Children of Bodom – I Worship Chaos

For the past 12 years people have attributed the creativity in Children Of Bodom’s music to Laiho’s skill and showmanship, and even though few people praised Roope Latvala for anything other than following the wild child’s orders, it is now crystal clear that maybe it was Latvala that was keeping it somewhat interesting.

The new record “I Worship Chaos” is the first without his contribution in a long time, and it is obvious that Bodom have lost a step. This record has all the hallmarks of a traditional Children Of Bodom album, it is hellishly fast, with a lot of guitar solos, keyboards flying all over the place and the usual screaming vocal choruses that characterize so many of Children Of Bodom’s releases.

The thing that is missing is soul, emotion, character. Call it whatever you will, but it’s obvious that Latvala is missed. without his presence Alexi has no one to stop him from going too far and over the top with his song writing, and if we compare “I Worship Chaos” with the previous records from the Finns, this one seems out of control, unpolished and really, really tedious.

I don’t know if Latvala was one of the pieces that brought the puzzle together, but it is clear that this new record is not up to par with their body of work. The next record will be a defining one. Will they continue to exist solely to pander to fans of the Bodom style of death metal, or will they once again present us with a record with real passion?

Score: 5 out of 10

ALBUM INFO

Track List:

1. I Hurt
2. My Bodom (I Am the Only One)
3. Morrigan
4. Horns
5. Prayer for the Afflicted
6. I Worship Chaos
7. Hold Your Tongue
8. Suicide Bomber
9. All for Nothing
10. Widdershins

Record Label:
Nuclear Blast

Release Date:
2nd October 2015