CHILDREN OF BODOM frontman Alexi Laiho is featured in a new interview with BW&BK;'s Carl Begai. An excerpt is available below:

No Children Of Bodom release would be complete without a few cover songs waiting in the wings as bonus tracks or b-sides. Halo Of Blood sports two; ROXETTE’s ‘Sleeping In My Car’, and BANANARAMA’s ‘Cruel Summer’ complete with guest solo by ANNIHILATOR guitarist Jeff Waters. Old hat for COB after 15 years in the game, and it supposedly never gets boring doing up new cover songs.

“Fuck no, and I don’t think that’s ever going to happen because the fact of the matter is we have so much fun doing cover songs,” Laiho states, blunt and straightforward. “Sometimes we try and pick the most retarded songs we can find, like disco or something, and once again it’s a challenge to do something like that. Take a disco song and dress it up in metal, but we want to make it sound professional. It’s supposed to be funny, but it’s not supposed to be a total joke.”

Halo Of Blood also breaks the COB tradition of crap (or at least questionable) cover art, which has graced their last three albums (Are You Dead Yet?, Blooddrunk, Relentless Reckless Forever). Like his bandmates, Laiho is completely satisfied with the final product.

“It’s pretty fucking awesome (laughs). I’m really happy with the artwork, and I’m supposed to say that because it’s the new album, but I really mean it. It fits the album perfectly, and even if you hadn’t heard the album or you didn’t know anything about Children Of Bodom, it definitely sticks out and grabs your attention.”

Go to this location for the complete interview.

Children Of Bodom will launch their European tour at the end of September, running through the end of November. The tour starts in Sweden and goes through Norway, Denmark, Germany, Benelux, UK, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Hungary, CzechRepublic and Poland. Before hitting Europe, Children Of Bodom tour through North America, Japan and Finland.

Tour dates:

September

25 - Stockholm, Sweden - Tyrol *
26 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Brewhouse *
27 - Oslo, Norway - Rockefeller *
28 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Amager Bio *
29 - Hamburg, Germany - Hamburg Metal Dayz *

October

1 - Cologne, Germany - Live Music Hall *
2 - Berlin, Germany - Postbahnhof *
3 - Osnabrück, Germany - Halle Gartlage *
4 - Antwerp, Belgium - Trix *
5 - Leipzig, Germany - Werk 2 *
7 - Bourenmouth, England - Academy *
8 - Bristol, England - Academy *
10 - Dublin, Ireland - Vicar Street *
12 - Sheffield, England - Academy *
13 - Newcastle, England - Academy *
14 - Manchester, England - Academy *
15 - London, England - Shepherd's Bush Empire *
17 - Saarbrücken, Germany - Garage *
18 - Straubling, Germany - Metal Invasion *
19 - Alsfeld, Germany - Stadthalle *
20 - Tilburg, Netherlands - O13 *
21 - Stuttgart, Germany - LKA Longhorn *
23 - Paris, France - Le Zenith **
24 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7 **
26 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz 1 **
27 - Madrid, Spain - La Riviera **
29 - Sevilla, Spain - Sala Custom **
30 - Lisbon, Portugal - Paradise Garage **

November

1 - Porto, Portugal - Club Hard **
2 - Santiago de Compostella, Spain - Sala Capitol **
3 - Bilbao, Spain - Rock Star **
5 - Toulouse, France - Le Bikini **
6 - Istres, France - Usine **
7 - Lausanne, Switzerland - Les Docks **
8 - Milan, Italy - Live Club **
10 - Vienna, Austria - Arena **
12 - Bucharest, Romania - Turbohalle **
13 - Sofia, Bulgaria - Universiada Hall **
15 - Thessaloniki, Greece - Prinicpal Club **
16 - Athens, Greece - Gagarin 205 **
18 - Belgrade, Serbia - Dom Omladine **
19 - Ljubljana, Slovenia - Kino Siska **
20 - Bratislava, Slovakia - Majestic Music Club **
22 - Budapest, Hungary - Petöfi Csarnok **
23 - Zlin, Czech Repbulic - Winter Masters Of Rock **
24 - Cracow, Poland - Klub Studio **
25 - Warsaw, Poland - Stodola **

* special guests: INSOMNIUM and MEDEIA

** special guests: DECAPITATED and Medeia