Children of Bodom
Blooddrunk


2.5
average

Review

by Da da duhhh da da da duh duh STAFF
July 8th, 2012 | 84 replies


Release Date: 2008 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Bodom try to take a step forward and fall back to square one

Blooddrunk is a deeply flawed but somewhat underrated album from Children of Bodom. After paring back their trademark flashiness into Are You Dead Yet?'s inconsistent approximations of groove metal, the band made the decision to follow that album up with a thrashier, more technical outing. This idea had a lot of potential, not all of which is lost onBlooddrunk, but it lands for the most part as just another Children of Bodom album with a little less focus and a dubious ratio of hits and misses.

The biggest problem with the album is that the band are both too keen and too stale in clutching onto their trademark schtick. The whole package is more than a little contrived here. In the past, it was easy to get carried away with the music and forget about - or even get a rush of - how ridiculous their image and lyrics were; their death-from-Lake-Bodom brand was endearing kitsch. Just go to hell by the edge of my scythe!, indeed. Children of Bodom pre-Are You Dead Yet seemed to get the best of simply being themselves; much of Blooddrunk sounds like Children of Bodom trying too hard to remember what this felt like. Something's off here; a large amount of the album sounds as though the band were trying to recreate the magic of previous releases by throwing f-bombs all over the shop and by riffing into empty space; this is nothing new, but it lands as uninspired and lets the album down.

The lowlights come aplenty, but a few stand out in particular. The title track starts off with an engaging keyboard part riff that, soon becomes apparent as having next to nothing to do with whatever the rest of the band plays; the track as a whole is comically disjointed and smacks of sloppy composition. "Lobodomy" is a generally horrendous song, incohesive beyond parody, and it conveniently exemplifies what we might call the post-meme state of Laiho's lyricism ("When talking out of your Bodom mouth...You motherfuckers want to give me a lobotomy?").

Perhaps the greatest tragedy is the extent to which Janne Wirman's keyboards take a step back. Once the figure in the shadows who would make the likes of "Mask of Sanity" so colourful, not to mention the perfect solo partner for Laiho, Wirman's parts are less prominent here and they often feel misplaced when they do crop up. In many ways his input is the lifeblood of classic Children of Bodom, and his involvement here is an ominous reflection of the album as a whole.

There are a few significant positives to be found here, thank goodness. Alexi Laiho's vocals have settled into a sweet spot, sounding perfectly scathing and doing an adequate job of supporting such incohesive songwriting. It's all too easy to overstate the messy parts of this album, but there are a few major standouts on display. For instance "Smile Pretty for the Devil" is a cut above, taking the thrash elements further than the rest of the album and features a fantastic keyboard solo. "Tie My Rope" is perhaps the most incendiary banger here, exploding in classic Bodom fashion and laying down some of their best riffs, even if the keyboards once again feel out of place. Finally, I'd be remiss not to pay tribute to the chorus of "Done With Everything, Die with Nothing"; this one's use of sustained root-octave chromatics sounds intense and dramatic in a way that doesn't quite correspond to any of the band's past work; an encouraging surprise.

Overall, Are You Dead Yet? die-hards will likely enjoy Blooddrunk to varying degrees, but I can't recommend it as a whole; it sounds far too disjointed and contrived, and - to be honest - it is alarming how quickly and how much this band have devolved since their last hurrah Hate Crew Deathroll. Listen at your own risk.



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user ratings (1291)
2.6
average
other reviews of this album
1 of
  • Rugter32 (2.5)
    It had potential, and it fell flat on its face. Not as bad as it's made out to be, in any ...

    Xenorazr (3.5)
    Though it certainly doesn’t stand alongside the pre-Hate Crew Deathroll releases, Bloodd...

    Iluvatar (1.5)
    Semi-mindful technicality is just as bad as mindless technicality....

    Stryfe14 (2.5)
    Losing sight of the fundamentals which made them great....

  • CoreySzn (2)
    Bodom's latest offering is mediocre at best....



Comments:Add a Comment 
JohnnyoftheWell
Staff Reviewer
July 8th 2012


62800 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

Neg away bitches, I actually enjoy this quite a bit (h8 crew fanboi ftw) but I can't deny the total lack of quality

KILL
July 8th 2012


81580 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

fuck this fuck

JohnnyoftheWell
Staff Reviewer
July 8th 2012


62800 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

75% clusterfuck 25% win

Trebor.
Emeritus
July 8th 2012


60085 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

meh

JohnnyoftheWell
Staff Reviewer
July 8th 2012


62800 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

That chorus is a blast

MO
July 8th 2012


24136 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

gay band and album

SgtPepper
Emeritus
July 8th 2012


4510 Comments


This review is pretty good, Johnny. I've never really been a fan of this band, so I can't really comment much on the music, but the review was pretty well-written. POS'd

JohnnyoftheWell
Staff Reviewer
July 8th 2012


62800 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

Thanks Paperback

JohnnyoftheWell
Staff Reviewer
July 8th 2012


62800 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

In Flames...don't even get me started there

Here, it's a case of them keeping the same kinda vibe from their roots but just fucking it up

cutoffs
July 8th 2012


259 Comments


good review i read all of it

KILL
July 8th 2012


81580 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

ive got a headache and i blame satan

JohnnyoftheWell
Staff Reviewer
July 8th 2012


62800 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

Cheers bro

cutoffs
July 8th 2012


259 Comments


done with everything is sweet

JohnnyoftheWell
Staff Reviewer
July 8th 2012


62800 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

KILL, it's probs coz you've got metal up your arse again

mindleviticus
July 8th 2012


10649 Comments


Everything after Are you Dead yet? is mediocre

JohnnyoftheWell
Staff Reviewer
July 8th 2012


62800 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

A lot of AYDY was mediocre

mindleviticus
July 8th 2012


10649 Comments


I thought it was good, but nothing to go beyond that though

mindleviticus
July 8th 2012


10649 Comments


I liked In Your Face

mindleviticus
July 8th 2012


10649 Comments


Hatebreeder is still my favorite though

JohnnyoftheWell
Staff Reviewer
July 8th 2012


62800 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

In Your Face, t/t are good, but Living Dead Beat is easily the best, If You Want Peace... slays too

And yes, Hatebreeder reigns supreme



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