Finnish youngsters no longer, the Children have all grown up. OK, guitarist Roope Latvala (ex-Stone) has always been the “old man,” but while often chided as a teeny boopers’/Hot Topic band, “Halo Of Blood” is heavier/more aggressive than recent output. The standard version contains ten originals and a rather pedestrian concluding cover of Loudness’ ‘Crazy Nights’. Alexi Laiho’s voice often veers towards gremlin throated black metal, apart from the much ballyhooed ‘Dead Man’s Hand On You’, a slowed down, piano tinged “ballad” (?), where he retains a bassy voiceover quality. While not as pedestrian, the oxymoronic entitled ‘Scream For Silence’ is mid-tempo, at best. ‘All Twisted’ showcases a great aggro keys versus lead guitar duel, as often seen onstage. The title cut is ultra heavy in the chorus (growls/screams), moreso than the verses, catchy guitar break too.

A sample from Children Of The Corn introduces ‘Transference’, which includes some chunky riffs. ‘The Days Are Numbered’ comes jumping out of the speakers, destined to be one of this album’s best live tracks. Janne Wirman’s keyboards take a backseat on the Americanized, industrialized, staccato detuned, bass heavy beat, ‘Damage Beyond Repair’ sees Laiho shouting, hardcore style. Almost a full minute of instrumentation before the lyrics kick into the final original, ‘One Bottle And A Knee Deep’, a circle pit inducer, fittingly punctuated by the fleet fingers of Wirman, Laiho and Latvala. As usual, atypical non-metallic covers will be available on bonus editions, including ‘Cruel Summer’ (Bananarama) with Jeff Waters (Annihilator) on guitar and ‘Sleeping In My Car’ (Roxette).