Finland is home to some of the best metal on the planet and Children Of Bodom are no exception. From their classically influenced albums to the melodic death metal inspired songs, the band have been bringing their brand of metal to the masses for a number of years now and in May, Australia will experience the latest on offer from the Finnish metallers with a quick tour on the east coast. Bass player Henkka Seppälä took some time for us to answer a few questions about the upcoming tour and a little about their latest album “Halo Of Blood”.
Andrew: How is the current tour going?
Henkaa: It’s good! We just did 4 shows in Russia, and was supposed to play in Kiev too. Shows were amazing, but then Yekatreinburg was hit by a snowstorm and we were stranded there for a day extra, when we was supposed to play in Moscow. Luckily the organisers could postpone it a day, and also the next show in Krasnodar one day, but then Kiev was impossible. That sucks. I wish we could do Kiev soon.
Andrew: The band are about to come down to Australia very soon, what can we expect at these shows?
Henkaa: Anything from 1997-2013! Chidren of bodom live show. Come check it out!
Andrew: The fans in Australia have always enjoyed you guys coming here over the years. What have been some of your favorite moments from previous tours in Australia?
Henkka: Well played there many times and some tours even did Perth. All of them are my fave. Hmm. I just loved it from the first day I stepped on the Aussie soil, that was Sydney some years ago! People are laidback and friendly. Weather is gorgeous and so on. Last time a friend of mine took me surfing on our day off, which was awesome and so relaxing during a tour.
Andrew: You are touring on the back of your latest album “Halo Of Blood”. Have you been playing many songs from it and how has the reception been from the crowd?
Henkka: We do like 2-4 songs from it and it seems to be going ok, even though there’s blast beat songs and the super slow. But we like it also just for our own sake too, selfishly put.
Andrew: Have you been finding the new songs fit well with the older material?
Henkka: Yes, no problem!
Andrew: The album has been well received by critics and fans since it’s release. How happy are you with the album now that some time has passed since it came out?
Henkka: We feel good reception when playing them live. And we still love the album, it’s our best in a loooong time, we all agree on that still thats for sure.
Andrew: Do you have any favorites from the album at the moment?
Henkka: “Deadmans Hand On You” and “Halo Of Blood”.
Andrew: Listening to the difference between “Halo Of Blood” and some of the older albums like “Follow The Reaper”, in what way do you find the band and even yourself personally have changed or evolved over the years?
Henkka: Well, musically personal level is better, I’m sure everyone is more confident with their instruments too. Hmm, then I dont know, maybe after “Follow The Reaper” we started to do our “own” stuff more, as in getting rid of the classical stuff…but it was not conscious at all though.
Andrew: Was there anything you did differently in the writing or recording of “Halo Of Blood” compared to other albums?
Henkka: Nope.
Andrew: Looking at the tour dates ahead, it looks like you still have a lot of touring ahead of you yet. Do you still enjoy touring as much as you did when you first started or has it changed, for better or worse?
Henkka: I do, maybe even more. I’ve started to realise how lovely “job” I have, I enjoy every second of it!
Andrew: Which do you prefer, the live shows or being creative in the studio?
Henkka: Live! In studio we are not creative, we just record the stuff we did earlier, it sucks haha!
Andrew: After this run of shows what will be next for Children Of Bodom?
Henkka: Summer festivals! And then fall we might do one more run but will also start writing new stuff after summer already. Excited!
Andrew: Thanks so much for taking the time to answer some questions for us, we look forward to seeing you in Australia in a few weeks time!
Henkka: Me Too!
Children Of Bodom will be touring Australia at the following dates:
Wednesday 7th May – Billboard The Venue, Melbourne
Friday 9th May – The Hifi, Sydney
Saturday 10th May – The Hifi, Brisbane
