Children of Bodom — Graspop Metal Meeting, Dessel, 2012

On June 24, 2012, Children of Bodom set Graspop Metal Meeting ablaze in Dessel, Belgium, one of Europe’s major metal gatherings. This full live concert captures the Finnish melodic death metal band during its fifteenth-anniversary tour, shortly after the album Relentless Reckless Forever. The classic lineup, Alexi Laiho (vocals, guitar), Roope Latvala (guitar), Janne Wirman (keyboards), Henkka T. Blacksmith (bass) and Jaska Raatikainen (drums), tears through a tense, virtuosic set. The full concert lines up the classics (Silent Night, Bodom Night; Hate Crew Deathroll; Deadnight Warrior; Needled 24/7) along with other tracks (Shovel Knockout, Blooddrunk, In Your Face, Downfall), punctuated by a tongue-in-cheek “I’m So Ronery” snippet played by Janne Wirman and a Dead Kennedys cover aired at the close. A precious stage record of the talent of Alexi Laiho, who died in 2020, this 2012 Graspop live concert stands as a reference for fans of live metal and extreme guitar playing, documenting a band firing on all cylinders in front of a European festival crowd.