Hate Crew Deathroll

About

"Hate Crew Deathroll" is the fourth studio album by Finnish melodic death metal band Children of Bodom, released in 2003 through Century Media. It was the final album recorded by the band's original five-member line-up, as rhythm guitarist Alexander Kuoppala left the group later that year. The album achieved commercial success in several European countries and received exposure in the United States through the music video for "Needled 24/7", which was broadcast on MTV2's "Headbangers Ball". The song was also featured in the documentary film "Metal: A Headbanger's Journey" and the 2012 video game "Lollipop Chainsaw". The track "Angels Don't Kill" appeared on the soundtrack of the 2009 video game "Brütal Legend", while the title track "Hate Crew Deathroll" was included in the 2007 video game "Skate". Following the album's release, the term "Hate Crew" came to be used both for Children of Bodom's fan community and for the band members themselve. Frontman Alexi Laiho had the acronym "COBHC" ("Children of Bodom Hate Crew") tattooed on the fingers of his left hand. Musically, "Hate Crew Deathroll" marked a shift towards a more thrash metal-oriented sound compared with the band's earlier release. The album placed greater emphasis on guitar, while keyboards were used less prominently than on previous recording. The songs "Sixpounder" and "Angels Don't Kill" were recorded in drop C tuning (CGCFAD), with the sixth string tuned one whole step lower than the band's customary tuning. Music videos were produced for both "Needled 24/7" and "Sixpounder". An edited version of the "Sixpounder" video was also released. At the end of "Needled 24/7", a quotation from the 1986 film "Platoon" is included. "Bodom Beach Terror" contains a quotation from the 2000 film "American Psycho", which continues at the beginning of the following track, "Angels Don't Kill". "You're Better Off Dead" was released as the album's only single. It included a cover version of the Ramones song "Somebody Put Something in My Drink" and reached number one on the Finnish Singles Chart, remaining in the top 20 for sixteen week. The album booklet contains printed lyrics for "Needled 24/7", "Chokehold (Cocked 'n' Loaded)", "You're Better Off Dead", and "Hate Crew Deathroll". Although the title track has a listed running time of 3:36, some early pressings included an additional hidden track lasting 3:02, featuring a conversation among the band members in Finnish. For the album's production, Children of Bodom returned to producer Anssi Kippo after working with Peter Tägtgren on their previous album, "Follow the Reaper". Mixing duties were handled by Mikko Karmila, who had previously worked on "Hatebreeder" and one of the mixes of "Follow the Reaper". Karmila later produced the band's subsequent album, "Are You Dead Yet?". At the time of recording, Children of Bodom were negotiating their future recording arrangements following the expiration of their contract with Spinefarm Records after the release of "Follow the Reaper". Spinefarm had been acquired by Universal Music Group in 2002, and the band ultimately chose to remain with the label. The new agreement provided access to greater financial and production resources during the recording of "Hate Crew Deathroll". "Hate Crew Deathroll" debuted at number one on the Finnish Albums Chart, where it remained for two week. The album also charted internationally, reaching number 74 in France, number 36 in Sweden, and number 45 in Germany. The release contributed to increased mainstream media exposure for Children of Bodom, including airplay for the "Needled 24/7" video on MTV's "Headbangers Ball". Critical reception was generally positive. AllMusic awarded the album four-and-a-half stars out of five and later identified it as one of the band's most notable release. The album's production was also praised by reviewer. .

via Last.fm

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