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Children of Bodom > Trashed, Lost & Strungout > Reviews
Children of Bodom - Trashed, Lost & Strungout

Unnecessary but not entirely without merit. - 65%

Diamhea, February 21st, 2018

It seems as if Children of Bodom became very disillusioned sometime around 2003-2004, and thus initiated a series of shark-jumping lapses in intelligence that continue sporadically to this day. One of the biggest "collective" offenders, as it were, is the insistence of recording these cover/joke songs that contribute nothing but dodgy filler for promos, singles and Japanese pressing bonus tracks. Children of Bodom are a band without many actual unused songs, potentially due to the aforementioned decision along with their tendency to re-purpose scrapped song sections - thrifty but not a positive aspect in this context. One outlier example that goes against this trend is the re-recording of "Talking of the Trees," which was ready to go on Something Wild but tossed aside, with only certain sections later appearing on "Mask of Sanity."

Anyway, this particular EP is of some note due to its place in the timeline, the fact that there is a fair amount of material on it and the lack of overtly retarded cover choices. The two cover songs are still entirely dispensable, leaving us some B-roll footage of the band getting pissed and the two songs proper. To get "Trashed, Lost & Strungout" out of the way first, its a killer cut and good choice for the requisite music video. Compact, lithe and with a pretty decent groove in spots. Plus Jaska was at his best on Are You Dead Yet?, his fills scattering all over the place and locking well into the beat. He was definitely in his comfort zone here. Also, and as probably mentioned before in my reviews, the band was still a fine act lead-wise at this juncture. Keyboard solos are on par with Hate Crew Deathroll and the band just sounds very focused, maybe because they had lost a fair bit of their "shoot from the hip" compositional mindset by this point.

This leaves us the biggest point of interest: "Knuckleduster." Yes, this is the only proper Children of Bodom song not to appear on an album that we have access to, and its fucking awesome! Sounds like something that would have appeared on Hate Crew Deathroll, with some loose, rangy grooves and one of Alexi's best solos. The atmospheric, well-timed synths give it flair that the band simply lacked afterward. Definitely worth tracking down if you were partial to the band's sound during this timeframe. Redundant nowadays, Trashed, Lost & Strungout still has some appeals. Not the worst thing to find in a bargain bin.

A downfall for Children of Bodom - 60%

kriikii_the_great, March 9th, 2007

Children of Bodom are known for making heavy music with a melodic twist. With their EP "Trashed Lost and Strungout," fans can get to see a different side of Bodom. This side of the band is more American influenced then their other releases, and less melodic. The band seems more concerned with writing catchy riffs, than to focus on their lyrics, or the overall quality of the songs. There seems to be a lack of passion in this four song release which includes and Alice Cooper cover of "Bed of Nails", and a cover of the Andrew W.K song "She is Beautiful."

What saves this cd from being horrible is the enhanced video footage of the band. The video footage includes the video for the single "Trashed Lost and Strungout" which is poorly written, and generally a boring video to watch. It is just the band performing, and there's nothing special about it that sets it apart from any other music video.

This EP also includes the "Trashed and Lost in Helsinki" video, which is a video of the band going to various sites in Helsinki and Espoo, including the infamous Lake Bodom. It's a very comical video which includes the band dressing up in Napoleon hats, Viking helmets, Firefighter hats, and spraying silly string in a car. It shows that though their music is serious, they're a very fun band, and they do hilarious things when they're drunk. This video was very fun to watch, and it made the EP worth buying, though the quality of the songs aren't the best, the dvd footage is very interesting to watch.

Overall, this EP was average. What the cd lacks in, the dvd footage makes up for. I only suggest this for people who are interested in seeing Children of Bodom, behind their music. If you want to buy this cd solely for the music, I don't reccomend it.

Fast, Heavy & Aggressive - 82%

Dittohead, December 22nd, 2005

The Finnish kings of speed metal, Children Of Bodom, released their very first EP titled "Thrashed, Lost & Strungout" in 2004, about a year before the release of the "Are You Dead Yet?" LP. This extended play, which consists of two originally composed Children Of Bodom tracks as well as two covers, is definitely worth every penny.

The title track of this EP, "Thrashed, Lost & Strungout", appears first on this disc. Alexi "Wildchild" Laiho and his group waste absolutely no time getting to the point in this song. From start to end, "Thrashed, Lost & Strungout" is fast, aggressive and heavy. Also, since the EP's title song appears on the "Are You Dead Yet?" LP, it gives us a chance to see what direction the band's chosen to go for their new album. I would definitely argue that Children Of Bodom are going in the right direction.

"Knuckleduster" is the second track on this EP. Although this track is slowed down a bit compared to the first, it's just as heavy and aggressive. Laiho and the boys do a great job on this one. Despite the fact that "Knuckleduster" doesn't appear on the "Are You Dead Yet?", it sounds very similar to many songs on that album. Therefore, much like this extended play's title track, you can get, more or less, a listen to the style of Children Of Bodom's new LP.

The two tracks that follow "Knuckleduster" are covers. The first, "Bed Of Nails", one is a cover of the ever famous Alice Cooper. This track first appeared on Cooper's 1989 LP, "Trash". Although I'm not a big fan of Alice Cooper, I have a lot of respect for him and the work he did and continues to do. This song is a great example of why I respect Cooper. Not only is it a great track, but it's times like this where you can see how certain artists may have influenced others.

The fourth song on "Thrashed, Lost & Strungout" is a covers of Andrew W.K.'s "She Is Beautiful". I'm not really familiar with this artist. However, this song certainly made me curious about Andrew W.K. After hearing Children Of Bodom's cover of "She Is Beautiful", I did some research on Andrew W.K. and although he ended up not being exactly what I was expected, I still enjoy this song, both versions that I heard. All that to say that the Finnish group does a great job cover with this cover.

In conclusion, "Thrashed, Lost & Strungout" delivers everything a Children Of Bodom fan should expect, heavy, fast and aggressive music accompanied by a couple of great covers. Although I wouldn't recommend this EP to the average Children Of Bodom fan, it is a very impressive recording. I would recommend this extended play to the die hard COB fans only.

Step By Step Down Into Hell - 25%

ict1523, August 16th, 2005

Children of Bodom proved my fears correct after "Hate Crew Deathroll" was released with this. This does not at all sound like classic Children of Bodom, and while the first track may not sound terrible yet, this EP makes a steady decline after each song. I can only hope the new album doesn't end up like this even though it probably will as it contains one of the songs from here.

"Thrashed, Lost, & Strungout" starts off sounding at least somewhat like "Hate Crew Deathroll" with some melodic guitars and they are present through part of the song so its still not as bad as some garbage that follows this song, but other elements like Alexi's vocals have simply gone to hell and passed it by several thousand miles. At first they sound much more controlled, which doesn't make them much better, and later they go so damn high-pitched I can't even understand them. The song while not a total waste just sounds horrible.

The beginning of "Knuckleduster" sounds like something that would come from Disturbed, a hard-rock band instead of something from Children of Bodom. Then it gets more melodic definately. Alexi's vocals still suck badly. They are so damn horrible I can't even compare them to any other vocalists.

The beginning of "Bed of Nails" sounds like something coming out of a shitty horror movie with crappy organs and some other instruments. As it proceeds it continues sounding like a horrible horror movie and just gets heavier. This whole song is just so shitty and silly it doesn't warrant more than one listen. Alexi's vocals continue a decline as I think I hear him trying to shout instead of just his annoying damn growling.

"She is Beautiful" just does it for me. That is the worst song to come out of a metal band EVER! I would rather listen to Opeth's shitty acoustic pieces instead of this. This is a 100% pure punk rock song like if I were listening to Bowling for Soup or some shit like that. Alexi's vocals are growling here but they sound worse than ever. The growls have no power left in them, and it sounds like he's singing in one tone the whole time, which is even more boring then him going all over the place with his vocals. I never thought Children of Bodom were capable of sinking so low, but they proved this with "She is Beautiful". The guitars and drum beats also sound like punk rock. There are no classic typical riffs and melodies like Children of Bodom have done in the past. This all just sucks. No great riifs, no great melodies, just typical shitty punk rock. This band is becoming a shame to great metal bands. And the bigger shame is that they once were a great metal band.

CHILDREN OF BODOM 'Trashed, Lost & Strungout' EP - 83%

HarleyAtMetalReview, December 31st, 2004

Finland's Children Of Bodom is an entity that really doesn't require an introduction. Since 1994 the band has hammered out some of the most awe-inspiring and significant music that is, in most cases, on a level all its own. Over time, Alexi Laiho and company have emerged as one of the most widely recognized acts in the underground. Dominating the scene with countless tours throughout Europe, South America, and Japan, the band finally assaulted the North American market with high profile gigs with the likes of Iced Earth, Dimmu Borgir, and Lamb Of God, only further expanding their frenzied fanbase as each show increased in attendance. As a fan who has been following the band since the beginning, I have witnessed both their misfortunes and their milestones and even though I feel they have never really surpassed the quality of their debut Something Wild, Children Of Bodom have blown me away on some measure with each successive release and, often times, left me pondering 'Who the fuck is Yngwie Malmsteen?'.

Speaking of new releases, even though it's been out overseas for some time, Children Of Bodom's latest EP teaser, titled Trashed, Lost & Strungout, will hit the stateside streets in early 2005. Rather than shamelessly attempting to cash in on songs they've previously recorded on earlier albums, the band opted to build this mini-disc around two new cuts and a couple covers. To give you a decent idea of what to expect, the pair of fresh tracks sound as if they could have been leftovers from the Follow The Reaper sessions. The opening song, which also happens to be the title track, starts out with what I assume is a Slayer inspired riff that morphs into a thrashing squelch harmonic affair, customary in Laiho's fret work. Naturally, it just wouldn't be Children Of Bodom if it didn't feature grandiose neoclassical guitar and keyboard interplay during the solo segments, and this song certainly delivers an abundance of lavish leads.

Next up is a little ditty called "Knuckleduster" (not a White Zombie cover) and for some reason Chaos A.D. era Sepultura comes to mind. Not that it necessarily sounds anything like the Brazilian thrash legends, but there is definitely a similar vibe going on here that I really don't know how to explain. Considering Children Of Bodom are big fans, it would make sense that there could be some subtle influence in there. In accordance with "Trashed, Lost & Strungout", "Knuckleduster" also bubbles over with flawless guitar and keyboard noodling. Simply stunning, as usual!

Kicking off the cover's half of the disc is "Bed Of Nails", originally performed by Alice Cooper. It's probably been upwards of twelve years since I've heard this song, so I have no genuine recollection of it to compare to Children Of Bodom's version. I do remember, however, that Cooper's band did NOT end this classic with twenty seconds of blast beats. This aspect kills the overall flow of what is otherwise a great rendition. Thankfully this mishap is at the end of the song. Onward with the odd man out on Trashed, Lost & Strungout... Remember when Dragonland redid "The Neverending Story"? Now that was a strange choice that turned out to work great as a metal song. With the Andrew W.K. radio hit "She Is Beautiful" closing this EP, I am honestly speechless. The song was never very good to begin with and I am indecisive on whether or not it is any better now that it has been mutated into metal. I'll let you know when I know! By that time I am sure you will have heard it and drawn your own conclusion.

Massive riffs is the name of the game and Alexi never disappoints in this department. The quality of his vocals have been on a decline for quite some time but other than that, Trashed, Lost & Strungout is a decent EP that will keep you fanatics drooling until the next full-length Children Of Bodom album is in your greedy little hands.

Some new Bodom... I am happy. - 85%

Wez, November 11th, 2004

New Bodom material, rejoice! And unsurprisingly, there's nothing at all that reeks of disappointment. We've got two new songs and a couple of cover songs rounding off this E.P. Also add an enchanced section with title track video and goofing around in Helsinki video, and this is definitely worth having. The new stuff seems to have a mix of new and old in there. There's certainly some left over ideas from Hate Crew Deathroll, some melodies and keyboards that scream out Follow The Reaper and an all overpowering thrashiness fusing it all together. Shunning the more extravagant indulgencies of solos and such, they are still there, but more contained in their place rather than going all over the place as has been the case in the past where Bodom have simply awed with insane guitar/keyboard tradeoffs and the like. It begins with those prominent Bodom melodies and keyboards and guitar working neatly together, sliding into almost groove tinged crushers of riffs and then into a steady workout of typical Bodom ability. Both songs are similar and show definite promise for a new full length album which I am already eagerly waiting for!

Then they charge into a Bodomed-up Alice Cooper cover "Bed of Nails" with Janne Warman showing what he can do to spice up little bits here and there. Now a very bizarre choice, an Andrew WK cover, which seems unfitting for such a technically minded group. Nonetheless, it's a catchy party rock anthem, which they take the time to shift up in technicality very slightly and season bits here and there like they did with the previous song. Can't fault them for having a bit of fun.

The video for the title song is basically just them playing in a warehouse, then adding some dynamic changes in camera angles and that's it. It has shades of the "One (Jammin' Version)" but you do get to see what's going on with the instruments and so forth. I've always liked to see what a band is like "behind the scenes" and how they are as people, so the 20 minute romp of "Trashed and Lost in Helsinki" is many things and certainly enjoyable on the whole. It displays a band with a good sense of humour and full of energy which is reflected on album. This is going to quench the Bodom thirst for those who just can't get enough, so purchase!