I’m so excited about Petri joining Warmen, so I’m geeking around

In August 2023, it was announced that a long-awaited album from a band would be released. The band is Warmen, a heavy metal band formed by former Children of Bodom keyboardist Janne Wirman.

Their new album, Here for None, is the first since 2014 and features new members: Seppo Tarvainen has joined on drums, replacing Mirka Rantanen, and Petri Lindroos has become the band’s first permanent vocalist, ending Warmen’s tradition of featuring guest vocalists.

Children of Bodom, the band Janne was also a part of along with Warmen, is a quintessential melodic death metal band from Finland.
Children of Bodom’s unique style, which blends elements of melodeath with melodic black and power metal influences, was significantly shaped by Janne’s distinctive keyboard sound, creating Finnish melodeath or what some enthusiasts refer to as ‘shiny melodeath’.

■ Children of Bodom / Downfall

Many bands inside and outside Finland have been influenced by Children of Bodom. Kalmah is one of them.
Among those shiny melodeath bands, Norther, during Petri’s time, was the band that captured my heart besides Children of Bodom. I especially liked their third album, Death Unlimited, of which the title track had a music video, and I used to listen to this album a lot. Its brutal production with distorted vocals and more death/thrash style, hooked me. Listening to Norther, I felt a unique sense of pride, like I knew a cool band that wasn’t just Children of Bodom. It’s a common feeling in student days, isn’t it?.

■ Norther / Death Unlimited

Petri later left Norther and joined Ensiferum, shifting from melodeath to folk/viking metal.
I can understand why some people might say that these two genres are not that different, but at the time, I was quite shocked. I also liked folk metal, but when I listened to Ensiferum, expecting ‘Norther’s Petri’, I was quite shattered.

Thus, Petri parted company with glittering melodeath and began his career as the vocalist of folk metallers Ensiferum.

Meanwhile, Children of Bodom continued to thrive, releasing albums and touring globally and also in Japan. However, after 2015 when the band fired the guitarist Roope Latvala who was in the band for more than 10 years, things began to unravel.

In 2016, Daniel Freyberg (formerly of Norther, though from a different period than Petri) miraculously joined Children of Bodom. For the first time in 4 years, they released the album, Hexed, in 2019, but later that year, Janne and two other members announced their departure. Alexi Laiho (guitarist/vocalist), a Children of Bodom’s founding member, could no longer use the band’s name, leading to its disbandment.

In 2020, Alexi formed a new band, Bodom After Midnight, with Daniel Freyberg and other members. They released an EP, Paint The Sky With Blood, continuing Children of Bodom’s musical legacy.

■ Bodom After Midnight / Paint The Sky With Blood

Many fans, including myself, eagerly awaited more shiny melodeath masterpieces from Bodom After Midnight.
However, Alexi Laiho tragically passed away in January 2021, ending any hopes for a full album or Children of Bodom’s reunion.

With Alexi’s sudden death and the uncertainty surrounding the former Children of Bodom members, 2023 brought a surprising announcement: Petri joined Warmen, and they released the new song “Warmen Are Here For None”.

■ Warmen / Warmen Are Here For None

The intro and the initial scream alone are enough to make me throw up the horns.
Just when I thought I would have to rely on successor bands for Children of Bodom style melodic death metal, this unexpected encounter comes along, flooding Lake Bodom with my tears of joy.
Warmen, which originally had a strong solo project aspect for Janne, now with Petri’s addition, I can only hope they continue as a permanent death metal band.

I don't want this article to end up as just a fan rant, so let me introduce some shiny melodeath products to wrap this up!

Roland / INTEGRA-7

This sound module is the core of Janne’s distinctive keyboard sound. Roland’s website features signature sounds created by Janne himself.

Mad Professor / Mighty Red Distortion

This is a guitar pedal, but Janne uses it for keyboards, creating heavily distorted lead sounds that hold their own against guitars.
Alexi also used the brand’s Little Green Wonder (overdrive) as a booster at one point, showing that Mad Professor products pair well with shiny melodeath.

E-II / Alexi Ripped

The Alexi Ripped is the first Alexi Laiho’s signature guitar to feature a neck pickup. This guitar was developed in his later years and the same specs were apparently used for the guitar he used in Bodom After Midnight’s recordings.