Something Wild

Children of Bodom hit the scene with this completely frantic brand of neoclassical infused power metal gone completely crazy. This is constant rhythm guitars shredding their butts off on wild tempos, to the point the music sometimes feels sped up, like the band practiced their original compositions nonstop for months and then just upped the tempo some 20bpm faster for the album. The tracks are ridden with harpsichord/key breaks with quick power chord-driven orchestra hits to create short breaks before the next vertiginous lead section full to burst with notes whether on shredded guitar phrases or arpeggios. The guitar work is supported in the back by strings for atmosphere, and often explore darker ambiances in the midst of the usual sort of traditional folk lead work transferred to a hyper-speedy metal format with all of its in-your-face aggression.

The extreme metal aspects on the record include the occasional tremolo picking over blast beats that accelerate songs even more, sounding like outright black metal at times or rather like melodic death metal in other places, also a black metal feel in the darker minor chords used, or the vocal shrieks. The frenzied continuous double kick onslaughts also set this apart from from traditional metal. Also the constant riff/section changes, although not exactly progressive, make this a bit less accessible and a tad more niche oriented. The album is overrun by neoclassical influences, but that component is judiciously mixed into the whole and doesn't feel separate from the more extreme metal elements and they come together as one homogeneous ensemble. 'Red Light In My Eyes Pt.2' is particularly blatant with the neoclassical influence as it's more of a homage to classical than anything else.

The melodies are generally well composed and catchy and thus avoid feeling like a shit ton of notes carelessly spewed at the listener for an entire 35min plus, as they're well constructed and inspired. A lot of the stuff sits more on the playful rock-n-roll-in-spirit side, but other moments are of the more mature variety. Certain melodies will be particularly difficult to shake out of the listener's head, like 'Lake Bodom' more notably.

Overall there's a nice raw debut album quality to this record where the production is indeed crisp but also a bit quaint, and both composition and sound have a more natural flair and momentum to them. This is COB in 1997 and they had to prove to the world they were the real deal and couldn't be self-indulgent yet as they arguably would become a few albums into their discography after having established themselves as a metal giant in their field. This album is a bit darker in color and feel, and it's got a bit of depth to it even (not Bodom's strong point in their career) and it's the band at their most authentic before the advent of overproduced/overly polished and quite honestly dumbed down records from around the 2000's. It's short and sweet, musically tight although prolific, and genuinely enjoyable from beginning to end for anyone who liked the opener.

Something Wild is the debut album released from the legendary melodic death metal band Children of Bodom. Something Wild was released through Spinefarm Records, they released the album in Finland on November 16th 1997, and the rest of the world on April 28th 1998. Children of Bodom were a melodic death metal band based out of Espoo, Finland. Children of Bodom's name is based upon the grisly murders that occured at Lake Bodom, Children of Bodom's lineup has seen a few significant changes throughout the years, however the line up when the band recorded Something Wild was as follows Alexi Laiho(vocals, lead guitar, and songwriting),Alexander Kuoppala(rhythm guitar), Janne Wirman(keyboards), Henkka Seppälä(bass) and Jaska Raatikainen(drums).

Children of Bodom have managed to create something very powerful in Something Wild. Stylistically is is in fact a blending of multiple genres, some fans argue that is thrash while others argue it is melodic death metal, in fact it is a true mix of both styles, although I feel the band leans towards a more melodic death metal sound, more so in the later albums to follow. This was the start of the bands ascension towards greatness, and it was abundantly clear right from the start of the album Children of Bodom were destined to be legends. After all Alexi Laiho is considered by many in the metal community, fans and critics alike to be one of, if not the best guitar player of all time. It is clear instrumentally the band is far more superior than most bands, while vocally and lyrically some may find the band lacking, I for one love the sound of the vocals, it gives it a more brutal sound. Children of Bodom also manage to perfectly blend the keyboard into their overall sound which gives them a different sound from most bands in the genre.

There are three songs in particular on Something Wild I would like to discuss, Deadnight Warrior, Lake Bodom and Touch Like Angel of Death. Starting with the first track off the album Deadnight Warrior, what a perfect song to open a heavy metal album with. This song allows the listener to know exactly where this album and band are headed, and where is it headed you might ask? The path Something Wild is on is fast, heavy, melodic and brutal all at the same time. Deadnight Warrior has it is all that is to be expected from the intro track. Next on the list is one of my all time favourite Children of Bodom songs ever made, Lake Bodom. This sons is what Children of Bodom are, wild guitars, superhuman drumming, catchy keyboards and harsh vocals. Im not going to give to much away of this song, describing it doesn't do the songs justice, go listen to it to truly understand what I am saying. And last but not the least is the closing track of Touch Like Angel of Death. Perfect song for closing an album with, when this song is over you'll be wanting more. Fast brutal and melodic, an almost impossible feat but these legends manage to pull off the impossible and combine the sounds of multiple genres and make it their own.

Children of Bodom will always be important to me, as Alexi Laiho is my favourite front man as well as my favourite guitarist of all time. The songs in my opinion are perfectly crafted and the band cares about the end product they are releasing, not like bands today that just push out anything to make a quick dollar. At the end of the day I personally feel this is one of the most iconic metal albums released and deserves all the praise it receives. Leave it to Finland to give us more fantastic metal. 95% is a very fair rating, id suggest checking this album out as soon as you get. a chance if you have not, and if you have go back and give it another listen. While the band may no longer be together, it doesn't mean we cant remember what they gave us in the first place.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve known that Alexi Laiho is a very similar guitarist to Jari Maenpaa of Wintersun. As a longtime Wintersun fan, this means that I was intrigued to see what makes Alexi Laiho rise to such praise. However I never got around to hear Children of Bodom but after they were announced as a headliner at a festival that I will be attending, it felt like a perfect opportunity to hear this band out. Considering that they have recently celebrated two decades of existence with their ’20 years down and dirty’ tour and a big part of the playlist was from the debut album and I felt like it’s a good starting point.

‘Something Wild’ is in my opinion a highly overrated album for a number of reasons, and while the guys definitely have a lot of skills, when it comes to actually writing something pleasant to listen to, there’s a whole new story to be told. As the album starts playing, the first thing you hear is a simulation of a thunder followed by an evil laugh, jumping straight into a crazy riff. Soon follows guitar lead that sounds quite promising, but it is overshadowed by the low quality of the sound and the lack of inspiration in the song writing. What annoys me the most is the fact that after hearing this album quite a number of times, it’s clear that this band could be so much more than it is.

To start by clearing out the Jari vs. Alexi dilemma, I can see why they are associated. Their riffing and soloing style is very similar. They are both very technical and base their songs on killer speed and grinding harshness of the guitar sound. But these bands are a million miles apart in the way the music is built. I’m aware now that being a Wintersun fan will not make you a CoB fan and it’s applicable the other way around as well. CoB is for lovers of adrenaline inducing, hate filled, evil music, and this album is, quite simply put, a killing spree. Where the album suffers most is in the uninspired overall structures of the songs, the cheap sound mixing and the vocals and lyrics. At the time of this release, CoB where nothing more than rebel hate filled teenagers with an unstoppable urge to burn some stages. I know that this is only a debut, and I have heard albums with cheap production before that sounded good, but here, it literally becomes difficult to deal with the shrieking that plows through your ears for thirty-five minutes. The drums sound empty and shattered, there’s no depth, the bass seems to be missing completely, there’s no clarity, the voice is quite simply impossible to understand and the overall feeling is like listening to music through a speaker with a broken membrane. I can’t say anything nasty about the lyrical theme because… well there isn’t one. It’s just ‘hate this, kill that, burn the other, and do it all drunk and in a hurry’. And this is the vibe that the vocals send as well. Alexi’s harsh high pitched screeches in the higher spectrum are actually pretty good and despite making the ‘so-called’ lyrics impossible to hear, it’s actually enjoyable up to a point. The pointless yelling and the lower growls are where he sounds like an obnoxious animal, but thankfully there isn’t so much of that going on. I know that this is only a debut and I have heard albums with cheap production before, but it usually doesn’t hurt the music that bad. Maybe this problem disappears on the latter albums, and I’m actually curious if this band has grown from their initial state of teenage fury, but the same depiction of death on every album cover doesn’t exactly bring the word ‘Evolution’ to one’s mind.

If you’re a CoB fan and you’ve read this far, I appreciate you putting up with my rant and I hope you’re not currently on your way to buy lots of guns. If you are though, I’d like to ask you to turn around and stay with me a little longer, because I actually have some good stuff to say. Where the album earns most of its points is in the guitar leads and the keyboard work. There is a powerful neoclassical influence to the music with an Yngwie Malmsteen sort of vibe to it. I was astounded to hear harpsichord sound in the middle of what appeared to be an overdose of adrenaline. Where the vocals and riffs shut up and throw some leads that somehow hover above the harsh mix you can really hear some cool ideas. Take the opening guitar lead of ‘Lake Bodom’, the classical bits of alternating guitars and keys from ‘In the Shadows’ or the background keyboard that tries and even succeeds a bit, at soothing all the tormenting rough edges of the mix throughout the album. These are the elements that make the structure of the music stay together, allowing you to see some serious potential.

To emphasize the positive note, there is a lot of skill in Children of Bodom, and I’d like it if you could leave with that in mind. But the problem is that the music simply cannot be enjoyable. There are actually some good ideas in there but they’re snowed under a pile of retarded badassity, horrible sound and pointless riffs, like an obese teenager sitting on a tricycle for toddlers. When he eventually sits up, you can throw the darn thing away even if it was good to begin with. It’s not that they couldn’t make good music, it’s that they don’t want to. Everything about this album rimes with a waste of potential, and I’m sorry but if while being able to play baroque leads like a guitar god, you decide to revolve around yelling like a drunk, and riffing pointlessly like a maniac… then you’re just not worth it…

What Something Wild unleashed upon the metal scene that fateful 1997 day is something practically impossible to get away with, even then: a practically unclassifiable quality metal release. On first glance one would want to classify this as power metal, but the super abrasive vocals would get them thrown out from the Iron Maiden fanclub president with bells on. Others might want to classify this as thrash, and one could, but they'd be neglecting elements found here that one just doesn't see in thrash. Some might wish to classify this as melodic death metal, which is incorrect by virtue of the fact that its good. Some might also want to classify this as symphonic black metal, which is also incorrect because again, its good. Not to mention there aren't really odes to the underworld nor the over-world Gods to be found here lyrically. Matter of fact, the lyrics seem incidental and more conjured up as a necessary evil, with the understanding that instrumental bands don't become rockstars. Well I have zero issue with that as 1997 was a year where the music world was still recovering from an era where the term "rock star" was seen as a dirty word by hipster tampon paper, but I digress.

The best way I can describe Children of Bodom's modus operandi is that of a master of Zui Quan, also known as a martial art drunken boxing. Sure, the supposed victim may look like a sloppy drunk, but each strike and blow they land are deadly and precise. I would make an additional reach with this correlation with a link to the drunken Eight Immortals, but there are only five members and seven tracks here (no I'm not counting the versions where there's an extra track featuring the band's namesake song. That's a Hatebreeder song, deal with it). In the case of Alexi and pals, the fighters are likely beyond drunk and fishing for more, which makes the technical and virtuoso accomplishments on this album even more impressive. Which isn't to say Something Wild is progressive, as the bass and drums stick to relatively simple 4/4 beats, albeit at varying thrash speeds with even some blast-beats thrown in. An album can't really be progressive metal without an adventurous rhythm section. But yes, the technique is in the melody instruments, and one doesn't need to be an expert on intonation and tremolo picking to see Alexi Laiho and Janne Warman have a bright future ahead of them.

This album has a weird sense of amorphous slapdash construction. In a world where everyone likes to throw the names of Bach and Beethoven around like he was in their Chevy pickup truck when they decided to form a band with the chick from art class, Alexi took the compositional form of orchestra music and applied it directly to metal songwriting. Well, songwriting might be a tad charitable in the case of Something Wild. These tracks are less songs and more symphonic movements. The Nail is a perfect demonstration of this, unfolding almost like a Farewell through Moving Pictures Rush epic. There is some cohesion and recurring motifs within the songs to provide a musical compass for the listener, but sometimes it's easy to forget which part of Red Light In My Eyes you're on.

Highlights: I don't want this entire review to be about The Nail, but fucking A, I love the Nail. The most underrated song in Children of Bodom's history. The delightfully inappropriate mixture of Ben Hur over the intro to Nightmare on Elm Street perfectly sets the tone for the organized chaos this epic encapsulates. The swinging Pull The Plug like breakdown around 3:38 is nothing less than mind spraining, and it giving way to final salvo of Victim of Fate paced shredding madness is testament to the staying power and versatility of Judas Priest style heavy metal. The album's other highlights are Deadnight Warrior, the other slightly less interesting epic In The Shadows, and Lake Bodom, which for being written by a band who are a little rough around the edges with songwriting chops, turns out to be one of the catchiest songs in metal history. Sure that opening lick may be speedy and busy, but you damn sure are going to remember that shit.

Originality combined with quality were a rather hard thing to come by in metal in 1997, but the Finnish wunderkinds pull it off with such style and grace, despite being more wasted than the Bay Area thrash scene at Cliff Burton's funeral. If you're the kind of metalhead who hates harsh vocals, this won't exactly convince you, but this is one of the very few times I would urge you dear reader, to simply look past the vocals as a rhythmic instrument and experience the true melodies Something Wild has to offer.

Children of Bodom's first album is to me different than what one would expect from Children of Bodom. It's not bad at all, but I prefer the albums that came after this one. The first time I heard this record, I was disappointed but I've come to appreciate it more and more. So about 10 years after I bought this album, I finally feel like I've listened to it enough to review it objectively.

Overall I feel like they were still searching for a specific trademark sound because the album is a bit inconsistent sometimes. While tracks like Deadnight Warrior and Lake Bodom are more straightforward and typical 'Bodom-sounding' songs, tracks like In The Shadows and The Nail are more lengthy and more complex than I would expect from Children of Bodom. But don't get me wrong, I love those two songs just because they are so different from what Bodom usually does.

In this album, more than in other albums, you'll hear the classical music influences which I personally think is awesome. Something Wild perfectly combines beautiful melodies with the rawness of death and certainly black metal too. Take The Nail for example, it starts off with a riff that could come from a black metal album, but as the song progresses you'll hear some classical melodies when Janne (the keyboard player) shows off his skills. This songs ends by the way with one of the best solos Alexi has ever played. Those sweeps are insane, taking into account that he was only 18 when this album came out. It's too bad that they never play this song live.

Other tracks are Red Light In My Eyes Part 1 and 2, which in my opinion are mediocre songs. In part 1 there's a nice guitar solo, but I find the chorus a bit annoying. In part 2 there's an awesome moment from Wirman with his organ sounding keyboard, but there's nothing more too interesting about the song. These are not bad songs, but I think the other tracks of this records stand out more. The album ends with Touch Like Angel Of Death and is the perfect closer for this album. After the epic song that is The Nail, Children of Bodom closes things off with some nice riffing, an awesome solo and a cool chorus.

Two things I rather dislike from this album are the production and the vocals. First off, the production isn't all that bad, but the drums are too washy. While the other instruments are really on the forefront, the drums are in the background just being there. They don't really drive the record as much as the other instruments do. That's a shame I think, because Jaska is a really good drummer and there is some very nice drumming to be noticed on Something Wild, but because of the production it doesn't really stand out that much. But hey, it's their first record and as far as I heard the circumstances while recording this album weren't optimal.
The second thing I dislike are Alexi's vocals. Now I know he'll never be the best vocalist in metal, and I don't expect that from him either. But on this album his voice sounds really strained and it seems like he's trying to do things with his voice that he simply can't. But he was only 18 back then and I think now he knows better how to handle his voice, even though he'll never be a topnotch vocalist.

In conclusion this album is very different from what most people are used to when listening to Children of Bodom. But that's not at all a bad thing. While the album as a whole is far from perfect, it's an enjoyable listen with some very surprising songs. It's a very good debut record written by teenagers that were still searching for a particular sound, I believe. I gave this album 85% and I still consider it to be one of the weaker Children of Bodom records.

Recommended tracks:
In The Shadows
Lake Bodom
The Nail
Touch Like Angel Of Death

Well what have we here? An intriguing little opus from a band I've ignored far too long? Yeah I haven't managed to start digging in Children Of Bodom's backyard until recently. It was a backyard that I was told had a really cool shed, but was filled with rabid dogs that had swoopy hair and daddy issues. Well fortunately, the entrance to that shed seems to be right near the front gate. Because I'll be honest, "Something Wild" was an album that I had ZERO expectations for, but came out pleasantly attached to.

This album has an almost Iron Maiden- esque sense of drama to it. But at the same time it has an almost adolescent, some would say "child-like" aura of rebellion. Initially, it was this rebellious, 16 year old aura that drove me away. And now it's a strange kind of draw. This album is really just kind of a balls out, no holds bar joy ride. But it's a skillful joy ride that ends in a jump off of a bridge in slow motion, right back to the driveway. I guess you could say that these guys are the W.A.S.P of extreme metal in a strange way. And I'm assuming that's an honor for these guys. As luck would have it, the wheels on this ride are the riffs. They really have no set standard of genre. While they are obviously mostly rooted in melodeath, I heard a HEALTHY amount of black metal on this album. More specifically on the song "In The Shadows", which after a quick bass interlude jumps into a pure black metal riff in the style of Emperor or Dissection. This album really is "jumpy" in that way. There are no simple transitions, it's like this album is perpetually on a diving board to the next riff. While most bands would make that jarring and uncomfortable, Children of Bodom give it an almost zany and crazy feel. This is due in no small part, to how much each instrument plays a part.

While the riffs are by far the most important part of this album, the keyboards are certainly not satisfied to just sit in the corner and do crossword puzzles. Heck, the first track "Deadnight Warrior" is pretty well keyboard driven in itself for the verses at least. They have a snowy and glittery presence to them. And I think I should explain that as to avoid sounding 80 degrees of lame. The keyboards have a flaked sound to them, like they're falling from the ceiling in particles. They sound "dusty" if you will. And they compliment the absolutely beautiful guitar melodies. There is some serious skill in the guitar department of this album. It's like the rest of the instruments are running in a straight line, and the guitars and keyboard are weaving in and out of that line in skillful and fluid manners.

Each song has a symphonic sound and structure. You could almost say that it's borderline neoclassical. But this album certainly does not waste time with wanking around, no sir. The structure and songwriting is absolutely superb...minus the vocals. Good lord poor Alexi. I genuinely feel bad for the guy, it's not that his vocals are particularly terrible, it's more how he kind of "yowls" them out. And this certainly doesn't get helped by the fact that nearly all of his lyrics are improvised. I mean this is some embarrassing writing here ladies and gentlemen. Just think of the worst thing you said when you were 13 years old and angsty. You probably wanted to forget that didn't you? Well too bad because Alexi has immortalized every uneducated and hormone dripping mistake you ever made into his lyrics. If this band wanted to go instrumental, I don't think anybody would have a big problem.

This album's coup de gras would lie in it's almost Victorian gothic atmosphere in some songs. More specifically in the song "Red Light In My Eyes". It's almost like the band was told to write a song that summed up the events of the Castlevania franchise. Everything is so web-covered and stone cold. The second part even interludes near the start with some wind tunnel toned organs before jumping into a frantic and speed picked melody. You could almost assume the band was wearing some frilly shirts and practicing poor hygiene to get in the mood. I guess you could say this is where people say the power metal rears it's head from, but I don't really know.

I mean, I can certainly see where people are seeing the power metal angle from, but I can't say I totally agree. While this album does share some traits commonly seen in power metal, these don't strike me as power metal riffs. They lie more in the range of traditional heavy metal riffs with some neoclassical influence if you ask me, but maybe I'm the idiot here. Either way, the atmosphere is absolutely dripping with classic neo-gothic and Victorian texture. It hearkens back to that sense of Iron Maiden-like drama that I brought up at the beginning of the review. The band takes it time to build up and be as theatrical as possible. Like each song is a castle being built up in front of your very eyes. And as you're watching it be built, the more narrow and sharp it gets near the top. Much like the songs on this album build up to a strong and fitting point.

While this album might have a flaw or two strewn throughout (Alexi's poor cat yowling and the somewhat unremarkable drums), I think it's a prime example of classic late 90s melodeath, with some theatrical and atmospheric structure.

I think those who see melodic death metal as a bastardization and poor representation of what death metal is about should check this record out. You might very well be eating those words in your cereal while Alexi reminds you of how much you hate your parents.

Final rating: 9/10

I was about 15 years old when a friend of mine told me to check this album out. He described it as a tasteful mix of Malmsteen-influenced guitar work, black, death and power metal. So basically my favorite guitar player at the time and three genres I had recently discovered and just begun getting into. Well, I could never thank that buddy of mine enough, because he got me into a band that has since been among the ones I love the most. A band that back then helped me a lot in taking the first steps into the more extreme areas of metal.

Nevertheless, I don't really consider either this record or Children of Bodom to be extreme. To be fair, I actually think quite the opposite: this one's truly a catchy, easy listening album. True, it has harsh vocals. True, it has pounding drums. True, the riffs are aggressive, violent and fast. But it's the way all those things blend together, the way everything is so skillfully played and put alongside remarkable neoclassical melodies, that makes the listening of Something Wild such a refreshing, delightful experience.

Songwriting in this album follows pretty much the same formula for each of the songs, with significant variations being few and far in between. The basic elements of Children of Bodom's (by now) well established style are all there: a lot of solos and technically impressive guitar work, great drum fills and some melodic intermezzos masterfully created by keyboard virtuoso Janne "Warman". The amazing thing, however, is that it all manages to be interesting all record long, luckily failing to become dull, repetitive and boring. This relies in great part on the captivating and intriguing melodies, all extremely catchy, but on the album's duration as well, which is of about 35 minutes: long enough to feel like a proper full length, but short enough to keep it interesting. Another thing I retrospectively noted about this record, after having listened to other Children of Bodom releases, is that it features the most black metal-oriented songwriting of their entire discography. Of course not enough to consider it a black metal album, but the influence is pretty evident, especially in some of the tracks, like "In the Shadows", for instance. The first melody of the first riff of that song has always reminded me a little of Darkthrone's "En Vind av Sorg".

I can't deny, however, that this record isn't perfect. Its production, for a start, I never really loved, even if it's not the worst I've ever heard. At times the guitars sound almost muddy. I definitely think that Children of Bodom benefits the most from a clean, polished and refined sound. I'll further add that Something Wild doesn't reach the majestical compositive peaks of Hatebreeder and Follow the Reaper, which remain the real masterpieces of the band. But all this is quite understandable, when you realize how this record was written and recorded by a band where almost all of the members were minors, and all the more impressive considering that these kids even back then used to play like weathered professionals.

All in all I feel like recommending this record to just about anyone, but especially to those young metalheads still struggling to get acquainted with the more extreme fringes of metal, such as black and death metal. It might be enough to encourage them to make the final plunge!

Let’s get something straight: I am a diehard Bodom fan. I love their work, and even though I mocked Blooddrunk for obvious reasons (it’s just a bad record), I still listen to it, and so I thought “hey, there is probably not a single COB record that I won’t listen!”. That was until Something Wild. You see; I happen to have their complete discography, and I decided to listen to it in reverse (starting with the almighty Halo of Blood to the “allshitty” Something Wild) just because. I blazed through them, and when I finished listening to Hatebreeder I thought things couldn’t get better. I saw reviews about people commenting on how good the album was and how amazing Something Wild was. I had never listened to a single tune of that album, and quite honestly, I didn’t know what to expect.

Now, I’m not gonna go over the first song, and then comment on the last, and the best one, the worst one; no. I’m gonna do a straight-forward review highlighting why this album is bad because it shouldn’t be! If you know me, you know that I tend to declare some bands (like Wintersun for example) as “Great musicians crafting bad music”. This little catchphrase of mine fits perfect within this record profile. Not a single of these boys are bad performers; they are just… making shit up as they go! No, I am not gonna comment on how the lyrics are terrible, because, even though they are, it’s not on the booklet, and I feel that the music is more than lyrics; it is the technical aspects, and oh boy, we have some technical difficulties. Getting back to that “Great musicians/bad music”, this album feels like one of those tech-death's, a The Faceless-esque thing. What I mean is that all of these seven songs feel that they don't have a structure. None.

Remember when I said that these Finnish lads were making shit up as they go? (Was that like what, 2 minutes ago? Jesus, I’m only on the third paragraph?). Yeah, they did. The only songs I remembered after the first listen was “Touch Like Angel of Death” because it had a laughable chorus and “Red Light In My Eyes Part 1” because it had a good chorus. This is the album in a nutshell: Oh, that part was good, oh that part was terrible, yeah but that one other segment was kinda cool, whoa that intro is just kickass, yeah but that outro sucked hard. It’s just a constant battle in my head I almost fell asleep at “Red Light In My Eyes part 2”.

The million-dollar question is: how can I review an album that never repeats itself, albeit some parts and segments? That’s tough, but I’ll do it.

From a production standpoint, it is quite amazing, although this might be because I own a re-mastered version that enhances the sound quality. I can clearly hear every instrument of the record. The guitars, while imaginative, are not as good as I thought they would be. They are good, yes, but they never shine as they do in later releases. Alexi does solos whenever he wants (again, no structure), and I felt lost. It’s like going to see your friend’s band, and the guitarist just do whatever the fuck he wants. Again, it is no bad, just out of nowhere. Speaking of places that don’t exist; where the fuck is the keyboard? Janne certainly plays the keyboards, and there are some moments that he appears, and he knocks it out of the park. So why doesn’t he show up more? He is clearly the most talented member of the band. Just a missed opportunity. The drums are okay; Jaska is as good as he always is, he is very technical and very precise. Also, Henkka does a great job even though he appears not to have much material to work with, and feels like a step behind. That is a step behind. What I feel is a marathon behind is Alexi’s vocals. Now Alexi has never been the best voice out there. In fact, I believe that his vocals are the cause of most of Bodom’s mistakes. If they had someone over the mic that wasn’t him, and let him stick with guitar-playing, would be a step up. Because man, why does he suck so hard on this record? The dude couldn’t give a shit about anything else. Alexi opens his mouth whenever he wants, spills some bullshit lyrics, and sometimes he just talks with no rhyme or reason. There is no logic. There is no sense. Yeah, that’s a good way to define it: No logic, no sense.

Sure, it’s an amazing riff after an amazing riff, but what’s the point if the listener doesn’t remember shit about it? The band feels as they are playing a game titled “who can play better?” and Instead of focusing in “less is more” they did that philosophy in reverse. If there is Something Wild about this record, is the fact that is literally wild. Each one of these songs is an untamed tiger doing what the fuck he wants. Why? Because he is stronger and more agile, he is more brute, he is orange. What? Jesus, this review has been going for far too long; I am comparing Bodom songs to felines... let's just get this over with and conclude the review.

Will I recommend this? *sighs* well if you are a fan of technical stuff then check this out because there is some incredible stuff to be found here, but if you like some sweet and heavy melodeath, I suggest staying with the later records. I’ll leave with this poetic phrase written by Laiho:

“What, you are the priest's son? So fuck -
SO FUCK YOURSELF AND DIE!”
-In The Shadows

This review was originally written for my blog at http://www.darkwaveunderneath.com

Time is an odd thing, inexorably tied to the changes in life. Often, these changes are jarring, leading to eventualities we would have never expected, a truth that certainly extends to the volatile career of innovative Finnish wonder boys Children of Bodom, a ride of immaculate highs and truly disheartening lows. In the beginning, though, hope was high. Though not as immediate or groundbreaking as the band would produce in their next few defining releases, Something Wild is a raucous, energetic display of classically inspired melodic death/black/power metal with a lot of heart, and it’s with a sense of forlorn nostalgia that I attempt to put thoughts concerning it to pen.

Something Wild is something of an odd experiment, a conglomeration of melodic death metal circa At the Gates, classical power metal like Ynwie Malmsteen, and even miniscule black metal aesthetics in its vocal style and windy tremolo violence, sounding at times like Dissection's overly happy younger brother. Indeed, all the aspects that would make Hatebreeder and Follow the Reaper count among my favorite albums in the medium are already at work here, if to slightly less powerful overall effect (though the black element was barely prominent, and disappeared rather quickly). The dynamic guitar/keyboard interplay is the star of the show, trading melodic punches in a cutting dance that was quite fresh for its time, a technique generally relegated to progressive power metal like Dream Theater. Alexi crafts some really strong riffs here, a number of them counting among the best he’s ever penned, and sections like the end of In the Shadows, the roiling storm of The Nail, and the lead melody of Lake Bodom reverberate even today as some of the bands finest moments. Indeed, sections of this album are straight up mind-blowingly cool. Make no mistake, this is guitar metal, epic and furious, and it holds up remarkably well, even after 15 years.

There are a few aspects that hold Something Wild back from being on the same pedestal of immortality as its next of kin, but they’re not so much faults as they are hallmarks of youth. As a band roughly and enthusiastically attempts to carve out their place in the world, a few rough edges will naturally surface. Alexi’s vocals, for one, are a bit uneven. The rasp is strong and clear, but some of the lows feel out of place, especially the attempted yelling, not nearly as strong his growls, clearly below his natural range and sounding slightly forced. The recording itself also lacks polish, but to an extent I suppose this is part of its charm. Mostly, though, the songs themselves just aren’t as strong as those on the follow-ups. There are some truly amazing parts, but the quality is not quite consistent enough to elevate it to classic status, and some of the individual transitions can feel a bit jarring, and the playing is just a bit too loose. However, I can hardly fault the band for failing to one-up the future, and Something Wild is immensely satisfying and impressive for a debut.

The tone, like most all of the bands work to date, is very upbeat, and even this early on, it was clear that Laiho was a very talented guitar player, well on his way to becoming one of the most unique shredders in the metal world. However, his unique and unmistakable riffing style was only in its embryonic stages, and the deepest impressions resonate from the neo-classical leads and infectious melodies, rather than the individual riffs. His interplay with keyboardist Janne Warman is not nearly as pronounced as it would invariably become, but they mesh very well, the keys acting as hovering, atmospheric support for Laiho’s wild licks. Despite a few incongruous, too-basic drum pattern choices, the rhythm section also does an admirable job lending a backbone to the fray, though they too would grow given time.

Something Wild is indeed that, a fresh and interesting sound for the period, full of carousing energy and passion, virtually bereft of restraint. Oddly, this is both its undeniable charm and its main failing, lacking the concise, measured coordination of its successors, but beating them all out in terms of pure, unrestrained passion. In the end, Something Wild is fun, distinct, and rather epic at times, certainly of enough raw talent and personality to set Bodom apart from the norm. In terms of overall quality, durability, and memorability, it is not quite in the same league as the next 2 records, but it’s as solid a starting point as one could ask for, and still finds it way into my rotation every once in awhile. While it has not found a place of pure immortality in my heart, I still absolutely appreciate what it has to offer, and would recommend it to anybody with a fondness for upbeat melodic metal.

-Left Hand of Dog
http://reaperdivision.blogspot.com/

If someone suggested the band Children of Bodom to you, and you searched them up, listened to "Are You Dead Yet?", thought it sucked, and decided never to listen to this band again, then HOLD ON! You're missing out on a lot if melodeath greatness: Hatebreeder, Follow the Reaper, and, of course, their awe-inspiring debut, Something Wild. Why is this album so great? Well, for one, they successfully mashed up four different genres: melodic death metal, power metal, neo-classical metal, and black metal. There is nothing bad about this album. The black metal element helps build a dark ambiance, something that their other albums lack. This is noticeable on tracks like Deadnight Warrior, In the Shadows, Red Light in My Eyes Pt. 1, Red Light in My Eyes, Pt. 2, Lake Bodom, The Nail, and Touch Like Angel of Death. Wait, that's the whole album! It's that good.

If you hated "Are You Dead Yet?" because of Alexi's vocals, then you have to listen to this. His vocals are as harsh as ever, not only his black metal-inspired screams, but the occasional "clean" vocals that build up the darkness. I have to say, Alexi Laiho is one of the best guitarists ever. He says that he hates this album because he tried to copy his idol, Yngwie Johann Malmsteen, but what's wrong with that? I've heard many bands that copy their idols!

Jaska Raatikainen's drumming is actually pretty good on this album. Instead of competing for attention on the other albums, he just does his own thing without interfering. The main reason why drummers usually compete with the guitars is because the drums usually follow along with the guitars, which doesn't make them as noticeable. Here, you can hear Jaska's drums clear as day. As for Janne's keyboards, they're AWESOME! On later albums, the keyboards aren't utilized as much. They just follow the guitars until they get a solo. Here, they're almost (wait, scratch that. They ARE) a necessity on this album. Without them, we wouldn't have as dark of an atmosphere. As for the bass, I can't hear it, so it probably follows the guitars.

This album is a must-have. Forget Hate Crew, AYDY, Blooddrunk, and RRF. Something Wild is the TRUE sound of Children of Bodom.

Children of Bodom's debut album lays the blueprint for all following Bodom releases up until around "Blooddrunk" or "Are You Dead Yet?" Dark keyboard melodies courtesy of Janne Wirman, skilled drumming, and Alexi Laiho's excellent vocals and guitar work combine to create a unique brand of melodic death metal that would become Children of Bodom's signature sound.

This is a sound that was influenced both by the "Gothenburg" sound pioneered by bands like In Flames and Dark Tranquillity. It also has a darker, more "evil" sounding influence, similar to black metal, along with some power metal-like influences that combine to produce a unique sound.

Probably the best aspect of "Something Wild," is the guitarwork, led by Alexi Laiho. It's fast, beautifully melodic, and very complex sounding. The guitarwork is different from other melodic death/power metal bands in that it is far more aggressive sounding, akin to the guitar work of death, thrash, and black metal bands. The melodies and solo's are excellent! Here is where Alexi show's off his skill as a guitar player. Every riff stands out and are all memorable and pleasing to the ear.

This guitarwork is backed up by the keyboards of Janne Wirman, and being a former pianist, having played the instrument up until high school graduation, I'm a tad bit biased towards keyboards, provided they're well done, which they most certainly are here. Wirman's keyboards add even more of a dark melody to the music, and add to the atmosphere, most notably on the opening track, "Deadnight Warrior."

The drumming is good but unusual for this type of music, and like the guitars is more similar to death or thrash than melodic death metal, at times, it almost sounds somewhat tech death in nature. The music is somewhat bass heavy, at least, the bass is sufficiently audible throughout the album to the point that you know it's there, but other than that, it doesn't really do much more than give the music a deeper, richer sound.

The last thing I'll mention before shutting up is Alexi's vocals. Sometimes they're very good, similar to Anders Friden but more harsh. Other times, like on the chorus of "Red Light in My Eyes Pt. I," Alexi tries going for this deep sound which isn't bad, but doesn't seem to suit his vocal style very well. Some of the people who have written reviews for this album have made comments about the production, however, I haven't found that. Either because I'm not paying enough attention, or I've finally blown my eardrums out listening to loud musc.

Like every debut album, "Something Wild"has its flaws, but those are more than made up for by the good points on this album.

What do you get when you mix death metal, power metal, and neoclassical metal? Something Wild. I use that in both adjective form and the name of the album.

The guitar work on this album is phenomenal. The album is packed with all sorts of riffs and keyboard pieces. The songs jump from one awesome riff to another perfectly piecing the song together into a masterpiece. The neoclassical influence can be heard through the album as Laiho smashes his way through the leads of the album to produce exponential music. This may be some of the best guitar work around. The riffs are filled with influence and are full of pure originality. Even the simplest of riffs like those in "Touch Like An Angel of Death" and "In The Shadows" sound amazing. Classical music is used in the songs too; such as Johann Sebastian Bach, technically he's Baroque, and Mozart, who is actually Classical. The fast pace that is constantly kept will keep your headbanging even in the slower verses of "Red Light In My Eyes, Pt. 1". "Deadnight Warrior" is a great track to listen to if you only hear one song it'll be enough to give you an idea of the album's content musically. The solos on "Something Wild" are outstanding and some of the best solos I've heard. Both guitars know how to work together excellently. No where on this album will you find the guitars struggling for lead or contradicting one another negatively. The drums are great at complimenting the guitar without doing the same thing as the guitars as with other bands; Ex: Metallica. The keyboards are the source of the classical sounds on this album. Without Janne Wirman this album wouldn't sound half as good as it does. Children of Bodom seem to have put the keyboards in every good spot possible in every track. Alexi Laiho's vocals show evidence of black metal influence adding to the rich and varied influences of the album. It's been said that Alexi Laiho was truly inspired by the Swedish band Dissection at the time. Alexi Laiho mixes the death metal and black metal vocals well. Most black metal vocals sound like shit but this is just great. It's unique to see such skill, as far as I know this hasn't been repeated leaving these vocals almost one of a kind.

This comes to no surprise when the production is excellent for a debut. Spinefarm Records is a great record company as it is. The quality that Children of Bodom received for this album was excellent and fitting as well. This was recorded before the times were existing entitled you to good sound quality. When money was a factor in the recording in relation to record and not be acquired short-term.

The lyrics on this album are great, whether you can understand them is on you. If you ever got a look at them you'll realize they're weird. They are also very unique in this weird way. Alexi Laiho has always been a great writer and the proof can be seen early on. It may have been different when they were still Inearthed but there was definitely a masterful change in lyric writing. This is probably what causes the band to release another album three years later, but it's all time well spent and hard work worth listening to.

Very rarely will I truly enjoy an album as I do with "Something Wild". It's a crazy, creative mad rush of pure energy pouring into your ears. It's definitely good at getting you pumped up or good "I'm pissed the fuck off" music unless your in that mood to listen to this album which happens to me often. I know the whole track listing by heart and in order I've heard this so many times. It's simply a great album and shows that with the right people around you can make something truly exceptional. I can't recommend one song without recommending the whole album. I do not recommend listening to just one song either. The songs are composed differently so if you find one unsatisfactory check out another; these guys don't cut and paste. I recommend this album to anyone.

I never did really like Children of Bodom. I always wrote them off as another overhyped, undertalented byproduct of the modern metal movement. But then I heard Something Wild and, try as I might, I can’t help but enjoy the damn thing. Here on their debut, their unique OTT brand of extremist power metal is fresh and uncompromised by the growing popularity that would trendify their later work. Here everything is insane, but well-placed, leading to a product that is, for lack of a better phrase, truly something wild.

The primary pack-separating aspect of this band is their extreme take on what would otherwise be standard ‘ol melodic power metal in the vein of Stratovarius. They demonstrate this in several ways. Firstly, the drumming is uncharacteristically intense, incorporating blast beats into power metal in a manner that would not be again attempted until Dragonforce did it half a decade later. This, coupled with the heavily distorted guitars, has even led some to go as far as to call this thrash metal. While it’s not even close, that is the kind of sonic intensity this calls forth, even on the jaded listener. Secondly, and much more noticeably, is frontman Alexi Laiho’s vocal performance, which is one of the band’s defining aspects. No soaring falsetto or catchy melodies to be found here: Laiho utilizes a raspy roar that would be much more at home in the realm of black metal, but it grows on you as the album progresses. Thirdly, elaborating on my last assertion, there are no catchy VOCAL melodies to be found on the album. Guitar melodies are an entirely different story, as Laiho’s Bach-inspired guitar work, while not quite at the level of say Michael Romeo, is nonetheless pleasing to the ears, serving as a unique contrast to his harsh vocals. Lastly, there are full-time keyboards at work here, at times similar to the way they are utilized in Sonata Arctica (must be a Finnish thing). Of course the context is entirely different due to the band’s sound, but they add immensely to the album atmospherically (as keyboards often do) and serve to enhance the guitar melodies rather than compete with them the way they do in Malmsteen’s work (though these guys do imitate Malmsteen at times). There’s a fair amount of interesting breaks involved as well to add even more variety to the compositions. To be fair, the orchestra hit sound gets somewhat annoying (this isn’t the Mortal Kombat soundtrack, after all), but the various string, choir, and harpsichord synths are more than welcome.

Structurally, the songs are just as over-the-top as the music itself. What the music lacks in abrupt time signature changes and overtly progressive elements it makes up for in non-cyclical riff progressions. Rarely does it seem that these guys adhere to traditional song arrangements, choosing to just add riff upon riff, seasoned with leads and interludes, until the song’s end. In a way, this further affect the band’s catchiness, already impeded by the rough vocals, but it’s only a problem if you see it as one.

The only problem I can really find with this album, aside from the occasional lack of catchiness, is the lyrics, which were supposedly mostly improvised at recording time. It shows: there’s nothing here worth repeating and at times it’s even a bit embarrassing. But since the words are mostly indistinguishable anyway (aside from the chorus of the first part of “Red Light in my Eyes”), it’s hardly a scratch on the surface of an otherwise fantastic debut. Shame they couldn’t keep up the pace they set on here, as their future releases merely shadow this one. Ah well, they gave us one classic, that’s enough for me.

Highlights: “Deadnight Warrior,” “Lake Bodom”

Years ago I was a littlebit over-enthusiastic when it comes to buying records, so after just seeing the videoclip for Deadnight Warrior, I decided to splash my money on "Something Wild". Certainly I enjoyed it for the time being, but when I listen to it now after listening to tons of metal cd's, well....it kinda sucks, big time.

The cd has it's moments, for example in the first track deadnight Warrior, but when listening to the other songs, I get the feeling that CoB had a littlebit too much ideas when composing their songs at that stage of their opus. Most songs are composed in such a way, that every "cool" riff or breakdown could be used. Songs shift from one rythm to another, guitar riff followed by the next one, with very hectic keyboards draped over them like a blanket. This makes listening to the record one hell of a job, as CoB never really seems to catch the moment. Although I love the later work of CoB, this record is as cohesive as desert sand.

Next to the afore mentioned negative points, Alexi Laiho was no where near the singer he is now. The vocals seem to be very hard pressed, and a littlebit too much for him at times. Next to this, I feel that screams such as for example a loud "FUCK" just before a guitar riff are soo not done, that it makes it all sound a littlebit childish.

We all know that CoB are one of the bigger bands at this moment, listening to their later records or seeing them live is a great joy, and you can hear that the potential was already there on this debut. But for a good introduction to CoB, I would advice Hate Crew Deathroll. Actually I would advice every other record but this one

Children of Bodom really have something on their hands with Something Wild. It is simply one of the best debuts that I have heard in quite a while. Even though there are some faults in the album – overall it is quite impressive and creative. Some bands try to do the melodic and heavy factor and few of them pull it off as catchy and clever as Children of Bodom have.

Something Wild has its problems granted. It’s production values are pretty minimal and the mixing has some faults in it (at one point the guitars actually pop out louder in the middle of a note for about a half second – freaked me out originally). These are simple things that make the album a little rougher to listen to – and make the fans a little more dedicated to love.

The writing of the album is quite chaotic sounding. There are many stop and go sections and with breaks along with “solo” parts for almost every instrument. The guitars are fast, spastic, and catchy. There is plenty of melody (part of the charm of Children of Bodom) and with the keyboards there is plenty of moments where you can tell the band have some classical music influence. The solos are amazing (when you consider the age of the members and the age of the band – even more amazing) and the leads are well played. The guitar sound is often mudded down due to poor production but if one listens hard enough you can hear the talent.

The bass work is pretty damn good and even though I felt the bass was a little strong on this album – he keeps the variety up and really plays like a guitar player rather than an underlying element. The drums are varied and sound like death metal at times and other times sound like power metal. It’s a great combination of sounds to give the album a very unique feel. The keys in the album are also a little on the “unpolished” side but are very useful at giving us great depth to the music.

Alexi Laiho definitely embraces a death metal vocal technique (with a little variation) on Something Wild. He uses the deep part of his lungs to push out lyrics of hate, death, the reaper, and Lake Bodom. The use of movie sound clips gives the album an interesting side take – I recognized the opening one to be from the TV movie, It. They fit well on the album and even though they sound pretty of low quality, flow well with the rough edges of the production.

Children of Bodom are a force to reckon with. An original mix of styles along with some interesting concepts and so much talent that seasoned bands may get jealous; Children of Bodom are on the edge of greatness with this debut release. The production may get on some people’s nerves but overall the writing is well done (chaotic but amazing).

Songs to check out: Red Light in My Eyes Pt. 1, Lake Bodom, Touch like Angel of Death.

Countries like Finland are amazing places. From what this ignorant Canadian is aware of, metal of all kinds is appreciated a lot more there than it is here. Reading that over 13, 000 copies of Iron Maiden's A Matter of Life and Death had been sold to those crazy Finns (and 500, 000 in a matter of three or four days) only reinforced that opinion. So it shouldn't be any surprise that the country of 5 million churns out some excellent metal bands. Whether you like power metal, death metal, or black metal, you're sure to find something you like. One of the bands that has risen to the top of the metal scene, not only in Finland, but the entire world is Children of Bodom. Fusing a neo-classical power metal sound with a harsh vocal style normally associated with extreme metal, the band is a favourite of many. Bodom released its first album, Something Wild, in 1998. They have since recorded 4 studio albums and one live album, with their latest, Are You Dead Yet?, being released over a year ago.

Something Wild is a very fitting album title. Though it clocks in at just over 32 minutes, listening to Something Wild is like taking a musical adventure. The album is very atmospheric, with excellent keyboards and riffs which make songs like Lake Bodom, Red Light in my Eyes Pt. 1, and Touch Like An Angel of Death all that much more enjoyable. Bodom's axemen are definitely talented players, as heard in several of their complex solos and riffs. No member of the band lets up on their musical assault, which remains very aggressive through the 32 minute running time. This is great, as it seems Children of Bodom is at their best writing heavy material that's full of hate, which whiles it seems silly at times, I'm not going to complain about.

Bodom looses a lot of listeners when it comes to the vocals. Vocalist/guitarist Alexi Laiho has his vocal approaches rooted firmly in that of extreme metal. Though this may open doors to new audiences for the band, fans of a more traditional approach to power metal may be put off by Alexi's screaming and growling. I will admit, at first I was not quite a fan of Laiho's efforts, but I gave them another chance and began to appreciate them a lot more. Alexi's vocals are done very well, and not once do they take away from the music. Alexi does not present a distraction and his screaming actually fits the band's chaotic, hateful sound very well. When you think Children of Bodom, you think not only of the epic keyboards and neo-classical soloing, but also Laiho's vocals – the two go hand in hand. In addition to being vital to the band's sound, Laiho's vocals are also preferable due to the fact that each of the song's lyrics (save for those of Touch Like An Angel of Death) were made up by Alexi on the spot, and as a result, are not very good. The harsh vocals cancel out the horrible lyrics for the most part, as they are very difficult to make out on your own. Perhaps on of the only moments where one can understand Laiho is in the chorus of Red Light In My Eyes Pt. 1, one of the catchiest parts of the album. Like them or hate them, Alexi's harsh vocals are important to both Something Wild and the band's sound itself, and are not likely to disappear.

As mentioned earlier, Children of Bodom have a very impressive neo-classical element in their sound. This is likely what draws me to this album so much. Bodom's guitarists really know their stuff and they put it to good use on Something Wild, as heard in the likes of Lake Bodom, Touch Like An Angel of Death, and The Nail. The pitch on the guitars is perfect for such a sound and very enjoyable to listen to. Simply put, the instrumental section is very well done. It would have been interesting to see how the band would have handled a full blown instrumental on this release. As the album is only 32 minutes long, it certainly would have been very welcome.

Overall Something Wild is a very good album, one of my favourite debut albums of all time. On this release, Children of Bodom introduce metal fans to their extreme power metal sound which dominates the much of the band's discography. Though the vocals might not be your cup of tea, if you are a fan of melodic metal, there is very little to be disappointed about. Something Wild is well crafted power metal at its finest. Get this if you have not already.

(Originally written for Sputnikmusic)

This is where the legacy of COB began and it is worth mentioning that this album has a very different sound than those that followed it. This is a much darker Bodom, one that had more ties with their black metal roots than on the last few records.

The songwriting on here is arguably their best. The fusion of classical passages with extreme music is done extremely well here. The riffs in the opener "Deadnight Warrior" are catchy and heavy at the same time. The guitar tone is nice and heavy but the leads are very smooth and tasteful. This is another element to the record's sound, the melodic lines are much more tasteful than those you'll find on their later material.

To me, this is Alexi's best vocal performance. His sound on this is a total growl which I find fits the extreme sound very well. The songwriting is top class here, with catchiness and chops to show off. This is very fun music to listen to, even though it has a dark allure to it.

A lot of killer tracks here. Since there are only seven songs, they were really well crafted and they all have their unique charm. The classics on here however are "Deadnight Warrior", "Lake Bodom" and "Touch Like Angel of Death" the album closer. This track is an excellent finisher. It's fast, it's melodic and the solos are mind boggling. Musically, the performance is that much more impressive if you consider that most of the band hadn't even reached their twenties yet.

All in all, this record slays. The songwriting is excellent, the performance is pasionate yet tasteful, and it's all heavy enough for any metalhead to want to headbang to it.

The album that started it all. Back when they were just kids from Finland, they had a lot of fresh ideas to bring to the table. In 1997, you would be hard pressed to find a blend of tasteful guitar virtuosity, black metal atmosphere, neoclassical influenced keyboard parts, and heavy metal attitude. This album has it all.

Deadnight Warrior starts the album out with a drumfill right into orchestra hits. Before you're a minute into the song, you already hear everything that was mentioned in the previous paragraph. As the album goes on, there are blastbeats to be had, melodic passages, headspinning keyboard runs, and not one instance that would make you want to skip a track. This is an album to be played from beginning to end.

The best part about this album is that most of it is very memorable and CATCHY. Some tag them as power metal with harsh vocals, but they were not power metal yet on this album. They were on their way there, and they definitely nailed the catchiness of the genre early.

There are no songwriting formulas used here, either. The songs progress seamlessly from part to part, interlude to lead, etc., and it never resorts to a concrete verse/chorus formula. Perhaps the most impressive example of their progressive mastery is the song The Nail. The Nail is perhaps the best song this band has ever penned, and it baffles me as to how these guys enjoy their newer stuff more.

An impressive start to a great career for these five talented kids. Though their songwriting ability would eventually deminish in favor of the almighty dollar, they still have some of my respect due to their back catalog. If you don't own this album, you're missing out on Children of Bodom's finest hour, er, half hour. The only complaint would be that the album is too short. Even with only seven songs, it stands strong and will end up being this band's "Beneath The Remains", so to speak - their true classic album overshadowed by the more commercial sounding albums.

The first album by these Finnish power/speed-metal giants is definitely worth getting, just like everything else in their catalogue thus far. Not surprisingly, the COB album it's mostly comparable is the follow-up, "Hatebreeder", with lots of razor sharp and insanely fast single-note based riffs on a nearly constant full-frontal assault to kick your ass time and time again. Like all their releases, "Something Wild" takes frightening horror moods and almost psychotic, creepy atmospheres built up by some mesmerizing keyboard work, adds brutal aggression to the mixture with the monstrous riffwork and harsh vocals by Alexi Laiho that we all love or loathe.

On top of this, they put complex and quite unusual song arrangements that manage to keep the songs flowing well and constantly keeps the album fresh and surprising, while not being confused or incoherent in the slightest (Hi, Dream Theater). Though because of the frenetic moodswings and countless amounts of riffs in each and every song, they sometimes get a bit hard to tell apart from eachother. But when you listen to the album enough, it'll all sink in anyway. If you hear one part of the album randomly, you probably have no idea what song it is from, but you'll sure as hell know it kicks fucking ass.
Some parts do stand out though, mainly some incredibly memorable and well-written melodies, like the one towards the end of "In The Shadows" or approximately 15 seconds into "Red Light In My Eyes Part I". Especially the main melody of the later song is amazing, never fails to give me goosebumps. Some incredible emotion conveyed into the whole song, really. The keyboard work of the band and on this album especially gives an almost melancholic edge to some moments of the album, which works surprisingly well with the intensity and aggression of the rest of the album, and Alexis vocals go perfectly with it. Again, check out the beginning of "Red Light In My Eyes Part I".
"Lake Bodom" also has some fucking great moments. It starts with a magnificent keyboard melody, going into a melodic guitar riff which then takes us into total ownage mode throughout the entire song. Also note the brilliant keyboard solo, gotta love those.

The whole album though is filled with great moments all over, and there isn't really a weak moment on here, which is pretty fucking impressive considering the ever changing song structures. With this album, Children of Bodom took power metal to a new level, and brought us something that at the time, 1997, was quite unique (though bands like Sacred Warrior have used harsh vocals on power metal songs way back, it was not at all as overt as this) and more importantly, totally kickass. To name highlights is hard since the songs tend to blend together, but that's the only flaw I can find on this album, and since it's all great shit anyway that's not much of a problem.
The song structures are not quite as overwhelming, the keyboards not as perfectly atmospheric and the riffs not quite as menacing, as on the album that was to come two years later, "Hatebreeder". Nonetheless, this can definitely hold it's own against alot of classic metal records. Modern metal needs more bands like these, who have the balls to do something that's fresh and interesting, yet still kicks your ass like real metal should.

At the date of the writing of this review, it is 5 days until I see these mad finnish fuckers on the third day of Sweden Rock Festival, and oh Satan am I growing impatient or what? I'm expecting to get my ass kicked more times than you can count with both parts of your brain, both musically (all of it) and physically (Exodus).

This is the beginning of one of the coolest bands to ever hit the metal scene, and it features all the shit that makes them the band that all other harsh bands want to be when they grow up.

Children of Bodom has become legendary in the metal world for their combination of amazing technical skills and their shit-kicking attitude, and you can hear all of their greatness in this well-made album. The band's sound isn't as mature as it is by the time we get to Hatebreeder, but it's a great debut album and it happens to feature one of the great Children of Bodom classics.

The most important part of Children of Bodom is the absolutely ass-kicking lineup they have. First and foremost is Alexi Laiho, who I would very simplistically describe as a harsh Kai Hansen, although there is a lot of hatred and hyperfast brutality in Laiho that you won't find in any of King Kai's numerous endeavors. Laiho is, frankly, the King of Harsh Vocals, and nobody, no matter what genre they play in, can even come close to his completely brutal supremacy. The only thing as impressive as Laiho's vocals is his guitar playing, which is extremely virtuosic and incredibly fast (for a view on just how fast, check out his guitar solo in War of Roses in the Tokyo Wearhearts live album. The next member of importance is bassist Henkka Blacksmith, whose talents only shine through marginally on this album, but prove useful in keeping the fast-as-fuck style of Children of Bodom to a steady, headbanging beat. Next is the recently-departed Jaska Raatikainen, the fastest drummer this side of The Berzerker and infinitely more talented than the aforementioned. His drumming is solid and headbanging, no question asked. Rounding out the lineup is Janne Warman, whose lightning-fast keyboarding is in the band for the sole purpose of blowing you the fuck away by realizing just how fucking fast this dude is tearing off his solos (really fucking fast, in case you weren't sure).

As I said, this album marks the maiden voyage of the Hate Crew, and it features some excellent songs to mark their blazing emergence into the metal world. Deadnight Warrior opens up with a little sound clip that suddenly dies to give way to a hyperfast drum thrash, and then some serious opening riffage from the guitar as the band works its way to the main headbanging chorus. In the Shadows is notable for its showcasing of Blacksmith's excellent bass work. The killer song on here is Lake Bodom, a classic Children of Bodom song which I assume is about the Lake Bodom murders (you can never tell with harsh vocals), but who the fuck cares, anyway? The important thing is that the riffage in here is extraordinary and you will quickly be thrashing your ass off. The other song of note is Touch Like the Angel of Death, which has a very cool opening guitar riff that leads into some great howls from Alexi as the keyboard joins in the can-do-no-wrong riff frenzy.

If you can handle harsh vocals at all, buy this motherfucker right now. This is the sort of fast-paced brutal shit you want firmly in your collection. Black Metal-heads who live and die by the next Mayhem release might also want to hear what real brutality sounds like. This album, and this band, is the shit-ruling shit-kicker masterpiece that you need to hear RIGHT NOW.

When I first heard Children of Bodom, the style blew me away -- it was a very progressive styles done in a very aggressive manner. The fact that most of them were about 18 years old when this was done was far more impressive. Most of the best electric guitarists of all time out there either are faded into obscuraty in their 40s, dead, or sold out, and kids today need someone other than Korn, Tool, Creed, Slipknot, and new Metallica to look up to as the pinnacle of guitar ability.

This album has slight black metal influences, and the vocals are somewhat raspy in their harshness, but it has absolutely nothing to do with the genre at all. It's also obviously not the most serious work out there, but

Deadnight Warrior just leaps out of the thunder with a fast, memorable introduction of complimentary keyboards and guitars. Alexi's harsh, screamed, unintelligible vocals punctures the song, keeping is rapid pace and providing contrast and conflict to the melodies. The all too brief sweep-picking solo on this song is killer.

In the Shadows begins with utter fury, with polyrythms creating chaos among the quasi-evil riffs. The song continues to speed up and slow down, but remains intense even with all the neoclassical work.

Red Light in My Eyes Pt. 1 begins with a harpsichord of dissonance, and slows down into some really off-key, funny growling, which soon picks up and just as quickly returns to its neoclassical nature. The funny vocals return, but before you can laugh, you are twisted upside down again with a furious barrage of drums and diminished riffs. The too-brief solo is amazingly fast, though.

Red Light Part 2 begins with a Malmsteen-style flourish and continues in much of the neoclassical style, reaching a crescendo of the scream of "FIRE!" The melodic guitar and keyboard work through this whole song is excellent, as intense as it stays.

Lake Bodom begins with a legendary intro of dueling keyboards and guitars, and would make almost any guitarist want to grab his axe and try to imitate it right away. The main song is intense and complex as usual, which only whets your appetite for a return of the intro. The guitar and keyboard solos are excellent rapid-speed, and help reach the pinnacle.

The Nail continues with the intense fusion of neoclassical styles and eclectic thrash/speed styling. Though it's heavy and fast to begin with, it gradually grows faster and reaches a climax of melodic fury after inventive riffs that showcase just how good the children in CoB really are.

Touch Like Angel of Death finishes the album with a simple rythm upon ghostly keyboards, slows down, and picks right up with an excellent high-speed melody and a very catchy (although typical CoB stupid/funny in lyrical content) and crushing chorus. The skilled and fast solo fits exactly right as usual. The only thing I don't like is the silence and the little keyboard thing at the end.

I'm giving this album a 90 because it's not perfect and it's a bit too short, but it's is damned good. It ushers in something new which I actually happen to like for a change, and those kids can play their instruments with amazing ability, know their music theory, and know how to make something memorable out of it.