Last fall it was revealed that Children Of Bodom as we knew it would effectively come to an end, with the band’s Henkka T. Blacksmith, their drummer Jaska Raatikainen and their keyboardist Janne Wirman having all exited the group following one last show together in mid-December. It seems creative struggles fueled the decision to shutdown the long-running outfit.
It was also revealed around that time that the aforementioned trio had secured the rights to the band’s trademarks, with frontman/guitarist Alexi Laiho having sold his share in the company to them.
Essentially this would have ensured that should Laiho wanted to continue on as Children Of Bodom, he would have had to license the rights from his former bandmates. Rather than do that, Laiho and fellow former Children Of Bodom guitarist Daniel Freyberg have decided to soldier on as Bodom After Midnight, recruiting members of Paradise Lost and Santa Cruz to round out their lineup.
The following statement was released regarding that group:
“The blood in most musicians’ veins would curdle if they all of a sudden learned that the perpetually globe-trotting team they have recorded ten albums with is about to implode. This was the fate staring Alexi Laiho straight in the face at a band meeting early last year.
As the assembly was completed, the attendees had reached a unanimous decision: The group known as Children Of Bodom would cease to exist after a concert at the Helsinki Ice Hall in December 2019. The shutdown process went as planned and the members parted as friends. End of a story that had begun in 1993.
The situation was a new kind of challenge. What went through the mind of the guitarist, songwriter and bandleader who had been continually chosen as the best metal guitarist in the world by the readers’ and experts’ polls of various music magazines and websites? Laiho brushed the dust off his shoulders and revved up the engines. A new line- up or death! Luckily, he wasn’t alone.
Guitarist Daniel Freyberg crawled through the wreckage to join Laiho in his quest. Committing to a hard-working team was never a problem for him either. But two guitar players do not a group make. It was time to start thinking about who could handle the drums, bass and keyboards. There were many options to choose from. But as Laiho had already witnessed people exit less than elegantly, he wanted to get just the right cohorts.
High-level musicianship, a cool stage presence and a fitting personality were the factors put under the microscope. Finally, the pieces to complete the puzzle were found. And the name for the new line-up? It had been right under Alexi’s nose all along.
The drummer will be Waltteri Väyrynen who has been a member of Paradise Lost since 2015 whereas bass duties are handled by Mitja Toivonen of Santa Cruz fame. As a touring keyboardist, the quartet is joined by Lauri Salomaa.
Alexi Laiho will lead Bodom After Midnight to play selected festival appearances follow after which band will start working on new material.
At the moment, he also has another thing to be very excited about. Alexi Laiho’s autobiography, released a year ago, has shipped over 11 000 copies in Finland. Chaos, Control & Guitar will come out in English in May from Johnny Kniga, an imprint of Werner Söderström Ltd.”
Laiho himself offered:
“So here it is, the new Bodom! Been waiting anxiously to this moment and im downright happy about everything that’s been going on lately. We’ve been working, practicing and just grinding like mad men but it’s been a ton of fun playing and hanging with these guys. We would be ready to hit the road right away but we have to wait until Tuska festival in Helsinki.
In the meantime we sure as hell won’t just bum around, we’ll keep working on as many songs as possible so the set list will be diverse, that i can promise. But im getting ahead of myself now. Thank you for your patience my friends, it means the world to me that you’re still around! I’ll see you soon. Horns up!!”
As Laiho mentioned above, the band will be performing live at this year’s ‘Tuska Open Air‘ in Helsinki, FIN. That even will run from June 26-28th.
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