Children of Bodom - Halo of Blood

Children of Bodom
Halo of Blood
Nuclear Blast
2013
6
I remember writing for “Hate Crew Deathroll”, back in 2003; about the band’s ability to combine the aggressive heavy power metal music with brutal vocals and fine memorable melodies harmonically. The years passed and nothing really changed on CoB camp… except for one thing. They’ve lost (not totally) that ability and the taste for good catchy melodies.
 
Thus, what do we get from “Halo of Blood”? More of the same. Yeap, do not wait for any changes or anything new or groundbreakin’ here. The guys do what they like to do and they do not give a damn penny about what others think. Alex & co have mastered the game and they do it their way after all these years. The production is also superb… as the renowned Swedish producer Peter Tägtgren (Dimmu Borgir, Marduk, Therion, PAIN, Enslaved, etc.) did it.
 
I do think that “Halo of Blood” is a solid album, greatly executed. I may not find CoB’s music as exciting as I used to a decade ago but that doesn’t mean that something has changed (both literally and figuratively) in their world. Several may be disappointed while others will relish listening to the same things as long as they have been done tastefully and heavily. Either way you see it, CoB are still here doing their stuff and they are still successful by the numbers.