1	Paint The Sky With Blood
2	Payback's A Bitch
3	Where Dead Angels Lie

Bodom After Midnight

Paint The Sky With Blood

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Genre: Melodic Death Metal.
Released: 23/04/2021
Via Napalm Records

EP Review: Bodom After Midnight – Paint The Sky With Blood

Bodom After Midnight, the fallout of the Melodic Death Metal legends Children Of Bodom, were in the process of recording their debut album when Alexi Laiho sadly passed away in December 2020. The news came as a huge shock to fans around the world and with the passing of Alexi, Bodom After Midnight confirmed the band would end with the release of an EP that the band had already recorded with Alexi. ‘Paint The Sky With Blood’ will be the last we hear from Bodom. Here are my thought’s on the emotional release. 

The opening track of the EP is ‘Paint The Sky With Blood’ and it’s one hell of an intense song! The pace of the blast beats from Waltteri Vayrynen creates that Bodom feeling right off the bat. Alexi Laiho’s vocal will go down as some of the best from the genre and this EP is an excellent demonstration of just how good he was. The raw gutturals over the melodic phrases make for a really pleasant listening experience. Not to mention how well they blend their mix of melodic and death metal together.

Following that is ‘Payback’s A Bitch’. The song features an infectious bass line laid down by Mitja Toivonen as well as some intriguing Synth parts. Bodom have always been a band that push boundaries and this song are a testament to that. An extravagant piece of music that would have any musician listening in awe of the band’s technical ability. This track is going to be remembered for generations without a doubt.

The final track on the EP is ‘Where Dead Angels Lie’. Right of the bat, the song had me headbanging along to its steady beat. The use of tremolo picking and syncopation stick out for me. Continuous riffs and intense vocals from Alexi culminate in a piece of music that is full of atmosphere and emotion. The 6-minute long song manages to captivate you throughout its entirety with the band’s level of enthusiasm and passion that is so clearly on display throughout the EP.

The way Bodom After Midnight came to be will always be a shame and with Alexi’s untimely passing, we will never truly know what the next chapter of Bodom had in store. It’s a tragedy that he passed so soon! The EP maybe some of the bands best work in recent times and is well worth a listen.