Guitar god comes to Manila

MANILA, Philippines - After the resurgence of heavy metal bands and the rise of popular game Guitar Hero, young and old guitar fans are raving about talented guitar gods from the international heavy metal scene — one of which is the celebrated Finnish guitar mastermind, Alexi Laiho, guitarist and singer for Children of Bodom (COB), who will perform on Nov. 19 at the Amoranto Theater, Quezon City.

Presented by JB Music and Discovery Suites, Children of Bodom Live in Manila is one of this year’s most anticipated shows, with the band being the second European heavy metal band to perform in the Philippines after Sweden’s Arch Enemy, who performed at the World Trade Center last 2009.

Alexi was a violinist during early childhood and then switched to electric guitar at age 11. At the beginning of his career, his music mainly composed of classical-oriented guitar riffs blended with thrash metal picking. His music is the first of its kind and it was greatly received by fans all over Europe upon the release of his band’s debut album, Something Wild in 1998.

Formed in Espoo, Finland, Children of Bodom is also composed of Janne Wirman on keyboards; Roope Latvala, guitar; Henkka Seppälä, bass; and Jaska Raatikainen, drums. They recently released their seventh studio album Relentless Reckless Forever, which went Platinum in their home country and sold over 100,000 copies in its first week. This placed them at No. 42 in the US Billboard 200 Charts and virtually in the Top 20 charts in Europe.

Produced by Pulp Live World, Children of Bodom Live in Manila happens only one night and it will be the biggest night for heavy metal fanatics and guitar geeks. For this occasion, Alexi had an exclusive interview with Pulp Magazine and shared his admirable work ethic and expressed his excitement about visiting the Philippines for the first time.

Hi Alexi! Thank you for your time, we know you are very busy at the moment. How was your tour in Russia?

“We got back couple of days ago. It was okay, the crowd was great but the weather was pretty harsh but we’ve been there before and it was only two shows. But yeah, it was fun.”

Are you looking forward to experience the tropical weather of Manila?

“We just started winter season over here and it would be completely cold and it’s actually great that we’re going there. So this should be cool.”

Do you get requests from Filipino fans, asking you guys to come to Manila for a show?

“Yeah, we get that a lot and it’s great that they actually care so much to want to see us. And we’re happy that we can make it happen.”

So how old were you when you started making your demo tape for your first band?

“Well, when we made our first demo tape I was 14 or 15 years old. But during that period, we did a lot more covers. Yeah, our first demo tape was in 94. We rehearsed constantly until we were 18. So we started super young.”

How difficult was it to be noticed as a band when you were starting out?

“It was pretty challenging in the underground scene. But when we released our first album, we did a lot of touring and when we first got out of Finland, we played a show in Germany and it was the first time we got recognition. And you know, we got a lot more opportunities to play in other areas around the world and we kept working on our albums. Yeah, we did that and it was a lot of albums and touring — so it was a lot of work on our part.”

When did you feel that your band finally made it?

“I never really got that moment. There was never time to stop and think about it. We just pretty much continued working and whatever happened we just let it happened. We never really thought that we’ve made it because there was always something to look forward to. So we are still working on a lot of stuff and do more records.”

Sounds like you all work too hard.

“Well, yeah, we have to. We are actually on a break and we’ve been working a lot but we will get back on tour, which is a lot easier nowadays. I’m definitely happy.”

Do you have a favorite album from COB?

“Well, it’s so hard to pick one. Each one has a different meaning and each one means effort and time from the band, you know. I think it is impossible for me to pick like a favorite.”

How long have you been touring for your new album, Relentless Reckless Forever?

“I am not sure how many dates we have done. I don’t really count and what we do is we try to enjoy the tour as much as we can. We released the album around June and we’re going to continue this tour until next fall, which will be in 2012. So we have a long way to go.”

How did you prepare before going to the studio for this album?

“We’ve already wrote the stuff, arranged it and put it together before we went recording. We rehearsed a lot before we went to the studio, which kind of worked out and everything went all. Recording was pretty quick. So I mean, we spent more on the writing part more than the recording part.”

Do you feel that you’ve developed your song writing style over the years?

“I would definitely say that our song writing has gotten a lot better, I mean hopefully. It’s because we got a lot more experience and so that has helped.”

How excited are you to come to the Philippines?

“It’s always refreshing to play in new territories. We usually ask how it is from people who have played there before because we have no idea what to expect. But it makes it more exciting because we don’t know what’s going to happen.”

What message can you give all your fans who are waiting for you in the Philippines?

“Well, I am just very thankful for those who support Children of Bodom any way we can. We can’t wait to play there and see the country, so see you soon!”

Tickets to COB concert are available at SM Tickets, Ticketworld and Ticketnet for a discounted presale price of P2,500 (VIP) and P1,500 (General Admission). All tickets go back to regular price of P3,000 VIP and P1,800 at the door on Nov. 19.