Are You Dead Yet?

Are You Dead Yet?
Studio album by Children of Bodom
Released September 19, 2005
Recorded April - May 2005
Genre Melodic death metal, thrash metal, power metal
Length 37:23
Label Spinefarm
Producer Mikko Karmila, Anssi Kippo (Trashed, Lost & Strungout)
Children of Bodom chronology
Bestbreeder from 1997 to 2000
(2003)
Are You Dead Yet?
(2005)
Chaos Ridden Years - Stockholm Knockout Live
(2006)

Are You Dead Yet? is the fifth album by Finnish melodic death metal band Children of Bodom. It was released in Finland on September 14, 2005 and internationally on September 19, 2005 under the Century Media label. It is the first Children of Bodom album to feature guitarist Roope Latvala (Stone, Sinergy, ex-Waltari), due to the departure of Alexander Kuoppala. In this album, the band used the drop C tuning, whereas they usually used D standard. The power metal influences previously prominent are also greatly reduced in this album, resulting in a more simplistic performance and slower tempos. The keyboards also were dropped lower in the mix, with the guitars maintaining musical dominance.

Background

Are You Dead Yet? is the second Children of Bodom album to have two singles from it. "Trashed, Lost & Strungout" was released as an EP and single in 2004, and "In Your Face" was released in August 2005 shortly before the album. It was also their first album with three music videos, with their third video being the title track.

If You Want Peace... Prepare for War is the English translation of the Latin phrase Si vis pacem, para bellum and is also in the music video game Guitar Hero Warriors of Rock.

The title track's video was shot in part at the Tavastia club in Helsinki, Finland on February 13, 2006. Additional footage for the video was filmed in the U.S. The clip received its premiere in the US on MTV Headbangers Ball on March 18, 2006 wherein the band made a special appearance.

Name

The name of the album and its title track was conceived by Alexi Laiho after an alcohol-related injury. He alludes to this during the band's concert DVD, Chaos Ridden Years, and in a magazine article, says: "I came up with the new album title last winter when we were back home and I went out for a night of drinking. I got a hold of some of the cheapest vodka and just drank and drank and drank, and one thing led to another, so we were outside having fun, and I climbed on top of a car, and slipped and fell off, and next thing I know I was in hospital. I had three broken bones in my wrist and lots of stitches, got kept in over night. So when I woke up the next morning I obviously wasn’t feeling too good. I looked in the mirror and said to myself, ‘Have you had enough? Are you dead yet?’"[1]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [2]
Rock Hard (de)9/10[3]
Terrorizer4/10[4]

In 2005, Are You Dead Yet? was ranked number 485 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.[5] However, it was criticized by Paul Stenning in Terrorizer as "interminably weak" and destructive of the band's "remaining credibility".[4]

Track listing

No. TitleLyricsMusic Length
1. "Living Dead Beat"  Alexi LaihoAlexi Laiho 5:19
2. "Are You Dead Yet?"  Alexi LaihoAlexi Laiho 3:54
3. "If You Want Peace… Prepare for War"  Alexi LaihoAlexi Laiho 3:57
4. "Punch Me I Bleed"  Alexi LaihoAlexi Laiho 4:51
5. "In Your Face"  Alexi LaihoAlexi Laiho 4:16
6. "Next in Line"  Alexi Laiho, Kimberly GossAlexi Laiho 4:19
7. "Bastards of Bodom"  Kimberly GossAlexi Laiho, Roope Latvala 3:29
8. "Trashed, Lost & Strungout"  Alexi LaihoAlexi Laiho 4:01
9. "We're Not Gonna Fall"  Alexi LaihoAlexi Laiho 3:18

Personnel

Children Of Bodom
Additional musicians
Production

Charts

Chart (2005) Peak
position
Austrian Albums Chart[6] 42
Finnish Albums Chart[7] 1
French Albums Chart[8] 67
German Albums Chart[9] 16
Italian Albums Chart[10] 80
Japanese Albums Chart[11] 17
Swedish Albums Chart[12] 16
Swiss Albums Chart[13] 79
US Billboard 200[14] 195

References

  1. "Decibel Magazine: Children of Bodom". Red Flag Media. Archived from the original on 2009-06-18. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
  2. "Are You Dead Yet?". Allmusic. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
  3. Pöpperl-Berenda, Robert. "Rock Hard". issue 221. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  4. 1 2 Stenning, Paul (December 2005). "Children of Bodom: Are You Dead Yet?". Terrorizer (138): 72.
  5. [...], Rock Hard (Hrsg.). [Red.: Michael Rensen. Mitarb.: Götz Kühnemund] (2005). Best of Rock & Metal die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten. Königswinter: Heel. p. 13. ISBN 3-89880-517-4.
  6. "Children Of Bodom - Are you dead yet?". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
  7. "Children Of Bodom - Are you dead yet?". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
  8. "Children of Bodom - Are you dead yet?". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
  9. "Children Of Bodom". PHONONET GmbH. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
  10. "Children of Bodom - Are you dead yet?". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
  11. "Children of Bodom - Are you dead yet?" (in Japanese). oricon ME inc. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
  12. "Children of Bodom - Are you dead yet?". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
  13. "Children of Bodom - Are you dead yet?". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
  14. "Children of Bodom Chart History(Billboard 200)". billboard.com. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
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