Children of Bodom frontman Alexi Laiho says the Finnish outfit successfully adjusted to the loss of guitarist Roope Latvala earlier this year by recording their ninth album I Worship Chaos as a four-piece.
The band announced Latvala’s departure from the lineup on friendly terms in May after 12 years with the group.
Laiho says he was probably the band member most affected during the recording of I Worship Chaos and that the lineup change ultimately brought the group closer together.
He tells Metal Exposure: “It was more work for me obviously, because I was working double shifts with the guitars. I didn’t mind. If anything, I think it sounds tighter than ever, so at least something good came out of that.
“Surprisingly it went very smoothly. Roope and the rest of us parted ways three days before hitting the studio. I think that it brought all of us ever closer and made us work harder.”
Following the recording, Children Of Bodom debuted keyboard player Janne Wirman’s younger brother Antii at a private show in Helsinki as a second touring guitarist to handle parts formerly played by Latvala.
I Worship Chaos was produced by Peter Tagtgren and will be released on October 2 via Nuclear Blast.
Children Of Bodom will hit the road across the UK with Megadeth and Lamb Of God in November.
