It seems that no big metal band ever breaks up forever, and Children Of Bodom lent credence to that theory last month. Seven years after their split and six after the death of founder/singer/guitarist Alexi Laiho, the Finnish neoclassical death metal heroes returned for two celebratory shows at Helsinki’s Tavastia club: the venue that became their home away from home during their two-decade career. As exciting as the news was, there was obviously a gaping hole at the centre of the lineup, and the duty of filling it was placed on Samy Elbanna, frontman of thrash metal band (and Bodom’s countrymen) Lost Society.
On paper, Samy was the perfect pick, his band having toured with Bodom multiple times since 2013 and both his screaming and shredding skills being undeniable. By all accounts, he proved himself during the performances, which unsurprisingly sold out. Footage has widely circulated online and there’s many impressed comments underneath each clip you’ll see. As Lost Society embarked on their own European tour at the start of March, we caught up with Samy to talk about his journey into the Bodom ranks, his history with the band and what the future of their second stint looks like.
How did you discover Children Of Bodom?
“The first song I heard was In Your Face, which is the ‘newer’ Children Of Bodom. It was through Finland’s local MTV-style station, The Voice TV, and they played that video. It stuck with me because of the pure talent that everybody had, especially the guitar and keyboard work. It was insane! Realising that, wow, these people come from the same country as I do, that was somehow mind-blowing to me. It was artistically more powerful than anything I’d heard at that point in my life.”
Lost Society first toured with Bodom in 2013. What was it like meeting them?
“The first show, we were shaking because we were so nervous. I think it was Janne [Wirman, keys] who walked into our dressing room on the first day and was like, ‘Great to have you guys onboard!’ He broke the proverbial ice. After the show, because we were teenagers who didn’t know any better, we were like, ‘Let’s go drinking together!’ We were all extremely hungover the next day, but we bro’ed out immediately.”
What’s your favourite memory of Alexi from the time you spent together?
“In 2014, we did another tour together in Finland. I asked to be initiated into [the band’s inner circle] the Hate Crew. It involved being naked in a shower. You’re held upside-down by your legs and bourbon’s poured into your mouth, and I will remember that for the rest of my life. I’m not going to give you any more details, but that was something very special to me in all of its craziness. Ha ha!”
You were travelling to Lapland when you found out he’d passed away…
“Our manager, who had a longstanding history with Bodom and Alexi, called me the evening before the news went public. I’d never experienced loss of that magnitude at that point, because he wasn’t only a friend, wasn’t only a brother, but he was obviously someone who’d influenced my musical journey. I just remember breaking down and, because this was when the whole Covid thing was still going on, it was impossible to process it with other people. It felt like such a surreal process, going through that grief.”
When did you first hear that the band were coming back to celebrate Alexi?
“I was expecting some sort of tribute to happen at some point. After Covid, I remember talking to my manager, and he asked me, ‘Should I contact the guys and see if they’re planning on doing anything? Could I tell them that you’d be interested in doing something?’ I said, ‘Let them take as long as they need, but if they ever do anything and would even consider needing me to help, I’d be honoured.’ Stuff started snowballing from there.”
How long do you get between that message and the shows happening?
“Altogether, from the idea being set, it was a year. But, when we started thinking about a setlist, it was six months.”
So you had six months to master 20 Bodom songs, basically. Which one was the trickiest?
“Blooddrunk. Rhythmically, the later Bodom songs were different from the early stuff. The early songs are somewhat in my DNA at this point, so the newer songs were the only ones I had problems with. I recognised, if something like this is going to happen, you have to nail it, so it was six months of me playing these songs every day.”
How much pressure did you feel?
“It wasn’t the worst, because it was very clear in the band and to everyone in the crowd that I wasn’t replacing anyone. But, obviously, knowing that you have to do 20 Bodom songs to packed crowds in the best possible form that they can be in, that was a lot of pressure.”
What’s your review of the first show you did?
“I wouldn’t change a single thing! There was a beautiful, 15-minute video presentation before the show began, with a lot of unseen footage of the band and Alexi, so obviously it was very emotional from the get-go. But immediately, when the actual intro tape for the show came on, I was like, ‘Let’s fucking go!’ People were teary-eyed, as was I, and then from the very first notes that we played, I was like, ‘Yeah, this is how these songs are supposed to be!’”
Is there a future for this iteration of Bodom? Would you like to play more shows with the guys?
“Honestly, I don’t know. We only talked about these two shows, and the priority was to make them as special as possible. I even said to the guys, ‘I’m going to be playing these songs anyway after these shows, because I fucking love these songs.’ I played them for most of my life and that’s not going to change. The reception to the two nights was so great that I don’t know what else to think about at this point.”
Presumably, though, if the guys were to call you up for more shows or a tour, you’d take them up on it?
“We’re boys, so yeah!”
Would you release footage or audio from the Tavastia show as a live album for people who didn’t get to be there?
“The amazing thing about this century is that there’s so much footage out there already! Handheld footage is beautiful in that people who didn’t get a chance to attend these shows get a glimpse of what happened. Beyond that, I don’t know.”
Lost Society’s new album Hell Is A State Of Mind is out now via Nuclear Blast. The band are currently touring the UK and will headline The Underworld in London tonight (March 11).
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