Children of Bodom

Children of Bodom is a Finnish band from the town of Espoo (now coming from Helsinki) which plays a hybrid of melodic death metal and power metal, combining various elements of the genres in different ways across their discography. The band incorporates distorted vocals and blast beats into their style, as well as keyboard arrangements and high-tempo instrumental solos.

Their name is very famous for the story which it holds behind it one of the most famous Finnish murder cases of all time. (The murdering of three teenagers one night at Lake Bodom back in the 60's.) Four teenagers (2 girls, 2 boys) went camping one night and three out of the four ended up being murdered. Irmeli Björklund (15 yrs), Tuulikki Mäki (15 yrs), and Seppo Boisman (18 yrs) were the three murdered... Nils Gustafsson (who was also 18 at the time) was the only one who survived. Up until 2004 he had lived a normal life, but then he was arrested by the Police who had reopened the investigation. The reinvestigation had uncovered evidence and testimony that supported a scenario in which Gustafsson got drunk and killed his friends in a fit of jealousy. In 2005 among much controversy the court found him not guilty.

Early Children of Bodom albums are inspired by classical music and death metal (Red Light in My Eyes pt. 2 includes selections from Mozart's 25th Symphony), and later albums are more inspired by a commercial thrash and hair metal. A precise definition for their musical genre is discussed by fans and the specialized press alike, often discounting the influences of the band and the composition of songs. The lyrics of their songs are written in the English language and are often of a simplistic nature, dealing with the subjects of death and personal struggles. As the band grows in experience, so does their playing style. They seem to change one way or another with every album that gets released. Even the album cover arts seems to change as the band grows. They are now also hitting the mainstream part of metal, their name and style being more known now. COB continues to inspire many musicians alike and more join the COBHC everyday.

The bandmembers include Alexi Laiho (lead guitar and vocals), Janne Warman (keyboard), Roope Latvala (rhythm guitar), Jaska Raatikainen (drums) and Henkka T. Blacksmith (bass guitar).Ex-members are Alexander Kuoppala (rhythm guitar 1995-2003).