Children of Bodom - Halo of Blood (2013)

First of all, sorry for the lack of updates recently. Second of all, this is definitely the best CoB album since "Are You Dead Yet?" if not since "Hatebreeder." CoB have long been chastised for abandoning the power metal/neoclassical sound they had developed so well on their first three albums. With this album, they go just about halfway toward reviving that sound on such complex, highly melodic tracks as "The Days are Numbered" and "Bodom Blue Moon" (my personal favorite on the record.) Then there's more familiar sounding songs such as "Transference" and "Waste of Skin" as well as some bold experiments such as the black-metal tinged title track and the ballad-esque "Dead Man's Hand on You." Thus, "Halo of Blood" winds up being their most diverse album to date with songs sure to please fans of any era. While it doesn't quite live up to the first few albums, it's still a very impressive feat from a band that everyone thought had gone stale long ago.
8.5/10