Review Summary: If I had to judge this album in a word, I'd have to say: 'Disappointing'. But I'd also say it certainly carries a substantial measure of potential.
Children of Bodom to me have always been something of a love-hate band- a bit like marmite, but in musical form. They have the knack for producing the occasional good song, and yet somehow managing to utterly counterbalance it with a load of what is best described as junk. To listen to one of their albums is to be pleasantly surprised and, at the same time somehow, disappointed at their own complacent mediocrity. They have their virtues- no-one can argue with their technical profiency, for instance- but I for one can't help ignore the facts that they are far from original and far from cutting edge. It's not as if we haven't heard their style before, in bands such as In Flames or Scar Symmetry, and it's not as if we haven't been left dejected at that either (I will never forgive 'Reroute to Remain', no matter how many people ask me to...). So, it was with some trepidation that I approached this album, wondering whether it would exceed it's rather base predecessors. After listening to it, I'd say it did, but to a stunning degree? I think not.
The COB (yes, I am a lazy typist) formula has always been the same- galloping, virtuoso leads and cheesy keyboard pieces- and unhappily this refuses to vary on this album. However, it does seem to be more refined. 'Needled 24/7' has quite an engaging choral refrain to it in the form of a mellow riff, 'Sixpounder' has all the weight and grunt needed to please and 'Angels Don't Kill' proves to be one of those times where the ridiculous synthesisers actually don't make me want to cut off my own ears. But, despite this smooth finish and polished to perfection production job, there are times where this album honestly began to bore me. Some tracks didn't have the energy of others, steadily winding away into the obscure as they swirled dully from the speakers. Others proved almost completely uninspired, kicking the same tired principals of melodic metal back into a semblance of shape only to drag them through my brain like a tonne weight. It's as if COB stopped caring around the third track, and just decided to churn out the filler rather than make songs that actually excite. And they still manage to be a hit in Finland.
Technically, this album is spot-on. Every instrument (apart from Alexi Laiho's rasping vocals still sounding like a wood chipper) is precisely played and to a degree well worth of praise. But just passing your grade 8 guitar exam isn't enough to make good music, and that is exactly what is evident here. I found myself looking beyond all the speed, shredding and solos and seeing a bland recycling of old COB songs. A bit of 'Hatebreeder' there, a bit of 'Something Wild' there... I imagine Laiho and co. stood around a cauldron, dropping the flailing remnants of their previous albums in with cackles of glee, laughing as they mutate into something altogether unmemorable. It's a sad time in a band's life when it begins to stagnate, a sad time indeed. All that COB really needed to spice this album up were a few simple new ideas- as it is without them, it has a flat taste indeed.
It's not all bad, though. There are moments of brilliance amidst the sea of grey. Some guitar lines have an attractive sparkle about them, some solos include shining seconds of impressive material, even some lyrics manage to be just better than 'average' for a change. It just goes to show that if they focus on the writing rather than on ramping up the speed and effects, COB would create some stunning songs indeed. Coupled with their frankly faultless production, I could see them becoming a favourite even outside of Scandinavia to many metal heads if they just put the extra work in. Perhaps if they made an effort overall rather that just from time to time, as shown here, they would be a more engaging outfit too.
So, I come to my conclusion. What have I said so far? That COB are an acquired taste, like marmite or salmon fillets, that COB enjoy recycling (but not saving the environment), that COB have talent but refrain from applying it, and that COB have produced an acceptable- but not an amazing- record in 'Hate Crew Deathroll'. If I had to judge this album in a word, I'd have to say: 'Disappointing'. But I'd also say it certainly carries a substantial measure of potential.
