HS: Well that was the first show in some time apart from that boat thing in Helsinki (Spinefeast at Sea Pete) apart from that it was last summer so about ½ a year. Of course we had been rehearsing but when you go on stage it’s a totally different thing. You cannot rehearse it in a room, playing live you get better all the time. So we had a hard time being tight but we had a good time as the crowd were amazing. The crowd was good and the feeling was there so we had a lot of fun. To be more satisfied with the live performance though we need to do more shows in a row. The last full tour was more than a year ago.

PW: So I take it that was the first time you had played Blooddrunk live then and was that why you only played a couple of songs from the new album?

HS: Yes that was the first time and we didn’t really want to play more as the album is not officially out yet.

PW: So was there a certain amount of nerves, I couldn’t help noticing Alexi throwing up early in the show?

HS: Ha yes he does that. Probably he was a bit hung-over and it is the physical thing, singing and lacking oxygen and probably a bit of nerves also. Yes his way of puking is so weird it just comes up, blurgh and he carries on playing.

PW: You are off to the USA to play the Gigantour with the likes of Megadeth, In Flames and JFAC. This sees you on the road for 6 weeks of intensive travelling. What are your expectations for the tour and how the hell do you stay sane on the road?

HS: Well Megadeth has been one of the biggest influences for me, the first songs I practiced were ‘Holy Wars’ and ‘Hanger 18’. So it is a real big thing for me to be on the same bill as Megadeth. In Flames are very good friends of ours and it is a strong package. I hope that it will pull a lot of people, so in that way it has great promotion value and should be really good fun. Touring the USA is always fun, especially this time of year when it is April/May, it’s going to be warm.

I think there are outdoor and indoor shows and it is such a huge continent, there is a lot of difference between places. For instance the people in San Diego are totally different from those in Upstate New York. Americans are very open and very spontaneous, not uptight, people are nice. For example in Finland and Europe people can be uptight you know?

We tend to travel overnight and in the morning wake up in a new place so depending where we are I tend to wake up early and go, spend the whole day in the city, beach or whatever there is. We know that stage time is likely to be on this tour about 8 o’clock or something so back at 7, do a little warm up and hit the stage. Afterwards we have a few drinks, see people and go back on the bus.

PW: Straight after this it’s European festival time including Download and Wacken. Which are your favourite European festivals, any particularly memorable ones?

HS: We have played so many festivals in Europe and there are a lot of good ones. Wacken is the best and the organisation there is good, the technical side is excellent and it is just ‘the’ metal festival, the real deal, it is not commercial. Yes it was 2006 we played last and it was probably one of the best shows with the best conditions we have ever had. Yes we have two confirmed in Finland so they are good ones and summer in Finland is just so nice. It will be nice to enjoy it a bit whilst there.

PW: Moving onto the new album the 1st question to get out the way is the title. Can you tell us about the actual meaning of being Blooddrunk?

HS: As far as I understand, the song is about Alexei’s wild youth. I’m not certain but I think it is to do with when he was having mental issues and was cutting himself and getting drunk. It’s a sad story about how people can sort of do that stuff really. Nowadays of course he no longer does it; he found the way of getting satisfaction for example from his guitar playing.

PW: One thing that instantly catches the attention is the cover. The Reaper is your trademark but this is the first time we have seen him in for the kill, the scythe cutting through a welter of claret. Is this suggesting that we have an answer to the question Are You Dead Yet?

HS: Laughing Well actually there is no real meaning of any kind. We just wanted to do something with The Reaper again and we had the idea of doing it like a real photo and having the blood running.

PW: How was the recording session this time round, any major differences from previous albums?

HS: We did it all pretty much the same as we always have done. There was a little bit more time though, for the writing and also the recording. We occupied six weeks in the studio, which is a fair amount of time. I think six weeks is good, we were not hurried at all but did not have too long. You have to settle in and this time if someone was sick or something there was no schedule that we could not work around.

It was a really nice place, in the countryside 2 hours from Helsinki. It is an old farm and the people who run it are a couple in their 40s’ I guess and they actually do the farming also but run the studio kind of like a hobby. The guy there who owns it all knows all about the studio techniques and he built it all and was always there to help. His wife did all the meals and brought us breakfast in the morning and dinner at six so it was very good food. It is a pretty famous place with all sorts of bands recording there from pop to… It is kind of like in the middle of nowhere but only 1 ½ hours by train from my home, so it’s close but it’s far.

There was talk about going to California or Texas but it just gets so expensive and there is no guarantee of anything so we just prefer to stick to Finland.

PW: The mood throughout the album strikes as a perfect mixture of progression and aggression, it is certainly full of energy. Were there perhaps any outside influences contributing to this?

HS: I don’t know really. You see we didn’t change anything, we never discuss things. We just set a time, when the tour is done we take two months off, we don’t see each other. Then we go to the rehearsal place and we just start doing songs. No we have no real ideas in our heads, the only thing is that we have to have good songs. Yes it is pretty spontaneous, a lot of people obviously think that we plan and we have to think that we have to have more of this and that to make people happy. We don’t, we don’t discuss anything but just start doing the songs like we always have done. Then they just grow naturally and we have them! It’s probably coming from somewhere and of course there are influences because we are touring and seeing bands and listening to music but we just play and do what we have always done, since day one

PW: If I could have put money on single Blooddrunk going to number 1 in Finland I would have done but doubt the odds would have been very good. I am sure you are chuffed but does this somewhat inevitable position come as a surprise anymore?

HS: Actually I don’t know as it has been out for a week in Finland and someone told me it has not done so well and it might not be number one. Oh it is? I am surprised. Well the single market in Finland is actually so small. It sounds better than it actually is. It’s like if you sell 500 singles in a week you will be number one. You go gold for I think 5000, it is a small amount. If there are 500 metal fans that buy the single in one week then…..

PW: Lobodomy a great title, who came up with that one, it’s an instant winner?

HS: Yes I was impressed and surprised we didn’t come up with that one before but actually I think Kimberly Goss may have done the lyrics to this but would have to confirm that with Alexi. She has done a couple of lyrics for us but I’m not sure who came up with the name.

PW: Another thing you can take for granted with a Bodom album is that it is going to be 8-10 songs, short sharp and punchy. Are you ever going to surprise us with a 75 minute concept album?

HS: Haha well I don’t think so but as I said, we don’t plan. We did have 10 songs this time but we cut it down as the 10th wasn’t good enough.

PW: Are you involved in any other side projects?

HS: Me no. Alexi is involved with his Kylähullut punk thing once in a while and Janne is doing Warmen, things that they do when they have the time.

Kylähullut have a legendary Finnish punk singer (Vesku Jokinen PW) and the drummer is a friend of Alexei’s. I don’t like it but I think the main idea is that they get drunk for a weekend and they record the album when they are totally wasted. Then in the morning they wake up and it is like “what we got here”?

I have been tempted with other projects but then I realised I would not have the time. Practically all the ideas I have in mind and all my musical ambitions can be provided by Children Of Bodom. If I have any ideas I can put them into Bodom, I have no need and no time for anything else.

PW: Covers are also a trademark ‘Rebel Yell’ being a classic choice. Was this a reaction to Murderdolls ‘White Wedding’ and sometimes your choices are a real surprise, I mean Britney Spears, where the hell did that one come from?

HS: No I was not aware about ‘White Wedding’ but actually we did ‘Rebel Yell’ five or six years ago. We just want to come up with something funny usually, that is the point, and to be surprising. The record label tells us when we go to the studio that we should do some cover songs because certain releases need them. Then we always have to figure out what it is we want to do. There are always lots of ideas flying around. The last session we had no idea whatsoever and Janne was totally drunk and said “ah lets do Britney Spears” and was laughing about it. Then, well we just decided to do it as it was such a surprising thing and it is a pretty funny version anyway. I think perhaps we should collect all the stuff we have done together as an album.

So there you have it, throwing up on stage and doing Britney, how rock and roll is that? Blooddrunk is out very soon, follow the reaper to these links.

Visit the band at www.cobhc.com
Visit the band at www.myspace.com/childrenofbodom
Visit the band at www.spinefarm.fi
Read a live review of Children Of Bodom at www.metalteamuk.net/review-cob.htm

If you enjoyed this interview you might also like the following:
Interview with Dark Tranquillity
Interview with Obituary

Interviewed by Pete Woods

MTUK HOME