Review Summary: Hatebreeder is without a doubt Children of Bodom's strongest release. A must have for fans of Finnish metal.
Children of Bodom " Hatebreeder
"From now on, we are enemies"you and I."
If you listen to any sort of metal at all, you"ve probably heard this band"s name before. You might have even heard this band"s name before even if you don"t listen to metal. Children of Bodom are one of the most important metal bands of the past ten years because of their incredible skill and songwriting. Their albums never cease to amaze, and this album I personally think is their best.
The reason that I think this album is so great is because it bested the bands first major release, Something Wild. Something Wild had its moments, but it left some room for the band to improve. This album did more than fill that gap. Every member in the band displays great talent in all of these songs. The drums are fast as hell, the bass fills are good when they"re apparent, the keyboard solos and intros are amazing, and the guitars. Children of Bodom"s guitarists are the reason that people listen to the band. Alexi Laiho is one of the best guitar players to come in a long while. I think it"s time to talk about the individual songs now.
The songs:
1. Warheart - 5/5
2. Silent Night, Bodom Night - 5/5
3. Hatebreeder - 4.5/5
4. Bed of Razors - 5/5
5. Towards Dead End - 5/5
6. Black Widow - 4/5
7. Wrath Within - 2.5/5
8. Children of Bodom - 4.75/5
9. Downfall - 4.75/5
The quote at the beginning of this review is what is quietly uttered right before there is a sick bass intro and then the band enters in with loads of aggression and speed. Yes, this is the band"s famous Warheart. It"s tremendous album opener because it"s loaded with energy, speed, and a catchy chorus. Every member shows some skill in this song, and the keyboard/guitar dueling is as apparent as ever. It"s an awesome song, to say the least. The next track is another fan favorite that the band always plays at their shows, Silent Night, Bodom Night. This could quite possibly be the band"s fastest song to date. The double bass is quite intense and the riffing is pretty heavy as well. You"ll also know that Alexi"s voice has improved from the last album, and it sounds a lot more evil than in Something Wild. There are also more shred solos, key changes, and melodic riffing in this song. It"s another very entertaining listen.
Bands always make songs named after the albums great, and Hatebreeder is no exception. The riffing in this song is once again very entertaining, and the drums also do some pretty fast blast beats at one point. There is also a chorus part where Alexi"s voice changes in a way into sort of a drunken singing voice, and then the band stops and lets the guitars play some more cool riffs. They make me want to just throw up the horns every time I hear it. So far, this album is phenomenal, and it will continue on like this for the remainder of the album.
Bed of Razors takes a different approach from the past three intros and slowly brings you in with a haunting triplet keyboard part. The guitars then enter playing the same part and Alexi lets out a long and awesome scream. The verse is considerably heavy, and there are parts where the keyboards really stand out. This chorus is once again very catchy, and contains more of Bodom"s signature melodic riffing. The band also lets the keyboardist take a solo that is very euphonious. Another good track and one worth checking out. Towards Dead End starts out hastily with some very impressive guitar parts played by Alexi. I"m amazed by Alexi"s ability to play the melodic riffs in the verse and sing at the same time. The chorus isn"t as cool as the past few, but it"s not all that bad to listen to. The interlude to the song is quite a headbanger, let me tell you. And the solos are also the best the album has seen. God, will this album ever cease its greatness?
Towards Dead End ends with some flute samples that are played by the keyboards that link this song to the sixth track, Black Widow. Get ready for some more headbanging riffs and some cool drumming during the verse. The rest of the band does some backing vocals that you might find yourself chanting along to at one point or another. The typical amazing riffing is here and never disappoints. The song at 1:50 also sounds really cool, especially the vocals. They keyboards do their fair share of adding a unique touch to the band"s overall sound, and there is also a small bass solo! Just when you thought the band couldn"t make this any cooler! After another great song ends, we come upon Wrath Within. This is the only song I won"t be obsessing about. It"s not really bad at all, but after hearing so much greatness on one disc; this song just doesn"t blow me away as much as the past six tracks did. The song seems a tad bit recycled, and most of the stuff that this song shows you"ve already head before on this album. The typical fast drums and guitar are there, along with the solos, keyboards, and harsh vocals. It"s not that bad of a song, but you"ll probably find yourself picking something else out on this album before gong to here.
If a band makes a song that"s title is the band"s name, you know it has to do the band justice and be one of their best songs ever. This does in fast, happen. This is the longest song on the album, but never tires out. The riffs are catchy, heavy, and downright just fun to listen to. It"s a shame that the band doesn"t play this at shows because it would make an awesome closer. The keyboards during the verse are hard to hear, but they play some awesome melodies. The band also takes a more technical approach then their past songs and load this song up with key changes and time changes just to show off how talented this band truly is. The keyboards and guitars once again have a duel that"s the most impressive thing you"ll probably hear on this entire album. This song is simply amazing and should be shown to any metal head out there.
It"s time for the last song on the album, called Downfall. It starts out with some mystical sounding keyboards that give this song an epic feel to close off this wonderful album. This song surely ends this album on a good note. The verse is once again loaded with wicked double bass that is just as fast as Silent Night, Bodom Night. This song is mainly focused around the keyboards and there are lots of times where the band just stops playing and lets Janne solo for quite some time. There are also some parts where the band slows down and plays some headbanging, chugging riffs. Also, be prepared for some more dueling that everyone should be impressed by. I like how this song ended the album because it changed up the sound so that you weren"t hearing the same thing over so the album didn"t seem recycled. This song is another triumph and certainly an excellent closer.
Pros:
--Musically, it"s incredible
--Songs don"t all sound the same
--Vocals have improved from the last album
Cons:
--Wrath Within isn"t totally necessary
Highlights of the album:
Warheart
Bed of Razors
Black Widow
Children of Bodom
This album is certainly a triumph and shows that music isn"t dead. This ranks right up there with Blackwater Park, Sonic Firestorm, and other great metal triumphs of the past ten years. Do yourself a favor and check this out, you won"t be disappointed.
Final Rating: 5/5
