Remember in my high school days in 2006 when I first discovered this band and it blew my mind. Still can’t believe he’s gone, a true ‘wildchild’. RIP Laiho.
I feel that, when I was 10 or 11 I borrowed my brother's MP3 player and I was thrown off by the synth intro to Downfall but....that day changed me lol. It was the coolest thing I had ever heard.
Pretty much the same here, but about a decade before you when Something wild was released.. R.I.P. Alexi, hope you're jamming "up there" now with Chuck Schuldiner & Criss Oliva.... You are a Legend!
Man I've been a huge fan of Alexi Laiho & Children of Bodom for a couple decades, but I unfortunately just learned of his passing from this YT video, just today. What a kick in the gut, & another loss of a metal great. When Dimebag passed, RIP, & then As I Lay Dying broke apart when Tim Lambesis went to prison, & Down broke up, I only had C.O.B. & Black Label left. Sad to know Alexi passed away. I know what I'll be cranking up for the rest of the day
Sad story. One of the hard truths about alcoholism is that alcoholics can never regain the ability to drink like a normal person. There's no cure and the the only treatment is sobriety for the rest of one's life. RIP Mr. Laiho.
I accidentally stumbled across Children of Bodom on Yahoo radio in 1999. Was absolutely blown away instantly and became a huge fan ever since. RIP Alexi, forever missed. 🤘❤
Alexi was and still is my number one influence in anything guitar. COB's unique style of metal is something that will always be engrained into my mind. Truly a legend. Taste of my Scythe and Follow the Reaper have more memories attached to them than any other tracks I can think of. Thank you for this in-depth look into him and his life. RIP.
Thank you - you are obviously a true COB fan! I remember when they really started getting popular, and it was exciting - actually the most exciting sense back in the day when Metallica and Megadeth hit the scene. It was like a rebirth of metal. Such a shame that he went so soon.... It seems all the great ones end up with a similar fate.
@@guitarmeetsscience Yeah definitely! I remember back when I was about 14 or so and all into punk and only punk lmao but my buddy was telling me I should go see this metal band with him and a local smaller venue, the band called Children of Bodom. Sadly at that point I had no interest and did not attend. A year later they were my favorite band. Funny how things work and I sure missed out on having a front roe seat to alexi and the band at peak performance. This was almost 20 years ago now haha. But yeah you're right, the best ones really do suffer for their craft and it takes a heavy tole.
Alexi's playing was what inspired me to pick up a guitar again after I damaged some nerves, ligaments, and tendons in my left hand. It hurts like hell amd I can't play as fast or as hard as I used to to but if I never discovered CoB I don't think I would have ever played again. Riff In Pardise Alexi.
I know how frustrating that can be, but keep it up! Tore my right hand up this year, and couldn't use it at all for quite a while. Definitely not the same, but after many months of rehab, it's getting better. Hope you can get get that magic back. Good luck!
When he passed away i was appearing for an exam and i really couldn't concentrate on it ,, Alexi was my guitar hero and it me hard Rest in power Alexi "wildchild" Laiho 👑
I'm not familiar with him but from what I saw here he was an amazing guitarist . I was playing before he was born and could never play at his level. It's amazing to watch. RIP Bud
He was not only technically superb but above all he had incredible ear for melody. There are few metal guitarist with as many as beautiful and melodic solos. For example, the little break/outro solo in "Lake Bodom". Very easy to play, very simple, but what beautiful piece of melody.
I was at a Festival once, where our then Manager (who had previously worked for CoB) brought us backstage and we ended up going to a Pub with them. Alexi, when he first came out looked like a small Michael Jackson, hat on, hiding from public eyes, pale as anything. That was around 2017. And I actually got to talk to him a bit and asked about the Alcoholism. At that time he was talking about how hes been trying to get sober and was feeling alot better. He didn't seem to me like someone who was too frail to do anything or struck me as someone lacking willpower. He was just a straight up guy, honest and a pleasure to have met. Because of us meeting once, the news on his death struck me more than any other musician's death. I was always a fan of CoB's Music from an early age and we have truly lost someone that had so much more to give, more than he was able to have already given to us.
That is really awesome that you got to meet him - but yeah I can imagine the news of his passing must have been pretty damn hard considering that you actually got to sit down with him. By all accounts Alexi was a pretty cool dude. Obviously really hard working guy too. Such a shame he died too soon.
COB was the first band I got to experience live, followed by Machine Head & Slipknot in the same night. That was such an awakening moment that sent me & many others worldwide to purse guitar playing to a higher caliber. Alexi Laiho was the absolute GOAT that had a wicked cool edge in metal/music that we will probably never see again in a world of Polyphia/Instagram edited guitarists (Despite that they are great in their own right as the new guitar hero's of the modern age).
What a great way to get an introduction to live music. That had to have been a damn intense show! When Alexi hit the scene, it really was like a rebirth of metal.... Just as exciting as when Metallica and Megadeth had hit the scene in the early '80s. The landscape has definitely changed a lot now. Don't get me wrong I love what Tim is doing and I've covered him a few times, but Alexi was just so raw and authentic. That right there is metal!
Are you dead yet? was the second album I ever bought with my own money, absolutely blew my mind. They have been my favourite band ever since. Always an incredible band to see live, my gf met him after a show and he was absolutely lovely to her and everyone else he spoke to as well.
Wow really nice to see COB being addressed. It is my all time favorite metal band, I saw them live only one time in my life in Buenos Aires - Argentina. It cost my job but I don't regret at all, otherwise I would've died without having seen them live.
Wow man that is awesome that you got to see them live - and it sucks that it cost the job, but it sounds like you got the better end of the deal regardless! Thank you kindly - always great to meet a fellow Alexi fan. 🤘🤘
Alexi was a true artist/musician longer than many sixty year olds who have been actively playing guitar for many years. He played truly and fast until the very end, which will never be forgotten. \../
COB used to be my favorite band when I was 14 back in 2004. I think they and Nightwish were the first metal bands I got into back in the day as a teenager discovering real music at the time. Alcoholism is a terrible illness. RIP
Same here. I saw them live twice. And at the end of the second show, Jaska tossed his drum sticks into the crowd and my friend caught one of them. Some of the best memories in my life.
And on this day Roope keeps on with the beers almost the next suburb from where I live here, sad story, i have payed a visit on Alexis tomb many times 😇
It's really a shame because Roope is a fantastic guitar player as well. He really had a hard time dealing with the split, and of course I'm sure would Alexi passed... That had a huge effect on him.
I bought their dvd Chaos Ridden Years from Best Buy in my early twenties. Loved it thoroughly, every time watching was a real joy, sound quality and live energy were so fun and exciting.
a friend of mine gave me a burned copy of tokyo warhearts when i was 13. man i had never heard any guitar playing like alexis before. i was hooked. rip wildchild
Back in 2009, I was in my last year of high school, I had no friends, no girlfriend, bad grades and was really depressed. I discovered Children of Bodom through a random metal torrent I came across and I was hooked. I listened to Children of Bodom every single day on the bus ride to & from school. I think Children of Bodom was the only thing that kept me going everyday and I managed to graduate high school. I still listen to them today, I was sad when I seen a bunch of Facebook posts that Alexi had passed away. I never got to see them live even though they played shows that were 6 hour drives away from me.
Man that is really something when the music can resonate with you that much. It was such a shock when Alexi passed. I'm sure a lot of people saw it coming but always thought that maybe he would be able to get past all of that. Thanks so much for sharing your experience with their music. I appreciate it!
what an incredible musician and performer. i was lucky to see CoB live at their peak. truly, sadly, Alexi lived out his lyrics: "to follow the reaper until the point of no return" RIP
We saw CoB in Denver, CO right around the time that he had fallen off his bunk bed on the tour bus. He had a sling on and played every song with energy and emotion. We could only imagine the insane amount of discomfort he was in. But there he was, not letting us down 🤘 😎 🤘
I believe that Alexi was seriously influenced by the guitar works of Yngwie J Malmsteen , you can clearly hear this in his neo-classical solos...great musician, composer and improvising guitar player RIP Alexi Laiho
when i came across Follow the Reaper in 02, changed my fucking life. seen them in over a dozen concerts and Alexi shredded each one. i saw them for the final show in OC in Santa Ana, damn he lokked so sick, but still played a great set. Miss you Alexi! Rest well, your legacy will live on!
It is a damn shame - but I think probably by that final show he was already too far gone. Still glad to know though he shredded the hell out of it. Truly went out with a bang
Man, I remember seeing CoB back in 2014 when they came to Ft.Lauderdale Fl, I was mezmerised just watching Alexi's accuracy as well as the keyboardist, that was such an Amazing show and the musicianship was 2nd to none! Its hard to believe that he has been gone for almost 4 yrs now, it just doesnt seem real. RIP Alexi Laiho.
Follow The Reaper will always be one of the best metal albums ever. I consider myself lucky to have seen these live on the Are you Dead Yet tour and then at a UK festival called Bloodstock in 2014
Got a picture of Alexi, Alexander, my best buddy and I in Milwaukee, the first time they came to N.America, August long weekend 2000. If you look up that video, you can hear me yell "woooo" at 906 at the introduction of Warheart. Buddy and I waited 90 minutes at the stage, Alexi stood in front of us. First time I ever seen a guitarist sweep in real life.
Still one of my favorite guitar players and bands of all time. Sometimes a COB song comes on when I am driving and I get sad all over again realizing Alexi is gone.
Oh yeah - it really hits hard. In a lot of ways people saw it coming and yet it was still a shock because I think people thought he might be able to pull out of it because he was so young. Definitely gone too soon.
Excellent work. Alexi had a huge influence on shred type guitar and neo classical showing back up in metal after a long drought. I remember thinking the band was too musically advanced to ever get as big as they did and I’m glad he proved me wrong. Top 5 metal player for me easily
Good pickup on the punk aspect of Something Wild. The Nail has always been my favorite song of theirs, mainly because of the interlude, but I love the punky intro to the song.
Alexii is a year older than me. When me and my friends got into COB we were blown alway. They scheduled a US tour that then Tom cancelled and we were sad but then it was because of college finals week. We we're also in finals week so we understood. But we saw them a couple months later.
@@guitarmeetsscience yeah. It was crazy. The band and me and my bros were all the same age. After graduating college they started to tour the US a lot more we were like sharing the same experience across the world.
OMG I didnot know he died :(, I loved COB when I was a teen, it was the coolest band around, it still is in top 10 on my list for sure. RIM my brother.
Children Of Bodom is such a strange thing. I LOVED them back in the day. And for me that's the early 2000's. I was born in 87. I kinda slipped away from them in 2007 and 2008 and got into other metal music. And when Alexi died I rediscovered them. Love them more now than I did back then. Fucking sad the way it ended. Since I have that same problem that Alexi had, it's wierd but makes me wanna beat it and get better.
Thank you for sharing that! It really is such a shame how Alexi went. I can relate though - haven't picked up a drink in 22 years, and I was certainly on that same path. It wasn't until I did some really crappy things to other human beings that all of a sudden I got to look in the mirror. Most people don't get that chance though, I was one of the very few fortunate ones. If you really want to beat it - you certainly can, my recommendation is to get into the program work the steps and become damn honest with yourself and others. It is impossible for an alcoholic to put together a year of sobriety, but if they go one day at a time they can string together 365 days,. And when you come out the other side - it is unimaginable how much better life gets. It still has its crap, but it's like turning the lights on and actually being able to see the problems and deal with them instead of having them come up and bite you in the ass all the time. I hope you get that opportunity - and I am rooting for you all the way. You definitely can do it!
@@guitarmeetsscience Thanks, I am 37 years old and wanna get a lot older. So I'm working on myself right now. A few days at a time to begin with. It's been a part of my life for a long time. I know I an do it. My job is making it hard though. So I'm quitting my job right now. I don't care about money. I just wanna get well ;) Just thinking about myself and listening to music
Very true, sometimes people places and things can really mess things up. Most people have to find the lowest bottom before they realize that their powerless over alcohol and that their lives had become unmanageable. That's always the first step. In all truth though, we only reach the bottom when we stopped digging. Best of luck to you, I suggest finding that fellowship when you're ready, and you'll know when you're ready. All it takes is honesty open-mindedness and willingness or the 'HOW'. Please keep me posted on your progress. All the best brother.
I think the first time I saw them was when I bought Wacken live video. I believe that is when I first saw them. I was blown away and loved the first few albums.
Sad , I just realized how amazing he was . I never gave a good listen to COB. I will now. I always thought he died because of cancer. My dad drank himself to death, so it’s a sad thing , so much wasted talent.❤.
I remember being in middle school, going through hell due to puberty and looking for something heavy but also melodic because I was a Violinist myself. I was in a music store at the mall and I was looking at metal albums when some guy handed me Hatebreeder and said, "Dude this will change everything for you." It did.
That is one hell of a band to help one get through those tough years. And for a violinist - that must have hit the spot. Especially all those really cool intricate lines that are duplicated with the guitar and the keyboard.
It must have been awesome to see him live. I know, I'm surprised a lot of people have been here in the comment section that didn't know that he had passed away. I hate to be the one to break the news - gone too soon
The one i'm not getting over. I did with Dime,Piggy,Cornell. But with Alexi it seems i can't. Probably due to the fact it has been a long process, somehow reversible imho
Oh yeah - very true, it was a very slow process. Such a tragic loss - and yeah you're right definitely reversible. Alcoholism is a disease. RIP Alexi 🤘🤘
I legitimately got upset after I first read the article about Alexi telling Janne that he basically plans to drink til he dies. Like yea there's nothing anyone can do about someone who doesn't wanna get better but fk man that just digs so deep for some reason. I'm not gonna pretend to know what was going on with him or inside of him but as a die hard fan since 2004 and was fortunate enough to meet and interact with Alexi not once but twice in my teenage years, AND he was cool af each time...I hate to be a sap over someone mildly famous who I didn't know personally, but it fking hurt, man.
@@EnigmaticAnamoly no man - what you share is from the heart, and it hits hard. Alcoholism is one hell of a disease - and it is such a shame because it really took him it too young of an age. Thanks for sharing your experience with meeting him and your candid comment. That's what this is all about! Much appreciated man!
My first search of the term 'Death Metal' back in my teenage years on Limewire. Wrath Within popped up. I was immediatly sold. Not real death metal though, I realiserd later XD Still an incredible introduction to Children of Bodem.
Don't forget to take care of yourself fellow musicians and fans. It is not a fun way to go. Rip alexi. One of my biggest influences and the one who directed metal and other types of music smashed together
I miss him so much. When i was only 15yo back in 1997 i stumbled across a music video on the then music program called AMPED on foxtel.. it was deadnight warrior.. i was instantly obsessed, went out the next day and bought the something wild album, and children of bodom have been my favourite band ever since i got my grubby little mits on that album lol.. cheers for the years.
Thank you for that awesome comment! One of my guitar students at the time got me into them. I was like....damn! Nothing really hit me like that since early Metallica when they hit the scene. They really brought in more or less a rebirth of metal. Gone too soon
@@guitarmeetsscience my journey was kind of the same.. Thrash and death metal. Then entered children of bodom.. they opened up so many different genres for me.. but still to this very day in my opinion nothing tops bodom.
My buddy and I were huge COB fans in the early 2000s. We finally got the chance to see them live one year and Alexi got hammered drunk and played soooo sloppy. It was a sad moment. Still love this band, just wish he could have stayed clean. RIP
That's a shame - you apparently caught them on an off night. I know in later days Alexi actually did what he could to not get hammered before playing. Unfortunately though during the off time he must have put away a lot
Children Of Bodom had a meteoric ascension running through the heavy metal top charts to suddenly and tragically wrapped out.Sadly,because they had so much to be done.
Saw them live in 2002 @ W:O:A and they were great. That was also my favorite period in their history and also in metal as there was still interesting metal going on and the first two albums of COB were my favorites as I wasn't that much into Scandinavian scene. I did like COB, Entombed, Dismember, Dark Tranquility, In Flames and some other bands, but was never my favorite brand of music, however you had to respect COB as they were really great and the gig was awesome. I was watching those Doom Swedes - Candlemass as they were having their big comeback / reuninon and I got bored so I just went to another stage and watched COB and they were just so much better! :D
I remember hearing about CoB for the first time by mistake. At the time, my local radio starion had a segment called Mandatory Midnight Metal and the DJ states the next song is a cover of Europe’s The Final Countdown by Children of Bodom. I was blown away (despite not CoB covering the song) the cover was actually by the band called Dispatched. 20 years listening and still love CoB music
That sounds to me like the perfect introduction to COB! The DJ's mistake actually turned out some new fans of the band. Of course they did get in oops I did it again - so I guess it worked out in the end
Damn - that sucks though that it got stolen. Hopefully at least they crank it a whole lot and are enjoying some musical enrichment. The world could use more!
My personal experience with heroin & meth would lead me to disagree 😂 however, you are correct in one sense: the reason alcohol is so bad is because it's not only legal, but also socially acceptable. Rip Alexi 🌹🖤
Yep, that is a totally different level haha. You nailed it - and in some ways physically it's more of a slow burn, people drink and drink and drink and then it just creeps up on them physically. I know first hand - 22 years sober....ODAAT 🤘🤘
Ah very cool suggestion! Thank you for that I will add it to the list. I have a huge list so I'm not sure when I get around to things, it just sort of depends but nevertheless I will add him for sure. I appreciate that!
I discovered them around the time of Hatebreeder. I was in a CD Warehouse(RIP) here in Texas. I was looking for something new, and that day I bought Slipknot’s debut and Hatebreeder. Changed my fuckin’ like. Follow The Reaper came soon after and it BLEW MY FUCKIN MIND. So good, man. What a shame he died so young. A tragedy.
@@guitarmeetsscience Man, weren’t they? Being around as a young metal fan in the late 90’s to the 2000’s, witnessing the release of some of the greatest metal albums to ever be put to record. I wish I could relive every bit of it. So many of these albums are now celebrating their 20th and 25th anniversaries. Insane.
It's crazy - ask anybody who lived through the '80s, that includes myself too a decade ago and they would have seen it as a long time ago. But this decade ask them about the '90s - and it seems like just yesterday. There's just something about that decade looking back that it just has staying power unlike other decades. That might come off as weird but maybe you can relate - just literally seems like a few years back for some odd reason. What a decade!
@@guitarmeetsscience I can definitely relate man. That was peak human history on so many levels. Pop culture, music, movies, technology hadn’t completely ruined the youth. We bridged a massive gap. It will probably be the most significant time ever for those things. You’re right about the 80s. Even in the 90s, it seemed like it was so far gone. But the 90s seem like we just got out of them. 1990-2010 were the best 20 years, hands down. I don’t think I could be convinced otherwise.
That clip of him saying “I needed to prove to myself that I can drink like a normal person” makes me cringe. That, right there, is the great obsession of every alcoholic - that someday, somehow, you will be able to control it. That it’ll be different. The lengths to which alcoholics chase this delusion is astonishing - we chase it into the gates of institutionalization, insanity, and even death. You hear an alcoholic say this, they need some serious help. If they aren’t willing to pursue helping themselves, then look out, bc it likely won’t be pretty. What ended up happening to him is a classic “textbook” example.
You got hit by the same thing I did when I saw that clip. I've been in the program for quite a while, and yes - when they talk about having the ability to control and enjoy drinking when they are a full-blown alcoholic, it's just impossible. Some of us get to learn that lesson and go on to tell about it, and others unfortunately are not so lucky. It's a real shame too because he had so much to offer.
I remember when some people brought up his health and how he looked people said it was shaming him. Well turns out they were worried as hell because alcohol abuse is just as bad as drug abuse and in both cases can very much lead to poor health and death.
![Quando Rondo - Life Goes On [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/eIf3fhMXAow/mqdefault.jpg)
Remember in my high school days in 2006 when I first discovered this band and it blew my mind. Still can’t believe he’s gone, a true ‘wildchild’. RIP Laiho.
Oh yeah - when they were at their heyday... Look TF out. Such a shock on the news of Alexi hit. RIP
I feel that, when I was 10 or 11 I borrowed my brother's MP3 player and I was thrown off by the synth intro to Downfall but....that day changed me lol. It was the coolest thing I had ever heard.
Pretty much the same here, but about a decade before you when Something wild was released..
R.I.P. Alexi, hope you're jamming "up there" now with Chuck Schuldiner & Criss Oliva....
You are a Legend!
Man I've been a huge fan of Alexi Laiho & Children of Bodom for a couple decades, but I unfortunately just learned of his passing from this YT video, just today. What a kick in the gut, & another loss of a metal great. When Dimebag passed, RIP, & then As I Lay Dying broke apart when Tim Lambesis went to prison, & Down broke up, I only had C.O.B. & Black Label left. Sad to know Alexi passed away. I know what I'll be cranking up for the rest of the day
2004 for me
Sad story. One of the hard truths about alcoholism is that alcoholics can never regain the ability to drink like a normal person. There's no cure and the the only treatment is sobriety for the rest of one's life. RIP Mr. Laiho.
One day at a time 🙏
I have eight years going, I tell people exactly what you said. It’s the truth. You just can’t ever drink again 👍
I met him in a guitar store signing. Inwill never forget. He shook my hand and call me sir. The only " famous " interaction ive had. He killed it.
That is awesome - sounds like a real stand-up dude. Thanks for sharing that!
one of the few guitarists who could do vocals and shred simultaneously. He is very much missed. RIP Laiho
I accidentally stumbled across Children of Bodom on Yahoo radio in 1999. Was absolutely blown away instantly and became a huge fan ever since. RIP Alexi, forever missed. 🤘❤
Alexi was and still is my number one influence in anything guitar. COB's unique style of metal is something that will always be engrained into my mind. Truly a legend. Taste of my Scythe and Follow the Reaper have more memories attached to them than any other tracks I can think of. Thank you for this in-depth look into him and his life. RIP.
Thank you - you are obviously a true COB fan! I remember when they really started getting popular, and it was exciting - actually the most exciting sense back in the day when Metallica and Megadeth hit the scene. It was like a rebirth of metal. Such a shame that he went so soon.... It seems all the great ones end up with a similar fate.
@@guitarmeetsscience Yeah definitely! I remember back when I was about 14 or so and all into punk and only punk lmao but my buddy was telling me I should go see this metal band with him and a local smaller venue, the band called Children of Bodom. Sadly at that point I had no interest and did not attend. A year later they were my favorite band. Funny how things work and I sure missed out on having a front roe seat to alexi and the band at peak performance. This was almost 20 years ago now haha. But yeah you're right, the best ones really do suffer for their craft and it takes a heavy tole.
Alexi's playing was what inspired me to pick up a guitar again after I damaged some nerves, ligaments, and tendons in my left hand. It hurts like hell amd I can't play as fast or as hard as I used to to but if I never discovered CoB I don't think I would have ever played again.
Riff In Pardise Alexi.
Thanks for that comment - definitely inspiring! It is great to hear that Alexi still continues to inspire people. He was truly one of a kind.
I know how frustrating that can be, but keep it up! Tore my right hand up this year, and couldn't use it at all for quite a while. Definitely not the same, but after many months of rehab, it's getting better. Hope you can get get that magic back. Good luck!
Got to play my Alexi V today even tho playing for even just 5-10mins ruins my wrist due to years of repeated injuries
When he passed away i was appearing for an exam and i really couldn't concentrate on it ,, Alexi was my guitar hero and it me hard
Rest in power Alexi "wildchild" Laiho 👑
Oh man that sucks! I could totally understand that though - gone way too soon 🤘🤘
I'm not familiar with him but from what I saw here he was an amazing guitarist . I was playing before he was born and could never play at his level. It's amazing to watch. RIP Bud
Oh yeah man...he was amazing...absolutely my favorite musician...
He was not only technically superb but above all he had incredible ear for melody. There are few metal guitarist with as many as beautiful and melodic solos.
For example, the little break/outro solo in "Lake Bodom". Very easy to play, very simple, but what beautiful piece of melody.
I was at a Festival once, where our then Manager (who had previously worked for CoB) brought us backstage and we ended up going to a Pub with them. Alexi, when he first came out looked like a small Michael Jackson, hat on, hiding from public eyes, pale as anything. That was around 2017. And I actually got to talk to him a bit and asked about the Alcoholism. At that time he was talking about how hes been trying to get sober and was feeling alot better. He didn't seem to me like someone who was too frail to do anything or struck me as someone lacking willpower. He was just a straight up guy, honest and a pleasure to have met. Because of us meeting once, the news on his death struck me more than any other musician's death. I was always a fan of CoB's Music from an early age and we have truly lost someone that had so much more to give, more than he was able to have already given to us.
That is really awesome that you got to meet him - but yeah I can imagine the news of his passing must have been pretty damn hard considering that you actually got to sit down with him. By all accounts Alexi was a pretty cool dude. Obviously really hard working guy too. Such a shame he died too soon.
One of the greatest bands ever! Alexi was truly a wildchild!
He truly was!
One of my all-time faves. He'd basically just plug a guitar into an amp and just kill. Just pure raw talent. No need for a bunch of FX or fancy stuff.
That's the perfect description right there - he just laid it down lean and mean. No pretense whatsoever. Straight up metal
Lol, alexi had a preamp in his guitar it was like an integrated tube screamer
My top 10 bands ever. Saw them 2 times in Wacken festival. Hatebreeder is my top 3 albums ever. Riffs on that album are out of this world
Stop drinking NOW.
COB was the first band I got to experience live, followed by Machine Head & Slipknot in the same night.
That was such an awakening moment that sent me & many others worldwide to purse guitar playing to a higher caliber.
Alexi Laiho was the absolute GOAT that had a wicked cool edge in metal/music that we will probably never see again in a world of Polyphia/Instagram edited guitarists (Despite that they are great in their own right as the new guitar hero's of the modern age).
What a great way to get an introduction to live music. That had to have been a damn intense show! When Alexi hit the scene, it really was like a rebirth of metal.... Just as exciting as when Metallica and Megadeth had hit the scene in the early '80s. The landscape has definitely changed a lot now. Don't get me wrong I love what Tim is doing and I've covered him a few times, but Alexi was just so raw and authentic. That right there is metal!
My all time favourite band/lead and the reason i started playing guitar 12 years ago!
I used to listen to COB for hours a day
Are you dead yet? was the second album I ever bought with my own money, absolutely blew my mind. They have been my favourite band ever since. Always an incredible band to see live, my gf met him after a show and he was absolutely lovely to her and everyone else he spoke to as well.
RIP to a legend. i listend to all of their albums that were out at the point in high school and learning music myself.
That is awesome - Alexi and the group were legendary. I really love how they put their own spin on metal. Gone too soon.
Alexis addiction was the real downfall
Wow really nice to see COB being addressed. It is my all time favorite metal band, I saw them live only one time in my life in Buenos Aires - Argentina. It cost my job but I don't regret at all, otherwise I would've died without having seen them live.
Wow man that is awesome that you got to see them live - and it sucks that it cost the job, but it sounds like you got the better end of the deal regardless! Thank you kindly - always great to meet a fellow Alexi fan. 🤘🤘
Alexi was a true artist/musician longer than many sixty year olds who have been actively playing guitar for many years. He played truly and fast until the very end, which will never be forgotten. \../
Excellent video thank you!! Such an exciting musician in everything he every played or wrote - RIP and thank you Alexi!!
Thank you so much - he truly was one of a kind!
COB used to be my favorite band when I was 14 back in 2004. I think they and Nightwish were the first metal bands I got into back in the day as a teenager discovering real music at the time. Alcoholism is a terrible illness. RIP
Great music choices. As for alcoholism - absolutely right!
This has a lot of details I have never heard before. Thank you
Thank you Brandon - I'm glad you enjoyed it and I really appreciate the kind words 🙏
Only saw them twice and they were simply amazing. Follow the Reaper is one of the best metal albums out there.
Absolutely slamming album!
Same here. I saw them live twice. And at the end of the second show, Jaska tossed his drum sticks into the crowd and my friend caught one of them. Some of the best memories in my life.
Still my favourite 😊
And on this day Roope keeps on with the beers almost the next suburb from where I live here, sad story, i have payed a visit on Alexis tomb many times 😇
It's really a shame because Roope is a fantastic guitar player as well. He really had a hard time dealing with the split, and of course I'm sure would Alexi passed... That had a huge effect on him.
He drank himself to death :( Incredible songwriter and guitar player. Hatebredeer is one of the best metal albums, EVER.
Yeah it's ashame he went out like that. Toxicology report said he had a mixture of pills and alcohol in his system, something like that
I will never forget when I seen them live in Pittsburgh. A night I still remember nor forget
I bought their dvd Chaos Ridden Years from Best Buy in my early twenties. Loved it thoroughly, every time watching was a real joy, sound quality and live energy were so fun and exciting.
I wish I hung onto that DVD.. was awesome bands used to do this. Disasterpieces and the legendary Korn one too. All insane live shows
That is awesome - he really had his own brand of metal, and it was sharp and slicing
a friend of mine gave me a burned copy of tokyo warhearts when i was 13. man i had never heard any guitar playing like alexis before. i was hooked. rip wildchild
Saw him in Summer 2010 when COB and Clutch opened for Black Label Society. Alexi was SUPERB live.
That's one hell of an awesome line up right there!
Back in 2009, I was in my last year of high school, I had no friends, no girlfriend, bad grades and was really depressed. I discovered Children of Bodom through a random metal torrent I came across and I was hooked. I listened to Children of Bodom every single day on the bus ride to & from school. I think Children of Bodom was the only thing that kept me going everyday and I managed to graduate high school. I still listen to them today, I was sad when I seen a bunch of Facebook posts that Alexi had passed away. I never got to see them live even though they played shows that were 6 hour drives away from me.
Man that is really something when the music can resonate with you that much. It was such a shock when Alexi passed. I'm sure a lot of people saw it coming but always thought that maybe he would be able to get past all of that. Thanks so much for sharing your experience with their music. I appreciate it!
I like this already, and i like it even more, when i see some respect given to our boy ROOPE
Thank you! Roope is a great player - very underrated
what an incredible musician and performer. i was lucky to see CoB live at their peak. truly, sadly, Alexi lived out his lyrics: "to follow the reaper until the point of no return" RIP
Very cool lyrical reference - I never thought of that actually. Thank you!
I played a metal festival in Wisconsin, they were there it and was their first show in the United States!
Pretty damn cool!
We saw CoB in Denver, CO right around the time that he had fallen off his bunk bed on the tour bus.
He had a sling on and played every song with energy and emotion. We could only imagine the insane amount of discomfort he was in. But there he was, not letting us down 🤘 😎 🤘
He really was a trooper - played through a lot of pain. Thanks for sharing that.... I'm sure it was an awesome show!
I believe that Alexi was seriously influenced by the guitar works of Yngwie J Malmsteen , you can clearly hear this in his neo-classical solos...great musician, composer and improvising guitar player RIP Alexi Laiho
when i came across Follow the Reaper in 02, changed my fucking life. seen them in over a dozen concerts and Alexi shredded each one. i saw them for the final show in OC in Santa Ana, damn he lokked so sick, but still played a great set. Miss you Alexi! Rest well, your legacy will live on!
It is a damn shame - but I think probably by that final show he was already too far gone. Still glad to know though he shredded the hell out of it. Truly went out with a bang
Man, I remember seeing CoB back in 2014 when they came to Ft.Lauderdale Fl, I was mezmerised just watching Alexi's accuracy as well as the keyboardist, that was such an Amazing show and the musicianship was 2nd to none! Its hard to believe that he has been gone for almost 4 yrs now, it just doesnt seem real. RIP Alexi Laiho.
Seen Children of bodom at slims in san francisco on 4/8/2006 what a amazing band to see live!
They must have been incredible! I can only imagine
it was indeed, first and only chance to see them.
Follow The Reaper will always be one of the best metal albums ever. I consider myself lucky to have seen these live on the Are you Dead Yet tour and then at a UK festival called Bloodstock in 2014
Got a picture of Alexi, Alexander, my best buddy and I in Milwaukee, the first time they came to N.America, August long weekend 2000. If you look up that video, you can hear me yell "woooo" at 906 at the introduction of Warheart. Buddy and I waited 90 minutes at the stage, Alexi stood in front of us. First time I ever seen a guitarist sweep in real life.
That's awesome!!
Still one of my favorite guitar players and bands of all time. Sometimes a COB song comes on when I am driving and I get sad all over again realizing Alexi is gone.
Oh yeah - it really hits hard. In a lot of ways people saw it coming and yet it was still a shock because I think people thought he might be able to pull out of it because he was so young. Definitely gone too soon.
Super sad. I got into CoB in 2003 when Hate Crew Deathroll released. One of my all time favorites.
One badass band and one badass guitar player. RIP Alexi
Excellent work. Alexi had a huge influence on shred type guitar and neo classical showing back up in metal after a long drought. I remember thinking the band was too musically advanced to ever get as big as they did and I’m glad he proved me wrong. Top 5 metal player for me easily
Thank you so much man! Absolutely right - Alexi was the real deal when it came to metal.
Good pickup on the punk aspect of Something Wild. The Nail has always been my favorite song of theirs, mainly because of the interlude, but I love the punky intro to the song.
Thank you so much! The nail is a great tune!!
ALEXI HAS RISEN TO THE HEAVEN!!!
NEVER BEEN FALLEN!!!
MELODIC DEATH METAL GUITAR REAPER GOD!!!
🤘🥲👍
Alexii is a year older than me. When me and my friends got into COB we were blown alway. They scheduled a US tour that then Tom cancelled and we were sad but then it was because of college finals week. We we're also in finals week so we understood. But we saw them a couple months later.
That is cool though that you were able to catch them! I'm sure it was awesome!
@@guitarmeetsscience yeah. It was crazy. The band and me and my bros were all the same age. After graduating college they started to tour the US a lot more we were like sharing the same experience across the world.
Another thing I really loved about C o B is their album covers. I loved the constant theme of the album cover art.
@@NoName-t7e excellent point -their album covers are pretty damn cool as well!
Great video, almost made me cry. RIP Alex❤
🤘🤘 it was hard to do this one - he had so much going for him but couldn't see it I don't think. RIP Alexi
Yeah, very melodic guitar player. Love COB
OMG I didnot know he died :(, I loved COB when I was a teen, it was the coolest band around, it still is in top 10 on my list for sure. RIM my brother.
Children Of Bodom is such a strange thing. I LOVED them back in the day. And for me that's the early 2000's. I was born in 87. I kinda slipped away from them in 2007 and 2008 and got into other metal music. And when Alexi died I rediscovered them. Love them more now than I did back then. Fucking sad the way it ended. Since I have that same problem that Alexi had, it's wierd but makes me wanna beat it and get better.
Thank you for sharing that! It really is such a shame how Alexi went. I can relate though - haven't picked up a drink in 22 years, and I was certainly on that same path. It wasn't until I did some really crappy things to other human beings that all of a sudden I got to look in the mirror. Most people don't get that chance though, I was one of the very few fortunate ones. If you really want to beat it - you certainly can, my recommendation is to get into the program work the steps and become damn honest with yourself and others. It is impossible for an alcoholic to put together a year of sobriety, but if they go one day at a time they can string together 365 days,. And when you come out the other side - it is unimaginable how much better life gets. It still has its crap, but it's like turning the lights on and actually being able to see the problems and deal with them instead of having them come up and bite you in the ass all the time. I hope you get that opportunity - and I am rooting for you all the way. You definitely can do it!
@@guitarmeetsscience Thanks, I am 37 years old and wanna get a lot older. So I'm working on myself right now. A few days at a time to begin with. It's been a part of my life for a long time.
I know I an do it. My job is making it hard though. So I'm quitting my job right now. I don't care about money. I just wanna get well ;) Just thinking about myself and listening to music
Very true, sometimes people places and things can really mess things up. Most people have to find the lowest bottom before they realize that their powerless over alcohol and that their lives had become unmanageable. That's always the first step. In all truth though, we only reach the bottom when we stopped digging. Best of luck to you, I suggest finding that fellowship when you're ready, and you'll know when you're ready. All it takes is honesty open-mindedness and willingness or the 'HOW'. Please keep me posted on your progress. All the best brother.
I'll try and keep you posted! Talk to you later! take care
I think the first time I saw them was when I bought Wacken live video. I believe that is when I first saw them. I was blown away and loved the first few albums.
Sad , I just realized how amazing he was . I never gave a good listen to COB. I will now. I always thought he died because of cancer. My dad drank himself to death, so it’s a sad thing , so much wasted talent.❤.
My condolences man - same thing happened to my mom years ago. It is one nasty disease.
@@guitarmeetsscience 🙏🏻 thank you ☺️
I remember being in middle school, going through hell due to puberty and looking for something heavy but also melodic because I was a Violinist myself. I was in a music store at the mall and I was looking at metal albums when some guy handed me Hatebreeder and said, "Dude this will change everything for you." It did.
That is one hell of a band to help one get through those tough years. And for a violinist - that must have hit the spot. Especially all those really cool intricate lines that are duplicated with the guitar and the keyboard.
I saw them in concert once and I was blown away. I had no idea he had died.
It must have been awesome to see him live. I know, I'm surprised a lot of people have been here in the comment section that didn't know that he had passed away. I hate to be the one to break the news - gone too soon
Are You Dead Yet is an incredible metal album
The one i'm not getting over. I did with Dime,Piggy,Cornell. But with Alexi it seems i can't. Probably due to the fact it has been a long process, somehow reversible imho
Oh yeah - very true, it was a very slow process. Such a tragic loss - and yeah you're right definitely reversible. Alcoholism is a disease. RIP Alexi 🤘🤘
I legitimately got upset after I first read the article about Alexi telling Janne that he basically plans to drink til he dies. Like yea there's nothing anyone can do about someone who doesn't wanna get better but fk man that just digs so deep for some reason. I'm not gonna pretend to know what was going on with him or inside of him but as a die hard fan since 2004 and was fortunate enough to meet and interact with Alexi not once but twice in my teenage years, AND he was cool af each time...I hate to be a sap over someone mildly famous who I didn't know personally, but it fking hurt, man.
@@EnigmaticAnamoly no man - what you share is from the heart, and it hits hard. Alcoholism is one hell of a disease - and it is such a shame because it really took him it too young of an age. Thanks for sharing your experience with meeting him and your candid comment. That's what this is all about! Much appreciated man!
What a fitting end, just perfect
My first search of the term 'Death Metal' back in my teenage years on Limewire. Wrath Within popped up. I was immediatly sold. Not real death metal though, I realiserd later XD Still an incredible introduction to Children of Bodem.
Oh yeah the limewire days.... I remember those like yesterday. That's awesome that came up in your search. Definitely the perfect introduction!
remember seeing him and COB at wacken, incredible live and his guiar skills were on another level. r.i.p legend
Pretty damn awesome!
Excellent documentary! I was fortunate to see them live.
Hey Joey - thanks man! They must have been freaking awesome live!
I was already fed up in metal' but when i heard him play metal was back in the system
Right on - he really did reinvigorate the genre!
One of my favourite bands ever. Saw them twice and one of my dogs is named after him. What a loss.
Don't forget to take care of yourself fellow musicians and fans. It is not a fun way to go. Rip alexi. One of my biggest influences and the one who directed metal and other types of music smashed together
Great message!!! Thanks for that!
Excellent guitar player . RIP Alexi
I miss him so much. When i was only 15yo back in 1997 i stumbled across a music video on the then music program called AMPED on foxtel.. it was deadnight warrior.. i was instantly obsessed, went out the next day and bought the something wild album, and children of bodom have been my favourite band ever since i got my grubby little mits on that album lol.. cheers for the years.
Thank you for that awesome comment! One of my guitar students at the time got me into them. I was like....damn! Nothing really hit me like that since early Metallica when they hit the scene. They really brought in more or less a rebirth of metal. Gone too soon
@@guitarmeetsscience my journey was kind of the same.. Thrash and death metal. Then entered children of bodom.. they opened up so many different genres for me.. but still to this very day in my opinion nothing tops bodom.
My buddy and I were huge COB fans in the early 2000s. We finally got the chance to see them live one year and Alexi got hammered drunk and played soooo sloppy. It was a sad moment. Still love this band, just wish he could have stayed clean. RIP
That's a shame - you apparently caught them on an off night. I know in later days Alexi actually did what he could to not get hammered before playing. Unfortunately though during the off time he must have put away a lot
Rest well Wildchild absolute legend.
Children Of Bodom had a meteoric ascension running through the heavy metal top charts to suddenly and tragically wrapped out.Sadly,because they had so much to be done.
So true!
Outstanding video!
Thank you Joe!
Saw them live in 2002 @ W:O:A and they were great. That was also my favorite period in their history and also in metal as there was still interesting metal going on and the first two albums of COB were my favorites as I wasn't that much into Scandinavian scene. I did like COB, Entombed, Dismember, Dark Tranquility, In Flames and some other bands, but was never my favorite brand of music, however you had to respect COB as they were really great and the gig was awesome. I was watching those Doom Swedes - Candlemass as they were having their big comeback / reuninon and I got bored so I just went to another stage and watched COB and they were just so much better! :D
Just recently picked up one of his cheap signature guitar. Sad that he died too soon, he had so much talent.
He was amazing, a true GOAT.
Great job.
Thanks man!!
I remember hearing about CoB for the first time by mistake. At the time, my local radio starion had a segment called Mandatory Midnight Metal and the DJ states the next song is a cover of Europe’s The Final Countdown by Children of Bodom. I was blown away (despite not CoB covering the song) the cover was actually by the band called Dispatched.
20 years listening and still love CoB music
That sounds to me like the perfect introduction to COB! The DJ's mistake actually turned out some new fans of the band. Of course they did get in oops I did it again - so I guess it worked out in the end
Fantastic video, ddue!
@@kaboose111 🤘🤘 thank you man!
@@guitarmeetsscience Keep up t he good work dude.
Thank you brother! 🤘🤘
Good documentary but I wish you would have included Alexi's super group Sinergy.
Thank you! And you're right, whenever I get around to revisiting him I will definitely cover that aspect of his career more. Thanks for the kind words
Many thanks 🤘
Thank you dimebagdave!!! 🤘🤘
Damn, I thought I was the only person who ever heard of Necrogoblicon. RIP, Alexi.
🤘🤘
I got to watch Alexi up close at a concert in Baltimore Md. It was during the Blooddrunk tour.
Pretty damn awesome!
Nothing can compare to his work in sinergy.
HE NEVER FELL. HE ROSE TO STARDOM AND THEN ROSE EVEN HIGHER TO HEAVEN.
He was such a sweet guy ❤
7:20 I bought this when it came out. One of countless albums that have been stolen from me over the years!
Damn - that sucks though that it got stolen. Hopefully at least they crank it a whole lot and are enjoying some musical enrichment. The world could use more!
Alcohol is the absolute worst
Rip Alexi
My personal experience with heroin & meth would lead me to disagree 😂 however, you are correct in one sense: the reason alcohol is so bad is because it's not only legal, but also socially acceptable. Rip Alexi 🌹🖤
Absolutely right - it's such a shame because he had so much going for him
Yep, that is a totally different level haha. You nailed it - and in some ways physically it's more of a slow burn, people drink and drink and drink and then it just creeps up on them physically. I know first hand - 22 years sober....ODAAT 🤘🤘
Rip legend
Love you Allu 🤟🖤
Alexi Laiho also played with TSO, Right? I can't believe he passed, Sorry to hear...R.I.P
Please do warrel dane and Nevermore, what a story, Best lyricism in music, cheers
Ah very cool suggestion! Thank you for that I will add it to the list. I have a huge list so I'm not sure when I get around to things, it just sort of depends but nevertheless I will add him for sure. I appreciate that!
I saw em on the mayhem festival in houston badass show
Used to listen to are you dead yet with my buddies on 2008
Amazing stuff! I love everything they put out 🤘🤘
I discovered them around the time of Hatebreeder. I was in a CD Warehouse(RIP) here in Texas. I was looking for something new, and that day I bought Slipknot’s debut and Hatebreeder. Changed my fuckin’ like. Follow The Reaper came soon after and it BLEW MY FUCKIN MIND. So good, man. What a shame he died so young. A tragedy.
Those were some damn good times - I was shocked as well to hear about Alexi's passing. Gone too soon!
@@guitarmeetsscience Man, weren’t they? Being around as a young metal fan in the late 90’s to the 2000’s, witnessing the release of some of the greatest metal albums to ever be put to record. I wish I could relive every bit of it. So many of these albums are now celebrating their 20th and 25th anniversaries. Insane.
It's crazy - ask anybody who lived through the '80s, that includes myself too a decade ago and they would have seen it as a long time ago. But this decade ask them about the '90s - and it seems like just yesterday. There's just something about that decade looking back that it just has staying power unlike other decades. That might come off as weird but maybe you can relate - just literally seems like a few years back for some odd reason. What a decade!
@@guitarmeetsscience I can definitely relate man. That was peak human history on so many levels. Pop culture, music, movies, technology hadn’t completely ruined the youth. We bridged a massive gap. It will probably be the most significant time ever for those things. You’re right about the 80s. Even in the 90s, it seemed like it was so far gone. But the 90s seem like we just got out of them. 1990-2010 were the best 20 years, hands down. I don’t think I could be convinced otherwise.
CD Warehouse...on Town East?
That clip of him saying “I needed to prove to myself that I can drink like a normal person” makes me cringe. That, right there, is the great obsession of every alcoholic - that someday, somehow, you will be able to control it. That it’ll be different. The lengths to which alcoholics chase this delusion is astonishing - we chase it into the gates of institutionalization, insanity, and even death. You hear an alcoholic say this, they need some serious help. If they aren’t willing to pursue helping themselves, then look out, bc it likely won’t be pretty. What ended up happening to him is a classic “textbook” example.
You got hit by the same thing I did when I saw that clip. I've been in the program for quite a while, and yes - when they talk about having the ability to control and enjoy drinking when they are a full-blown alcoholic, it's just impossible. Some of us get to learn that lesson and go on to tell about it, and others unfortunately are not so lucky. It's a real shame too because he had so much to offer.
No mention of the Randy Rhoads influence, or how Alexi idolized Randy?
Good call....I should've covered Randy's influence as well. Thanks!
I always wonder how much of those melodies were written by the keyboardist. Cause the sound very keyboard oriented.
Definitely....I get the same feeling when I hear those doubled lines
I remember when some people brought up his health and how he looked people said it was shaming him. Well turns out they were worried as hell because alcohol abuse is just as bad as drug abuse and in both cases can very much lead to poor health and death.
You nailed it perfectly
Great video!
Thank you so much Jimmy!!!