The Melodic Death Metal Thread
Children of Bodom - "Follow the Reaper" (2000)
I think it might have been Ben who first introduced me to this Finnish act upon my return to metal in 2009 & it may have been through this very album too if memory serves me correctly. I can't say that "Follow the Reaper" does very much for me these days though with its power metal-infused melodeath sound largely flying straight over my head. This shit really lacks consistent aggression with the vocals of Alexi Laiho being fairly stereotypical for the melodic death metal scene & the neoclassical guitar solos removing whatever edge may have been achieved by some of the more heavyweight riffs. There can be no denying Laiho's talent as a shredder but I need more than that these days. European power metal has never been my thing either so this record was always gonna be a challenge for me. It's certainly not a complete disaster but "Follow the Reaper" offers very little that fits into my wheelhouse in 2025.
For fans of Kalmah, Norther & Wintersun.
2.5/5
There are undoubtedly a lot of bands / albums that I've introduced you to over the years (and vice versa), but Children of Bodom are not one of them. I don't think I've ever got through a full track, let alone an album.
There are undoubtedly a lot of bands / albums that I've introduced you to over the years (and vice versa), but Children of Bodom are not one of them. I don't think I've ever got through a full track, let alone an album.
Are you sure? I can distinctly remember you rocking over to my place in a brand-new Agalloch "Pale Folklore" t-shirt, raving about Paul Baloff-era Exodus & playing me three of your favourite new metal records from Children of Bodom, Dragonforce & BABYMETAL.
In Flames - "Whoracle" (1997)
While 1996's "The Jester Race" album may have been a huge record for these Swedish melodeath champions, it never connected with me personally & neither did In Flames' highly celebrated follow-up record "Whoracle". Whilst I do prefer it to "The Jester Race", "Whoracle" still suffers from many of the same failings in its quest for my affection. A good half of the tracklisting is really pretty entertaining but the other half does very little for me with the song-writing edging much too far into more accessible realms than I'm comfortable with. It's probably telling that my two clear favourites also happen to be the least popular tracks in "Morphing Into Primal" & the title track because it's a strong indicator that I can't appreciate the selling points that In Flames' audience live & die by. Sure... I'd take "Whoracle" over other In Flames releases from the period like 2000's "Clayman" but it still falls short of the mark for me personally.
For fans of Dark Tranquillity, Soilwork & At the Gates.
3/5