Back in the fall, it was announced that “2019 will be the last for Children of Bodom with this lineup.” The most recent incarnation of the veteran Finnish metal act played a final show together on December 15th, 2019.
Essentially, the band split up into two factions, one with drummer Jaska Raatikainen, bassist Henkka Seppälä, and keyboardist Janne Wirman, and the other with frontman Alexi Laiho and guitarist Daniel Freyberg.
After that final show, there was speculation that Laiho and Freyberg would continue Children of Bodom with new members, but then it was revealed that the other three musicians actually had the rights the “Children of Bodom” moniker. That meant that if Laiho and Freyberg wanted to continue playing together, they’d have to do so under a different name.
That’s exactly what the pair have done, as Laiho and Freyberg have launched a new band, Bodom After Midnight, also featuring Paradise Lost drummer Waltteri Väyrynen, bassist Mitja Toivonen, and touring keyboardist Lauri Salomaa. The group already has three European festival dates set for this summer and a new album in the works.
“We’ve been working, practicing and just grinding like mad men but it’s been a ton of fun playing and hanging with these guys,” Laiho said via Instagram.
The band’s upcoming shows include Tuska Festival in Helsinki, Finland, on June 27th; John Smith Rock Festival in Laukaa, Finland, on July 18th; and Summer Breeze in Dinkelsbühl, Germany, on August 15th.
As of now, it is unknown whether Raatikainen, Seppälä, and Wirman will continue to play together as Children of Bodom, or if they, too, will form a new outfit under a different name.
Alexi Laiho Launches Bodom After Midnight in Wake of Losing Children of Bodom Name to Ex-Bandmates
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