Featured Musician: Alexi 'Wildchild' Laiho

There actually isn't any need to introduce this guy. If you don't know him, you wouldn't be on this site. But due to extenuating circumstances, my last post was more than a month ago, so I've decided to celebrate my return with something (or someone, so to speak) big. And because a recent movie to hit cinemas share a certain similarity with the Children of Bodom frontman..


I sense a conspiracy..Notice how they have the same hair? XD

Actually, there's nothing special about this guy. He's just one of the best guitarists around. Having several achievements credited to his name, such as the title of World's Best Guitarist of 2006 according to Metalhammer magazine and being among the top 50 fastest guitar players in the world according to Guitar World magazine, as well as being the co-founder, lead guitarist and vocalist of the increasingly popular Children of Bodom, this shredder and growler's reputation precedes him.

Now C.o.B is one of the few bands Shadori and I both like, and while Janne Wirman is generally my favourite member (I got a thing with 'boardists), one can't deny the prolific success and musical quality largely stems from Alexi, since he writes most of the music and the lyrics. His involvement in other projects, such as Sinergy and Kylähullut, are also not bad, particularly the extension of his partnership with fellow C.o.B member and guitarist, Roope Latvala, in Sinergy.

The guy quite lives up to his nickname that notably comes from the song Wild Child by W.A.S.P. I mean c'mon, he learnt to drive before he took up the guitar, and if the quality of his playing is any measure of many years he's been tugging the strings, that was a damn young age (10 actually, he took up the guitar when he was 11). Not to mention the suicide attempts and whatnot. But what he once said about his band-mates remains one of my favourite quotes to date, and I like to use it to describe my friends: "These motherfuckers aren't my friends.. They're my brothers." Or something like that, you get the gist of it.

A coupla things you might wanna notice about Alexi in this video featuring him and Janne Wirman: obviously his awesome guitar playing, using his teeth to do it at around 2.30, and the number of times he says 'fuck' and the other grammatical versions of it every time he opens his mouth. Mitä vittuu, Laiho?