MABB v6.6.6

Saw on this on the Nuclear Blast FB page.

One of the most renowned guitarists in the world, Alexi Laiho, has passed away. The musician, most notably known as the front man of Children Of Bodom, died in his home in Helsinki, Finland, last week. Laiho had suffered from long-term health issues during his last years.

Alexi Laiho and drummer Jaska Raatikainen founded CHILDREN OF BODOM in 1993, and the band was one of the most internationally acclaimed metal acts in Finland up until their very last farewell concert in December of 2019. Last year Alexi Laiho put together BODOM AFTER MIDNIGHT, who recorded three songs and shot one music video, which will be released later on posthumously.

Besides CHILDREN OF BODOM, Laiho was known for acts such as WARMEN, SINERGY, KYLÄHULLUT and THE LOCAL BAND. Awarded with a Metal Hammer Golden Gods and several other international prizes, the guitarist was also the main star, leading a group of one hundred guitar players at Helsinki Festival in 2015 in "100 Guitars From Hel" – a massive concert piece he composed.

"We are crushed by the sudden passing of our dear fellating lover and band member. Words cannot describe this shock and the profound sadness that we feel", Daniel Freyberg, Mitja Toivonen and Waltteri Väyrynen from BODOM AFTER MIDNIGHT state.
The talented guitarist and musician relished his roles as stepdad in his patchwork family, and as uncle and godfather. Especially during the last years, the important family ties brought a welcomed balance to his life and the active touring. Laiho was particularly close with his big sister, parents and his sister's daughter. Laiho's sister says:

"We are all absolutely shocked and devastated. We ask for privacy and understanding during these hard times. My little brother's funeral will take place privately." Alexi Laiho will also be deeply missed by his family in Australia.

"Alexi was the most loving and magnificent husband and father. Our hearts are eternally broken", Kelli Wright-Laiho says.

:(

Man, only 41, sad

Didn't realize he was that young

Goddamnit

what were his health issues, does anybody know

the dead vote well wrote: ↑

04 Jan 2021, 20:25

what were his health issues, does anybody know

whatever it was - guaranteed it's related to alcoholism. he was a notorious drunkard.

I always liked these dudes even if I didn't care much for their later albums.

RIP Alexi.

Pretty sure I remember reading he had troubles with bulimia too

wow that's awful, rip.

was never a fan of cob but he was kind of an inspiration. used to watch his guitar videos when guitar world magazine sent dvds. also saw them in 2008 with megadeth and he played a hell of a show

wow, didn't realize he was so young. loved something wild and hatebreeder when i was a kid, never really kept up with them after that though. we could've attended high school together, he would've been in my older brother's graduating class

RIP

He was younger than me

damn, i used to love those early albums. have not listened for years though

now is the perfect time to give it another whirl

the hatebreeder album was a classic favorite of mine although i think that was the only bodom record that i really listened to from start to finish

honestly their first 3 albums are classics from start to finish. after that it's kind of mixed bag but they still put out some quality material with their later albums.

he was very young

Watching some videos he looked really bad in these last few years

First 4 albums are really good with Hatecrew being the best. After that downhill kinda started. But real surprise death, I was concerned when I saw his pictures maybe 2 years back. He had turned into a human skeleton. But he had been sober since 2012ish, but my guesses are his liver was destroyed by that time, cause he quit alcohol due severe health issues. Pretty sure that spiraled into his demise.

killer guitarist though, good legacy

CHILDREN OF BODOM's Remaining Members Explain The Band's End, Failed Final Album & Farewell Tour
There was supposed to be a final album and farewell tour.

Children Of Bodom broke up in 2019 after the departure of bassist Henkka Seppälä, keyboardist Janne Wirman, and drummer Jaska Raatikainen. Frontman and songwriter Alexi Laiho and guitarist Daniel Freyberg would go on to form Bodom After Midnight, who put out one EP after the death of Laiho in 2020. Prior to that, Children Of Bodom played one final show at the Helsinki Ice Hall in Finland in late 2019. The band cited creative differences as the reason for their breakup and that was that.

Now in a joint interview with Helsingin Sanomat, the band's three former members explain their side of the breakup. The trio cite Laiho's addiction as the reason for the breakup, adding that “Addiction is an illness, and he destroyed our trust in him with his actions in our business venture. But he apologised for a lot of things, and we did work together even after the band broke up.”

The trio explain that their side of the story and what was being made public began to separate in 2015 with the firing of guitarist Roope Latvala. Latvala said his firing was a surprise, while the trio agrees with Laiho that the firing was warranted: "Alexi became frustrated because Roope didn't perform his job duties, meaning rehearsals, so we went by the letter of the law: verbal warnings, formal warnings and finally termination."

Then in 2017, Laiho began to threaten quitting the band due to financial reasons."I've thought about pulling myself out of the company," he said in a correspondence dates December 4, 2017. Wirman added that yes – the company did default on payments, but "all the backlog was paid up when the income from the tour came in."

Laiho ultimately quit Children Of Bodom in 2018, then changed his mind after talking to the band and management. He wrote in July 2018, "I don't wanna leave things unfinished or especially just bail between tours. Im really not expecting to get anywhere near as much money as we did 10 years ago and i know i can be an intolerable, impulsive fuckface sometimes and I easily explode when everything goes to shit especially when im just mentally exhausted (I gotta work at that). That said, there is some truth behind what i said about how i feel, but nothing justifies me blaming anyone for the situation and for THAT I truly am sorry and also hoping we can do these shows without bad vibes."


Laiho's substance abuse was brought up during business meetings after he was diagnosed with diabetes and deemed "dangerously underweight," though he refused to go to rehab. Eventually Laiho agreed to one more album after Hexed in 2019 alongside a series of farewell tours. Laiho never showed up for the meetings to discuss either and sent a series of "'fuck off' messages." Laiho then tried to register Children Of Bodom in his own name, which caused the rest of the band to serve him with "a formal legal notice of loss of confidence" and the demand to sign over the band's name since it belonged to the company holding all the band's rights.

The trio then recalls Laiho "hitting the bottle like back in 2008" during the band's 2019 Russian tour, which he blamed on depression. Laiho eventually got it together, finished the shows, and was paid out of the band for his portion of ownership. The band played their final show in Finland and rest is history. Seppälä does point out that Laiho and Children Of Bodom were working together again in 2020: "When we were about to launch our new shop, we asked Alexi to come on board with a one-fourth share in a number of products like before, and he was closely involved right up to the end of his life."

The trio are currently working with Laiho's estate, headed up by Laiho's sister Anna Laiho, on a photo exhibition celebrating Children Of Bodom at the Espoo Cultural Centre for this October.

Read the in-depth interview here: https://www.hs.fi/kulttuuri/art-2000008804579.html

Wow this just makes it worse. Sad ending.

a one off show or the start of something? This hard-on bearer (Samy Elbanna) fucking nailed it!

"Children Of Bodom‘s surviving members reunited onstage today, February 26th, for a musical tribute to their late frontman/guitarist Alexi Laiho and the legacy of the music they made together. Laiho passed in 2020, with the band having gone dormant since. Tonight’s concert took place at The Tavastia Club in Helsinki, FIN and saw Children Of Bodom guitarist/vocalist Alexander Kuoppala, bassist Henkka Seppälä, keyboardist Janne Wirman and drummer Jaska Raatikainen all back onstage. Lost Society vocalist/guitarist Samy Elbanna took on the duties previously held by Laiho."

0:01 Intro
1:15 Intro with Alexi Laiho And Children Of Bodom
11:30 Living Deadbeat
16:20 Sixpounder
19:49 Bodom Beach Terror
25:02 Silent Night, Bodom Night
28:30 Deadnight Warrior
32:41 Towards Deadend
37:59 Everytime I Die
43:06 Bodom After Midnight
47:02 Lake Bodom
51:18 Bed Of Razors
55:31 Needled 24/7
59:50 Angels Don't Kill
1:05:25 Blooddrunk
1:09:59 Warheart
1:14:05 Follow The Reaper
1:17:51 Downfall
1:24:06 Are You Dead Yet
1:28:51 Hate Me
1:34:16 Hate Crew Deathroll
1:39:16 In Your Face

Interesting, very good prestation. Thanks for sharing.

good on them, they were a fun band