Children of Bodom
Hate Crew Deathroll

Release Date: 2003 | Tracklist

Ah yes, Children of Bodom. The band that brought us Follow the Reaper, Hatebreeder, and Something Wild. The vaguely defined, in terms of sub-genre, metal outfit has garnered a quite impressive fan base over the years. I could count myself as one of those fans, seeing as they're one of my favourite bands, and Follow the Reaper and Something Wild are easily among my favourite albums of all time. Yet…for some reason I can't get into the band's fourth album, Hate Crew Deathroll. Though the band changes their style up a bit from, the "Bodom feel" is still present. Which is especially strange as I enjoy each of the "Hate Crew's" other albums. So what's my stance on this release? I'd say that Hate Crew Deathroll is definitely Children of Bodom's weakest release, and for the most part, is a pretty forgettable record.

Right from the start, it's quite evident that something is wrong. The heavy, melodic, yet ultimately unimpressive Needled 24/7 opens up the album and as followed by the equally monotone Sixpounder and Chokehold (Cocked 'n' Loaded). It's definitely Children of Bodom, but when compared to the excellent beginnings of the rest of their albums, the Hate Crew Deathroll Bodom sounds uninspiring and uninteresting. It isn't until the fourth track, humorously titled Bodom Beach Terror, which Bodom starts to pick up the pace. And even this track, though undeniably good, is not in the upper echelon of the band's songs. With songs like the slower, ballad-esque Angels Don't Kill or the frenzied, rapid fire assault of (the also humorously titled and quite reminiscent of older Bodom) Triple Corpse Hammerblow, Hate Crew Deathroll manages to maintain some level of interest, but the slightly strong middle section is not powerful enough to over come the weaker start. And it isn't that songs like Needled 24/7 or Sixpounder are terribly bad songs, as they are, in a way, fairly impressive pieces of music. They just do not sound like they're very inspired or well thought out.

But how about the music to be found on Hate Crew Deathroll? To be quite honest, the music found on the album is not that bad. It's fairly good actually. The record could be considered a bridge between the often revered Follow the Reaper and the often mocked Are You Dead Yet. The melodious, neo-classical passages that were found on the former are still found here, albeit a little toned down. But the heavier aspects of the band's sound, aspects which can be found on the Are You Dead Yet, also happen to pop up from time to time. These heavier elements are part of the new direction that Bodom has decided to take, as songs like Needled 24/7 and Chokehold (Cocked 'n' Loaded) reveal, and are for the most part well done. Bodom Beach Terror probably does the best job in fusing together the fast, melodic, up-beat style of old with the crushingly riff-laden style of new, and when considering that it's one of the few songs to feature adequate song writing and Children of Bodom at their top level, then a case can definitely made to claim it as one of the album's best. You're Better Off Dead is another track which accomplishes this fairly well, but the album is not really consistent enough for my liking.

One element I've really grown to dislike on Hate Crew Deathroll is guitarist/vocalist Alexi Laiho's vocal performance. I found that his harsh screams found on songs like Lake Bodom, Follow the Reaper, or Warheart were about as enjoyable as harsh vocals can be, and did an excellent job in the role that they were granted. But with the band's forth album Alexi decided that, like the band's musical direction, it was time for a change. And like the music, the vocals haven't exactly gone through a huge transformation, but it's still noticeable. Opting for a more shout-like vocal style than a harsh, black metal shriek, Laiho's efforts are quite annoying, especially on some of the earlier tracks like Needled 24/7 and Sixpounder. His harsh shouts really disrupt the flow of the songs (which weren't especially great in the first place), and really takes away from the listening experience. Now, that isn't to say he's always bad. The sombre highlight of the album, Angels Don't Kill is one of the songs where Bodom's frontman is tolerable and actually put forth an emotion that doesn't convey rage and aggression. His efforts on Angels Don't Kill fit the emotions of the song, and really enhance the song's feel in a positive, noticeable way.

Overall, Children of Bodom's fourth release, Hate Crew Deathroll, is a good release. But it isn't a great release. It suffers from inconsistency and well, a general lack of interestingness. It experiences a slow start with songs like Needled 24/7 and Chokehold (Cocked 'n' Loaded), a start that although the band slightly recovers from, puts a damper on the listener for many of the remaining tracks. Songs such as the emotional Angels Don't Kill and the brutal Bodom Beach Terror are just two of the songs that show Hate Crew Deathroll's good side, and are enjoyable listens that any fan of this type of music could enjoy. Though it isn't a bad release, I don't think I would recommend it, especially to new listeners of the band, as this is easily the band's weakest release thus far.

Recommended Tracks:
Angels Don't Kill
Triple Corpse Hammerblow
Bodom Beach Terror
You're Better Off Dead

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3.8 excellent

Rank: #95 for 2003