Something Wild

As a native Finn my soul would not rest in peace until the Children Of Bodom-section of Metalreviews is complete with at least all the official full-lengths. So the circle closes where it began for the Finnish maestros of metallic mayhem, Something Wild. Looking through Bodom's impressive discography, it is easy to see that Something Wild is their debut. The production is more raw and rough-around-the-edges then on any other of their releases. One thing that isn’t that different on the album from the later records is the dazzling technical skill of the guys. Its pretty amazing to think that when this album was released, Alexi, Janne and Jaska were 18 years old, Henkka was 17 and Alexander, the “Methuselah” of the band, was 23. Still these guys play like there´s no tomorrow, and they have only gotten better, which quite frankly is frightening. I would say that Something Wild is also the bands most “blackish” record. Blast beats are found every here and there and Janne's keyboards mostly use a different, more classical, Bach-like cembalo sounds, that differ quite a bit from the sounds he´s used since Hatebreeder. Also, there really isn’t much keyboard soloing on this record. It is just creating haunting, sometimes even symphonic backgrounds or harmonizing the riffs, which works very well here. These elements create a very black metal-like atmosphere from time to time. Still, the melodic death/speed/black/heavy-metal hybrid that is Bodoms own sound is very present already on the debut. The live standard Deadnight Warrior gives the genitals a nice punch right from the start. Fast, brutal drumming and crushing riffs. One cant really make a mistake in distinguishing Alexi's nice throat growl, as he spews out his murderous tales. In The Shadows is probably their most black metal-induced song, with fast blast beating and a huge keyboard backgrounds going on. Red Light In My Eyes parts 1 and 2 grind and even go on clean guitars in some parts to create short breathing spaces amidst the breathtaking velocity. Lake Bodom is another live classic and to me, the best song of the album, with excellent riffs and very nice, melodic guitar leads, both in the intro and solo. The Nail begins with movie sound clips from Nightmare On Elm Street and Ben Hur, and then launches into an almost punkish song. I'd say that it’s the most bland song on the album, just terribly mediocre. The closer Touch Like Angel Of Death is to many a Bodom classic. I say its just a very good song, very nice intro melodies. The music on this album is overall more “simple” (on a Bodom scale that is) than on any of the discs to come. Still the tempo changes and mood swings that are typical to COB's music are all here, making this a very impressive debut album. As we all know, the guys just got better and better with each album after this. Just goes to show you what an amazingly talented band we have here. The only big "flaw" on the album is the duration. With only seven songs and a little over half an hour, its a little bit too short. But on the other hand, it just leaves one craving for more, MOOORE! I must also point out that Something Wild, along with Hatebreeder and Hatecrew Deathroll, were all recorded in my current and long-time hometown of Lappeenranta, Finland. Just a piece of useless info I wanted to gloat with. A must for every fan of COB, and highly recommendable for every fan of melodic death/heavy metal.