After the well-received release of "Halo of Blood" two years ago, CHILDREN OF BODOM have exploded back onto the scene with their ninth full-length album "I Worship Chaos". After the originality and uniqueness of its predecessor, "I Worship Chaos" is also the first album since the departure of Roope Latvala, leaving many fans wondering whether CHILDREN OF BODOM would be able to live up to their previous high standards.

Opening up with "I Hurt", a mid-paced song sets a stomping atmosphere that is carried though the first two songs. It's only by the third song that the relentless pounding gives way to a more melodic aspect: folky influences seep through on "Morrigan", with epic melodies lending the song an air of grandeur that easily sets it apart as one of the highlights of the album. One thing that must be said for the album is that there it certainly isn't lacking when it comes to variation. "Prayer for the Afflicted" sees the pace plummeting to a dirge-like tempo, with eerie whispered vocals adding to the sepulchre feel. In comparison to this, the title track "I Worship Chaos" hits you with the tumultuous frenzy of a whirlwind, although admittedly this has a hollow feel to it. "Suicide Bomber" is perhaps the song that caught my attention the most: a fresh and interesting riff combines with harder elements, amalgamating into a powerful song that shows a lot of potential. Ending off the album with the faster paced chuggy strains in "Widdershins", "I Worship Chaos" is brought around full circle, with the atmospheric sections tying in nicely to those in the opener. Still, five minutes after listening to the album, I honestly can't think of a single noteworthy moment on the whole album.

With all guitar-work falling square on Alexi's shoulders, we no longer have quite the wall of sound crushing us with a relentless onslaught. However, the upside to this is that the guitar melodies are sharper and that the interplay between Alexi and Janne comes more to the fore. Despite this, there is a somewhat forced feel to the album, a sort of paint-by-numbers approach, lacking the inspiration and creativity that would shatter its binds of mediocrity. Quite frankly, coming from such talented musicians, I had hoped for more.

Overall, "I Worship Chaos" does perhaps not attain the same lofty heights as some of CHILDREN OF BODOM's remaining discography, but nevertheless is a very solid release. Each song is well written, and adds new dimensions to the album, resulting in a good effort on the whole. Nevertheless, there are no outstanding moments that would really set this album apart from the rest. Still, it might be worth giving it a listen: you won't exactly be blown away, but at least you won't be horrifically disappointed either.