In a new interview with Finland's Kaaoszine, Children Of Bodom frontman Alexi Laiho discusses the launch of his new band, Bodom After Midnight, which features Children Of Bodom guitarist Daniel Freyberg, former Santa Cruz bassist Mitja Toivonen, and Paradise Lost drummer Waltteri Vayrynen. An excerpt from the interview (translated) follows:

Q: At what point did Bodom After Midnight come into the picture?

Alexi Laiho: "The idea of forming a new band started like one year before the final show at Icehall after having a band meeting. After that meeting I started immediately thinking about a new lineup and I was thinking the sooner I have the new guys the better. As you said, it was never my plan to start resting on my laurels and I wanted to get the new band going with Daniel as soon as possible. Daniel was a big help for this and right after we found Mitja and Waltteri, they have also been helping a lot inside and outside music this band. Everyone is super into this and it feels good."

Q: I bet Daniel played a big role, as forming a band with a friend I guess is a lot easier than forming a band completely on your own?

Laiho: "Yes for sure. Daniel firstly actually misunderstood me as he thought I was also going to end my career, even though that was never my intention. He was really upset and when I said to him for the first time that I am going to continue, I could easily see it on his face that he was also relieved. He said to me that this will work out great and I have never had any doubts about this."

Q: You will be playing shows at Tuska Open Air and John Smith Rock Festival hopefully this summer, if Coronavirus doesn't ruin the summer. Will you be playing only Children Of Bodom songs or will there be even your own songs in the setlist?

Alexi Laiho: "We will be playing Children Of Bodom songs as that is what most of the audience want to hear. Those songs are written by me anyway, so I don't see any reason not to play them. Like I said earlier, there will be so called ”basic” songs but there is also plans to play one or two songs live which Children Of Bodom has never played so far, and some songs which we haven't played live in ages, so the setlist will be a good mix. We'll try to play as diverse a setlist as possible at each show. I am really looking forward to getting up on stage with this band. For me playing live is such a big part of my life. Even though there hasn't been that many months from the last show, it still feels like ages and I miss playing. If I don't get to play any shows soon I will go to some bar and play a blues show." (laughs)

The interview is available for streaming below. You can read a transcription (also available in English) here.

About Bodom After Midnight: After the chapter called Children Of Bodom was closed in December 2019 Alexi Laiho was facing a new kind of challenge. What went through the mind of the guitarist, songwriter and bandleader who had been continually chosen as the best metal guitarist in the world by the readers’ and experts’ polls of various music magazines and websites? Laiho brushed the dust off his shoulders and revved up the engines. A new lineup or death!

Luckily, he wasn’t alone. Guitarist Daniel Freyberg crawled through the wreckage to join Laiho in his quest. Committing to a hard-working team was never a problem for him either. But two guitar players do not form a group. It was time to start thinking about who could handle the drums, bass and keyboards.

There were many high-level options to choose from but eventually the pieces to complete the puzzle were found. The drummer will be Waltteri Väyrynen who has been a member of Paradise Lost since 2015 whereas bass duties are handled by Mitja Toivonen of Santa Cruz fame. As a touring keyboardist, the quartet is joined by Lauri Salomaa.

And the name for the new lineup? It had been right under Alexi’s nose all along.

Let us introduce Bodom After Midnight who will play their first show at their home turf, the Tuska Festival in Helsinki, on June 27th. Selected festival appearances will follow after which  band starts to work on a new material.

Live dates:

June
27 - Tuska Festival - Helsinki, Finland

July
18 - John Smith Rock Festival - Laukaa, Finland

August
15 - Summer Breeze - Dinkelsbühl, Germany