Several key members of the final lineup of Finnish melodic death metal outfit Children Of Bodom have spoken out on why the band called it quits in 2019. Drummer Jaska Raatikainen, bassist/vocalist Henkka Seppälä and keyboardist/vocalist Janne Wirman have newly opened up on what led to that split and the sad passing of the band’s former frontman/guitarist Alexi Laiho that transpired just over a year after their final show.
In a new joint interview with Helsingin Sanomat, the aforementioned trio have spoken for the first time on the matter. Defending their decision to speak about it now several years removed, the trio stated “the fans have a right to know what happened.”
According to the trio, the decision to end the band primarily came about due to Laiho‘s battles with substance abuse (Laiho‘s cause of death was said to be a result of ‘alcohol-induced degeneration of the liver and pancreas connective tissue.’)
According to the trio:
“Addiction is an illness, and he destroyed our trust in him with his actions in our business venture. But he apologised for a lot of things, and we did work together even after the band broke up.”
The trio also opened up on the inner workings of their LLC and how Laiho‘s financial struggles led to him declaring in June of 2018 that he was ‘bankrupt’ and would have to quit the band. While they claim those issues were eventually smoothed over, further trouble emerged due to Laiho‘s declining health and his refusal to go to rehab
It is further alleged that Laiho attempted to register the Children Of Bodom trademark to himself in August of 2019. Citing Laiho‘s worsening battles with substance abuse, the group’s personal and professional relationship continued to erode, leading to the band honoring a previous wish suggested by Laiho, in which the band’s LLC would buy him out of his stake in the group for a lump sum.
According to the trio, they were able to eventually reconcile certain aspects of their relationship with Laiho prior to his untimely death in December of 2020.
You can dig into the whole interview over at Helsingin Sanomat.
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