Children Of Bodom drummer Jaska Raatikainen has checked in with the following update:

"Hello all and greetings from Sydney, Australia!

We just started this around the world tour a few days ago from Israel. Before this we were less than two days home after the Russian tour. Lots of things, good and bad, happened there and I am sure this tour that takes us to many exotic places will be a mix of cluster f##ks -traveling between countries and cities with a busy and hectic schedule and playing every show with different rental backline- and happiness from the super amazing crowds and everything between that. Anyway I´ll go back a week or so now and open a little what happened in Russia.

After the amazing show in St. Petersburg we had a lobby call early in the morning (of course after being in the hotel after midnight) to get to the airport and fly to Yekaterinburg. We checked in on the flight normally and stayed at the airport for seven hours due to 5 hour delay. Well, we were lucky to get in to the plane and go to the next city. We had never been in Yekaterinburg and we were interested to see how it would be. We landed at 7 in the evening and noticed that it was a nice spring time there. No snow and sun was shining. Great!

The next morning everything looked totally different. It snowed or rained the whole day and everything looked sad and grey. Afternoon at some point I went to the venue to set up the drum kit with my tech because the kit was different compared to my normal kit. Everything was little too low and high and big and small and could not be set as wanted. Whatever! I had a drum kit and there were a certain quantity of everything I needed.

Later we came back to the venue with the whole band and started the show half an hour too late because Alexi had something wrong with his guitar sound. I think crowd did not mind too much. At least I think so from what I saw with my own eyes. So good new audience in Yekaterinburg. They also got something special with the huge screens we had on stage, provided by the venue. We all had a good feeling after the show and went back to the hotel after midnight. Everybody went straight to bed because the lobby call was 6.30 the next morning. Lovely.

6.30 in the morning the touring party was ready to go to the airport and fly to Moscow where we were suppose to have a show later in the evening. It was still snowing and we saw lots of trucks stuck in the snow. I had a bad feeling about this coming flight. Anyway we where at the airport at seven o´clock and started checking in. Guess what? We stayed at the airport for ten hours waiting for boarding time. At some point afternoon our Russian tour manager started to fix and postpone the show for the next day. We went back to the hotel because none of the flights were departing that day and hoped for the best.

The lobby call was 4.30 in the next morning and shuttle was waiting for us to drive us to the Yekaterinburg airport again. At least there were a few flights going and we were on one. Great, we could play the show in Moscow. At the hotel we heard later that some of our gear are still in Yekaterinburg and there is a chance that the gear will come before the show. The gear never arrived…

We were happy and a bit amazed that our tour organiser could find a venue in one day warning and the show happened. Later he told us that it was just pure luck. Anyway, lots of people came to the show and it was great night as always in Moscow. Janne was having his birthday that night so it was a special night for him as well. Later on we had a little party at the hotel.

After the Moscow show it was confirmed that the show in Ukraine will be canceled. The organiser had to make a choice between the two shows. It was more safe to play the last show in Russia.The show we were going to play in Krasnodar had to be anyway postponed for one day and the organiser did not want to take any more risks by having to do two more flights and one more border crossing. If something unexpected would have happened there, we would have been risking the next 6 weeks of the tour cos of the already purchased round the world flights. I was honestly sad for the Ukrainian fans but I hope we will go there one day. I really do! And for those who think there was something political or what so ever behind the decision to cancel the show, you are wrong. I think music belongs to everybody in the world!!

Anyway, the next morning we flew over to Krasnodar. What a nice weather and a city. Nice people too. A few of us went for a little sightseeing and had a few drinks. I went early to bed but heard that the others had a wild night. The show next day was a great ending to this tour in Russia. So great and welcoming audience in Krasnodar. Hope to come back soon!!

The next morning we had a flight to St. Petersburg to catch a train to Helsinki. We were home in the evening and honestly a little bit happy that we had an extra day to pack all the stuff for the next tour. Also that extra day happened to be 'Vappu'. The Labour day eve, the national 'get wasted'-day!!!

Touring can be glamorous but most of the time it is not. I counted all the hours spent in the shuttle, waiting at the airport and sitting in the plane: 50 + hours in 7 days. This compared to the time we spent on stage: 6 hours…"

Children Of Bodom's tour schedule is currently as follows:

May

12 - Manila, Philippines - SM City North Edsa
14 - Hong Kong- Kitec Music Zone
16 - Bangkok, Thailand- Center Point Studio
18 - Taipei, Taiwan - The Park Live House
20 - Shanghai, China - Mao Live House
22 - Beijing, China - Mao Live House
25 - São Paulo, Brazil - Carioca Club
27 - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Teatro Flores
29 - Santiago, Chile - Teatro Caupolican
31 - Quito, Ecuador - Teleférico

June

1 - Bogota, Colombia - Las Vegas Nevada
4 - Monterrey, Mexico - Escena
6 - Mexico City, Mexico - Circo Volador