey into creepy yet glorious pounding instrumentals. The lyrics are profoundly introspective, clearly performed with a lot of catharsis. The obliterating riffs and drums work so well with the fun and upbeat keys, something the band have mastered over the years. I love the shreds from the solo and how they overlay a punchy track with some nice contrast and variation. Great work.
9. Say Never Look Back slows things with melancholic guitars and warm bass, punctuated by punchy kicks. Building into barrages of assaulting grooves and aggressive screams, this song is foreboding and brooding with a truly uprooting sense of darkness. It is built in and faded out throughout in a really well executed manner that is exciting and mesmerising. An unpredictable piece filled with beauty and anger in even measure, truly masterful work that is volatile and incredibly fun to listen to. The song really nicely ties in some classic COB sounds but in a new and exciting way. Fantastic.
10. Soon Departed blasts out catchy drums and riffs, fuelled by a sort of swagger that is immediately catchy, especially when joined by more simplistic synth work than usual. This song from the onset reminds me of bands like Norther who are similar but a bit less extravagant than Children Of Bodom, the band seeming to let more laid back ideas take the foreground which works nicely. This track sort of lets technicality take a back seat and the band to do something a bit more laid back and still make an anthemic piece of Heavy Metal out of it.
11. Knuckleduster brings in the ending of the album, sadly. Grinding out gruesomely heavy guitar riffs and crushing drums, this piece fires into overdrive with a snarl followed by excellent keyboard work. The headbanging pace of the track is melodic and well spaced out by light picking guitar riffs but also punching grooves that are monstrously heavy with such a perfect tone. I love the way the song ebbs and flows with monolithic grooves and also tranquilly beautiful melodies, a perfectly balanced track that represents the brilliant music of Children Of Bodom really well, closing the album on a very high note indeed.

This is the best Children Of Bodom record since “Are You Dead Yet?” which is one of my all time favourite albums. A blisteringly well composed album, dark and brooding yet lively and energetic. The band are back on top form with amazing songwriting and musicianship but also brand new ideas too, along with some classic COB sounds. -9.5/10