5. Children Of Bodom

The truth of the matter is that Alexi Lahio is a genius that simply doesn’t get the plaudits he deserves and, along with the awesome talents of fellow band members Daniel, Janne, Jaska and Henkka, extreme melodic death metallers, Children of Bodom are clearly one of my must see bands of this year’s Bloodstock. They deliver a precise, engaging and entertaining Metal show that feels as much like a party as a gig. Now, that’s the sort of endorsement that you’d normally see aligned to a pop-punk or party-metal band not a melodic Death Metal band, but that’s what makes Children of Bodom so unique and must-see.

The sudden departure of long-time co-guitarist Roope Latvala from the band before 2015’s “I Worship Chaos“ did little to stop them, and in fact allowed a great deal more clarity in their sound, derived from Laiho having to provide all the guitar parts. The introduction of Daniel Freyberg as additional guitarist through 2019’s release “Hexed” has kept that cohesive and no-nonsense approach to their song writing, and I can’t wait for them to perform much of this new work on the Bloodstock Main Stage. Most of all, I hope that they play their Metal version of Kenny Loggins’ classic ‘Danger Zone’. It’s a good example of their dark sense of humour which personifies their Finnish attitude…that and being angry and blunt. Laiho’s words, not mine!

By Matt Fraser