In addition to announcing their forthcoming beer brewed using the waters of Lake Bodom itself, Finnish melodeath crew Children of Bodom have also given fans another gift in the form of "This Road," the latest single taken from their soon-to-be-released album Hexed.
A hard-hitting whirlwind from the first note on, the song is a cantering sprint of razor-sharp riffs stacked on nonstop double bass–driven beats and visceral lyrics that speak of ego, danger and death. Sweeping solos and practiced technical passages are sure to be a hit with fans of shreddy melodic metal, and not a second is spared in the onslaught of whip-fast sections interspersed with heavy-hitting breakdowns. The lyric video accompanying the single reveals live shots of the band and their iconic reaper logo in a futuristic cityscape, the photos plastered on skyscraping billboards, before switching back to an open-road driving scenario that travels from alternating desert and winter terrains.
Frontman Alexi Laiho says of the track, "'This Road' was actually the last song I wrote, but it ended up being the opening track and also one of the singles which makes me happy 'cause it's one of my faves," adding that it's "different from anything" the band has done since 2000's Follow the Reaper.
Hexed is set to hit stores and streaming services on March 8th via Nuclear Blast Records. You can pre-order a copy here, and catch the group on their upcoming North American tour. The first single from the record, "Under Grass and Clover," was released in December.
Children of Bodom tour dates:
03/13 - Imperial - Quebec City, QC*
03/14 - Corona Theater - Montreal, QC*
03/15 - Bronson Centre - Ottawa, ON *
03/16 - The Phoenix Concert Theater - Toronto, ON*
03/18 - St. Andrews - Detroit, MI**
03/19 - House of Blues - Chicago, IL**
03/20 - Skyway Theater - Minneapolis, MN**
03/22 - The Summit - Denver, CO **
03/23 - Metro Music Hall - Salt Lake City, UT**
03/25 - The Palace Theatre - Calgary, AB**
03/26 - Union - Edmonton, AB**
03/27 - The Vogue Theater - Vancouver, BC**
03/29 - El Corazon - Seattle, WA**
03/30 - Hawthorne Theater - Portland, OR ***
04/01 - The Regency Ballroom - San Francisco, CA***
04/02 - The Observatory - Santa Ana, CA ***
04/03 - Club Red - Phoenix, AZ***
04/05 - Alamo Music Hall - San Antonio, TX ***
04/06 - Warehouse Live - Houston, TX ***
04/07 - Canton Hall - Dallas, TX ***
04/09 - The Ritz - Tampa, FL *
04/11 - Masquerade - Atlanta, GA *
04/12 - The Underground - Charlotte, NC *
04/13 - Baltimore Soundstage - Baltimore, MD*
04/14 - Mr Smalls Theatre - Pittsburgh, PA*
04/16 - Westcott Theater - Syracuse, NY*
04/17 - The Royale - Boston, MA*
04/18 - Reverb - Reading, PA *
04/19 - Irving Plaza - New York, NY *
* SUMMONER'S CIRCLE, opening (March 13th-16th & April 9th-19th)
** HOLLOW CRY opening (March 18th-29th)
*** FRAGMENTUM opening (March 30th April 7th)
