Trashed, Lost & Strungout (DVD-EP version)

Along with the two song single, Children Of Bodom also recently released a DVD EP with the same title as the single that came out a month ago. Its contents are much larger than that of the single, as it contains several veritable pieces of gold for hardcore-Bodom fans and casual listeners alike. The only downside on this disc that I found was that it is DVD only, so you need DVD compatible equipment, like a DVD player or a computer that supports DVD to be able to run it. Or at least none of my CD players have been able to run it:) The EP is divided into two sections in the opening main frame, the “video side” and “audio side”. The audio side contains four new songs, of which one was on the latest CD-single, one is a newly mixed version of an older tune and two are completely new. The section begins with the new original tune, Knuckleduster, which kicks some serious backside. It’s a brutally heavy, mid-tempo grinder which is quite downtuned, so many listeners can get quite a modern feel from it. The riffing and memorable lead melodies are still very Bodom, so I wouldn’t worry about the band straying too much from familiar circles. But this song may be a disappointment to the fans of the more technical material of COB a la Lake Bodom or Towards Dead End. But I love it to death, or better put: Mosh it to death. Excellent aggressive stuff. The second tune is a cover of Alice Coopers Bed Of Nails and let me tell you: this cover slays, mutilates, hacks and swallows everything down like a monster! The energy and vibe in this tune is humongous, especially for an 80s hair rock lover like myself. Its like a hair metal classic – complete with the catchy riffing and super-glue-like chorus – put through a black/death metal mixer to create an awesome track. Hair metal on horsesteroids! Especially hilarious and mosh-inducing is the end of the song, where the band breaks into…on second thought, Ill leave that as a surprise. Lets just say that this track features something the band hasn’t banged on record since Hatebreeder - and it kills. For my views on the cover of She Is Beautiful, check the earlier CD-single -review. The audio side ends with a remix of Hate Crew Deathrolls Angels Don’t Kill. To tell the truth, I cant spot much of a difference here compared to the earlier version, so Ill just say the only thing I can about this track: Its excellent, just like it is on HCDR. The real point of including this tune just misses me. The video side starts off with the video for the latest single, the title track of the EP. The video, filmed in a warehouse somewhere in New York, is standard fare “footage of band moshing, playing and opening mouths at location X”. Nothing that special but very well done in what its meant to be like. Some nice rapid camera angles fly around and Alexi gives some vintage rock star poses that could be straight out of, who to pick…well lets say Blackie Lawless´ book. That’s always a good sign, keeping the eighties alive. Oh yeah, and the song kills. More on the tune, check the earlier CD-single review. Then we have Andrew W.K. Greets COB. Which is basically Andrew shot with a handheld camera praising Bodom for about ten minutes. Not that difference-making in the whole picture here but as a personal note its nice to see a person as extroverted and into what he´s doing as Andrew. Then: Trashed & Lost In Helsinki. This mini movie is a bit of a mix between a tour guide of our fair capital, Helsinki and the backstage-buffoonery-antics –type video footage that we all know and have loved since seeing Panteras 3 hilarious home videos, which are the standards by which all drunken rock bands on video are measured. The “movie” even seems to be having a bit of a plot that the Children are heading for their rehearsal place and find all their instruments “stolen”. So from there on, it goes from bumming the record company money to “record a single”, to blowing it all on booze and Halloween-gear and ending up pissed and babbling in several locations around Finland, including a coffin-shaped –Sauna, the central park of Helsinki and a snowslide on the icy shores of lake Bodom itself. Its ok and good for a couple of laughs, but doesn’t beat the mark set by Pantera. Guitarist Roope Latvala does throw in some legendary quotes, plus on that one from me. The video for Hate Crew Deathrolls Sixpounder is next and it’s a bit more versatile than the title tracks OK video. It switches between the band playing at a dark attic to a kid nap/slasher horror-flick – like scenes complete with bound, desperately escaping female and hooded madman. Its pretty good, so its inclusion on this disc is well worth it. And the song kills, of course. The disc is rounded up by two live video tracks, Downfall & Everytime I Die, shot at the 2003 Tuska Open Air Metal Fest in Helsinki. The band plays damn well, the crowd is really frantically into it, and we even get to hear some 10.000 Finns yell that keyboardist Janne Warman is a “fucking pisshead” (an off-the-cuff translation of “vitun kusipää”) and that he should “play some punk”. Just gotta love that. All in all, this EP contains a shit-load of stuff compared to its price. A must-have for Bodom fans and the excellent new tunes should win over some new fans as well. The only minus side of this is that it doesn’t seem to be playable with CD-players, DVD-gear only. A nice thirst-quencher before the new album…..WHICH SHOULD BE HERE ALREADY! JAUJAUJAU!