Cold rain poured heavily from the darkened sky onto the roof of the Water Street music hall in Rochester as hundreds of concertgoers struggled to get inside. Children of Bodom, the melodic power metal group from Finland, were within the belly of the hall Thursday night, waiting to explode onstage for their amassing minions.
The line of patrons wrapped along side the Water Street music hall, which resembled a building straight out of the industrial revolution with its ancient masonry work and former status as a printing press. A group of enthusiastic teens in line shouted, "F**king COB!"
Inside, fans continued to chant "COB!" to persuade the Fins to start their set of speed metal mayhem. Their desperate summoning brought Children of Bodom to attack. As the massive monitors that hung from large chains on either side pumped out a raging sound at an inexplicable level, the speakers begged for reprieve.
COB opened with "Hate Me" from their "Follow the Reaper" release and blasted straight into "Chokehold" from their more recent "Hate Crew Deathroll" album.
I'm pretty much here to fight in the pits," said Eric Dombrowski, a waiter from Rochester.
Pounding metal was exaggerated through the feeble hall as COB demonstrated their strong suit of swift tempos. Rhythm guitar picked by Roope Latvala complemented the ungodly fast guitar solos and vocals by Alexi Laiho. Laiho's lighting quick solos link elegantly with the keyboard work of Janne Wirman.
Even though Jaska Raatikainen's double bass drum kicks are widely used on COB's tracks, they never get redundant. The finishing touches are provided by Henkka Seppala's low rumbling bass guitar.
The topic of lyrics is mostly grim, exploring struggles and events such as the Lake Bodom murders. There is very little that these Fins cannot do well.
Midway through COB's heartwarming set, the mosh pit had taken precedence over most of the floor, which called for the strong hands of the security guards to break it up on nearly three separate occasions. Surprisingly, the venue is still standing.
The dim setting of the music hall was apt for the concert. Red industrial lights ran above the bar like a landing strip. A disco ball hung from the dark ceiling while several guitars were positioned on the surrounding brick walls. The wooden support beams embellished a rustic feel and gave birth to the mysterious, almost eerie aura.
COB made certain to tear out their most well known hit amongst the living dead, "Are You Dead Yet?" that provoked the crowd from insane to riot-ready.
Laiho, who is widely known as one of the worlds fastest guitarists, flawlessly shredded through "Kissing The Shadows," a rare occasion since the song is very difficult to perform live.
"Alexi Laiho, best shredder, best singer, most bad ass dude alive. It's a fact," said Greg Manerino, a computer game programmer from Niagara Falls.
The Finish metallurgists closed their deadly set with " In Your Face" and "Hatebreeder" from the album "Are You Dead Yet?"
Gojira was the opening act from across the pond. The French group showed off amazingly heavy blazing blast beats and double bass, and specialized in off beat chugging patterns. A fistful of energy, Gojira was equivalent to an A-bomb explosion of energy.
Karl Kirsch, an assistant to the elderly said, "To be or not to be, Children of Bodom, you are or you aren't."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
