Here comes the most anticipated album of the year as far as I'm concerned. The Melodic Death Metal warriors are back, and they're back in style !

Apparently, they are screwing my quoting system since I quoted the last piece with the perfect 100/100. I did not expect them to deliver an album that approach "Hatebreeder", I thought it's the one album you make in a lifetime. God I was wrong. Children Of Bodom evolved considerably since their last already perfect album. What's better than perfect ? Children Of Bodom may be the answer. Instrumentally the songs are amazing, keyboards have simply gone to heaven, guitars are furious, fast and melodic, and the rest as well, bass and drums fight together to achieve and deliver the strongest sound you ever heard. This album is the definition of a masterpiece. But can we take such assomptions when we see how much the band evolves from one album to the next. The only disappointement for me is that the semi-clear vocal (reminding me Sentenced) that was in Hatebreeder totally disapeared, and although Alexi's voice is most raging and furious than ever, I must admit that I miss this little touch.

As for the songs themselves, they gain in structure it seems as you can now more easely identify a bridge than a chorus and don't feel like you went through 5 songs when your player actually never left the track. This is not bad, but somehow Children are loosing a trademark here, and I'm not sure it was so smart. I mean I love it but I also loved the fact that they were flying all over the place, changing rhythms and melodies every 10 seconds. It's like the genius crazy progressive touch went away. You can still ear glimpses of it, but it's now structured as a normal heavy metal song. I let you be the judge about that, but I think some Children Of Bodom fans (like myself) will miss this originality that Children Of Bodom created with their first releases, mainly in Hatebreeder.

To conclude I'd say that this is an excellent release, and the overall may very well be their best album so far (for now I prefer Hatebreeder, but it may change in the following weeks). Just take note that some things have changed and one may or may not like it. I have no doubts that every death metal will love this album, for me it's a buy-or-die-by-the-reaper (hehe) album. And if you really want to know why the album didn't get a 100/100, well it's because I know they can do even more. And maybe also about the fact that interesting things have disappeared in their style ("structureless/progressive" old songs, semi-clear voices).