Between 2019 and 2020, the metal community suffered two big losses when Children of Bodom officially called it a career and then its famed founding member Alexi Laiho died. According to a news release issued by the band at the time of his passing, he had been suffering from long-term health complications leading up to his death. Now more than three years after the band officially played its last show that concert has been made available to the masses through Spinefarm Records, which released seven of the band’s 10 total studio albums in the form of A Chapter Called Children of Bodom: The Final Show In Helsinki Ice Hall 2019. Those albums spanned its 1997 debut album, Something Wild all the way to 2011’s Relentless Reckless Forever. Released Friday, the concert is a mostly successful final posthumous offering from the band. That is due in large part to the concert’s set list, which will be discussed shortly. The recording is not perfect, however. That the concert has been made available strictly on audio-only platforms detracts from the presentation to a point, though not enough to doom the recording. This will be discussed a little later. Staying on the matter of the limited availability (so to speak), the recording’s audio is of some positive, too. So, it has that to its positive, too, and will also be addressed later. Each item noted here is important in its own way to the whole of the recording. All things considered they make A Chapter Called Children of Bodom: The Final Show in Helsinki Ice Hall 2019 an imperfect but still enjoyable addition to this year’s final list of top new live CDs.
A Chapter Called Children of Bodom: The Final Show in Helsinki Ice Hall 2019, the seemingly last live recording from metal titans Children of Bodom, is a presentation that audiences will find an interesting offering from the band. The main positive that it boasts is its set list. Spanning a total of 18 songs, the set list pulls from all 10 of the band’s albums. Opening with a pair of songs from the band’s now final album, Hexed (2019), the set list pulls most heavily from the band’s 2003 album, Hate Crew Deathroll. That album gets a total of four nods while Follow The Reaper (2000), gets the second most attention with three songs. Are You Dead Yet? (2005), and Hexed (2019) are each represented through a pair of tracks. The rest of the band’s albums are represented by one song each. In looking even deeper through the set list, audiences will note that the band doesn’t stick too long to any one of the albums, instead going back and forth through its catalog from beginning to end. The result is that this aspect of the set list in itself more than ensures listeners’ engagement and entertainment. When this is considered with the fact that the band reached into every one of its albums to make up the set list will appeal just as much to audiences if not more so. To that end, the set list featured in this concert builds a strong foundation for the recording.
While the set list featured in this recording establishes a strong starting point for its presentation, the recording is not perfect. That is because it is only being presented (at least in this its first ever release) on audio-only platforms. There are no DVD, Blu-ray or even 4K options. It has only been made available on CD, vinyl, and digital platforms. In other words, audiences get to hear the concert but not actually get the full concert experience. In listening through the recording, it is obvious that the band gives its all throughout the course of the 78-minute performance. That in itself is sure to keep audiences engaged. However, there is no denying the impact that actually being fully immersed in a concert can and often does have for the experience. Getting to see the band and not just hear it. Getting to see the audience’s excitement. Seeing the work of the director, audio specialists and camera operators, and even editors puts the real final touch to the whole. It just would have been nice for audiences to have had that full experience. Keeping that in mind, the lack of a full audio-visual experience is problematic for the recording. There is no denying that truth. At the same time, at least audiences can experience this important piece of Children of Bodom’s history to the extent that it has been offered. To that end, (and that the set list pulls from the entirety of the band’s catalog), the concert is still worth experiencing.
Audiences can really grasp the energy of the band in each song’s performance because of the production that went into the recording. More specifically, the work that went into the audio mixing and production is to thank for audiences’ ability to grasp that energy. Considering the energy and fire contained in each song, that speaks volumes. Between the intensity of the guitars and the drumming, and Laiho’s equally powerful vocals, every element in each song has been expertly balanced. A lot of time and attention had to be paid to every part, and that painstaking time and effort paid off from beginning to end, making for even more aesthetic appeal for audiences. The engagement and entertainment ensured by the expert production pairs with the concert’s set list and the band’s fully immersive performance of each song to make the whole an offering that proves mostly successful and welcome among this year’s list of new live CDs.
A Chapter Called Children of Bodom: The Final Show in Helsinki Ice Hall 2019, the newly released final concert from Children of Bodom, is a mostly positive offering from the now defunct band and from Spinefarm Records. Its success comes in large part through its expansive, catalog-spanning list. Running 18 songs deep, it pulls from all 10 of the band’s albums, some more heavily than others, but still does from all 10 records regardless. While the set list makes for plenty of engagement and entertainment, the recording does suffer from one major negative in the reality that it is only offered on audio-only platforms. There are no options for DVD, Blu-ray or even 4K UHD. The result is that audiences can only hear the concert, which takes away considerably from the concert experience. It is not enough, though, to totally doom the recording. To that end, the production that went into the recording provides a positive aesthetic element. It helps to really immerse audiences in the show through its expert balance of the instrumentation and vocals throughout. Each item examined here is important in its own way to the whole of the recording. All things considered they make A Chapter Called Children of Bodom: The Final Show in Helsinki Ice Hall 2019 a mostly welcome final statement from Children of Bodom.
A Chapter Called Children of Bodom: The Final Show in Helsinki Ice Hall 2019 is available now through Spinefarm Records. More information on the recording is available along with all of Children of Bodom’s latest news at:
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