Children of Bodom Live 12/06/08

Children of Bodom are one of my favourite bands, but I have never got to see them live, since I got into them they only supported Slayer et al on the Unholy Alliance Tour. As much I probably should have been at that gig I couldn't really afford it. No matter, this was Bodom's first headline show in Scotland, and at the Carling Academy which is the best venue in Glasgow for bigger bands in my opinion. Sound always gets kinda lost at the SECC for me, except for Rammstein which was just so fire and explosion filled you wouldn't have noticed. Anyway, after a passable supporting act Anterior, my anticipation for Bodom was great. I've been a big fan of their earlier work for a number of years, and as much as they appear to have lost their melodic death streak to achieve a more streamlined, stadium metal sound, I still like their last two, no matter what anybody said. But if there's been consternation about their sound on record, live they are a finely honed killing machine. Opening with a rousing rendition of Sixpounder, C.O.B. led an eager, but if slightly too young for me, crowd into a frenzy of circle pits, shout along choruses and general all around metal mayhem. To be honest it was fantastic, they create a hell of a show, nailing every harmonic and excellent riffing section and Alexi Laiho is as charismatic a frontman as you'll find these days. They also possess an incredible array of excellent anthemic metal that would be ridiculed for its catchiness if it wasnt so well written and executed. Silent Night Bodom Night, Angel's Don't Kill, Follow the Reaper and Hate Me all hit the spot perfectly and my throat and neck were sore by the end. They also pulled out a magnificent cover, or half cover at least of Journey's Small Time Girl that had the crowd yelling along every word. Who says metalheads don't appreciate the cheesy rock?! Awesome performance, catch them if you can!