Interview with Alexi Laiho, 17.10.1999.
Taken from Sweet Suffering

With only two albums, the highly acclaimed 'Something Wild' and 'Hatebreeder', the young guys from Children Of Bodom have won the status of true geniuses, being able to satisfy the black metal fans' need of musical aggression, as well as the more traditional heavy metal fans' need of melody and great guitar solos. And as they were playing in Strasbourg's 'La Laiterie', I couldn't miss that! And here is what Alexi Laiho (guitar and vocals) had to tell, just a few hours before a killer show. 

You've just released your new album, 'Hatebreeder'. Can you please tell us more about it? 

Yeah, it was released in February, I guess. Musically, it's pretty different from the first album, but it sounds better, it's better played, with more catchy songs. But it's in the same vein, it has the same elements, like keyboards solos, guitar solos and stuff like that. 

This album has been released seven months ago. Are you still satisfied with it? Are there some things you'd like to change? 

I'm not sure I'm really satisfied with it, because I remember that after the 'Something Wild' album, probably six months after the release of the album, I was not satisfied with it. Especially the way it was played. You could hear some mistakes, and of course there was the fact that it was recorded in one week, so it could have been better. And there are a lot of songs I should have put in the trashcan. But concerning 'Hatebreeder', I'm still satisfied with the lyrics, the music and the package, especially because it's well-played and there are no mistakes on the album. 

I heard there were some problems during the recording. What happened? 

There were a lot of small problems. When we got into the studio, we noticed that the drum heads were old and not of the good size, there were problems with the guitar picks, the drum sticks.And the studio was three hundred kilometers away from Helsinky, we couldn't buy the ones we used to play with when we ran out of them, and we had to go back to Helsinky to buy them. And for days, we were not able to record anything. We were in the studio, drinking, frustrated, because we couldn't do anything. And our guitarist was under pressure, because he was going to school at the same time, he had to do his graduation tests, and his mind was in school, and on the other hand, his mind was in music. He couldn't concentrate on anything, so sometimes, he had hard times playing. That was the same thing with some other members too, and a some point, we began to have a hard time getting along with each other, because everybody was so fucked up. But after all, we still got the whole thing in three weeks. 

Some weeks ago, you played in Japan with In Flames. How was it? And when you started the band, did you think you could play in Japan one day? 

Of course I thought all the time that it would be cool to play there, but I could never have thought that we were actually gonna play there. That was of course like a dream come true to play in Japan, it was great. We did three gigs there, one in Osaka, and two in Tokyo, and they were like sold out with 1500 people. All the treatments were great, everything was really cool. I really liked the country, and the people, because the people are so glad, they feel sorry all the time. 

Now, you're quite successful, you have a gold record in Finland.How do you live with that? 

Well, actually it's a gold single, but anyway.I can make a living out of music, just barely. I'm not rich or anything like that, but I can live out of that. I know we could earn more money, if we had been smarter at the beginning of the band, with all the business things and everything. Because in this business, you're getting ripped off all the time by everybody, in everything you're doing. But now we're happy, we tour a lot, we have seen a lot of different managers and record companies, and we know what we should have done and what we have to do. So, it's gonna go better. 

During the 'Nightbreeder' sessions, you have recorded tracks that haven't been released yet. Will they be available on the next record? Can you present them? 

We only have two covers songs, one is a WASP song, called 'Hellion', and it's not gonna be released anywhere. It was supposed to be released in Japan, but for some reasons, nothing happened. And also on the single of 'Downfall', we'll put another cover song from a Finnish metal band called Spawn. 

But in the past, you have also recorded a cover of a Sepultura song. 

Oh yeah! I forgot that one, it was only released on a Swedish tribute album to Sepultura. 

What do you think of the other bands you are playing with on this tour? 

I think it's great. We are all getting along very well, I knew the In Flames guys before, because I went to Gothenburg to prepare the tour in Japan. Everybody is really cool, and I think the package works very well. In Flames are pulling out a lot of people, there are a lot of In Flames fans, and it gives us the opportunity to show them what we can do. 

About you, you have a lot of side projects. You are playing in Sinergy, and also in Impaled Nazarene. How can you manage to do that? 

Well, I mean, Children Of Bodom is my main band, it's my number one thing, that's always been my top priority. I have told everybody else that if I have time out of COB, I can do something with them. I only do music in my life, I don't have a job, I don't go to school, or anything. So, I have time to do it. I'm gonna play on the next Sinergy album, but I don't think I will tour with them. Of course, if I have time, then I will. I will also record the new Impaled Nazarene album, and it's gonna be odd. 

Will it be in the same way as 'Rapture'? 

No, it's gonna be more like.ten times better, but like 'Ugra Karma' and old stuff. Some new stuff, and some guitar solos too. It's gonna be the best Impaled Nazarene album ever, I promise you. 

Still about IN, they had some problems in Australia during their tour, they had a car crash. Did you see them after that? How are they going? 

I wasn't there, because I couldn't go with them in Australia. But they got into a car crash in the mountains, the driver was totally nuts, he was drunk like a fucking freak, and the car started to spin in a curve, or something. And they got in a wall, they could have fell down, but they are all OK. 

What sort of inspiration can bring you the passage in the new millennium? 

The new millennium? I think it's only another year for me, it's no big deal for me. I think it's nothing special, just a bunch of numbers, and that's it. 

But what do you hope for your band and you personally? 

I just hope that we are gonna get forward with the band, with the improvement in guitar playing. I just wanna get forward all the time, because I don't wanna get stuck. I don't hope I'll be a fucking huge rock star in the next millennium. 

You've often been compared to Yngwie Malmsteen.Would you like him to appear as a guest on one of your albums? 

No, not really.well, yes of course if it was possible, but it's not possible anyway. He used to be my guitar god, but not anymore. I don't like his playing that much anymore. I'm more into Ozzy Osbourne guitar players, like Randy Rhoads, Zakk Wilde, Paul Gilbert. That's it. 

OK, that's it. Do you have a message for your fans? 

Yes, I want to say a huge thank to all the ones who bought COB albums. The fans are the most important thing for us, because without the fans, we couldn't exist. So, thanks to everybody!