Children Of Bodom's Reviews
Hate Crew Deathroll (Average Rating: 9.18 out of 10)
Decent, but not their best (Rated this album with 8 out of 10)
Reviewed by
Chris Burton
from TONBRIDGE, KENT England
As someone who was already a big fan of Children Of Bodom (I consider Follow The Reaper and to a lesser extent Hatebreeder to be two of the best metal albums released yet) I was both excited and suspicious of this release. Excited because I couldn't wait to hear what they would do next, but suspicious because I really didn't know if they'd be able to keep their touch of speed metal brilliance for this long. So let's get this over with - Hatecrew Deathroll is NOT their best work. It is not on the same level as Follow The Reaper or even Hatebreeder. So if you are yet to hear Children Of Bodom, I would recommend those two albums first.However, that isn't to say that Hatecrew Deathroll is a weak metal album. Far from it - it is still one of the better metal releases out there. Alexi Laiho and Janne Warman still shred and have solo duels, Warman proving that there is plenty of room for keyboards in extreme metal. I'd also say that this album contains some of the best riffery the band have done yet. As group, they are playing just as tightly together as they have done before. I expect those who are yet to hear Children Of Bodom are asking "What can this band offer that the average melodic death/speed metal band can't?" Well, an original sound. Many bands out there (Soilwork, Gardenien, The Crown, The Haunted etc) take what has been done before and do quite little to expand on it. The same crunchy, heavy riffs; the same crisp clear production that brings out a little melody and, for the most part, the same style of song from one to the next. Children Of Bodom have a heavy power metal influence, combining keyboards and extra melody with catchy riffs, breaks and sing-along choruses. Added to that is a technical ability that most bands in this genre lack. Guitarist and frontman Alexi Laiho is monster on the guitar, ringing out shred-style solos as if there was nothing to it. Keyboardist Janne Warman is equally proficient, hurling fast yet melodic solos straight back at Alexi. This exciting soloing is something that I feel a lot of so called speed metal lacks. So, if the band are that good, then why, despite the four stars, is this album inferior to those before it? Well, the qualities that made the band so good have waned. They still have the power metal influences, but are happier to just thrash along. The catchiness is definately missing, as are the melodic solos. Here, the solos have little feel or melody and simply do nothing that hasn't been done before. Hatecrew Deathroll is perhaps the heaviest, fastest album the band have done yet, but unfortunately this has compromised what made them so good in the first place. Don't get me wrong, this album still works and had it come from a new band I wouldn't think they were lacking in potential. But I am disappointed to the extent that I feel Bodom have already reached their peak and fallen again. If you are already a Children Of Bodom fan, then I do recommend this. It is a genuinely good album. However, its nothing that hasn't been done before and if you are new to the band then you should really get another one of their releases first.
Buy this album on Amazon at $14.99
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