Over the last twenty years, Finland’s Children of Bodom have incorporated many different musical styles into their celebrated sound, leading critics and fans to label them as melodic death metal, thrash metal, symphonic black metal, and neoclassical metal. Their enthralling mix of melodic hooks and instrumental acrobatics have solidified the band as one of the leading voices of music’s new generation. The band immediately won the hearts of fans and the press with their 1997 debut Something Wild. 1999 follow-up Hatebreeder, was recorded with producer Anssi Kippo and mixed by Finish metal guru Mikko Karmilla (Waltari), and is still very catchy – as exhibited on the LP’s eponymously titled hit – but slightly more progressive in nature. Svart Records’ vinyl reissues of Children Of Bodom’s first two albums, Something Wild and Hatebreeder, come in gatefold jackets and include a bonus 12″ EP with a couple of bonus tracks.
