Guitar Tab: Children of Bodom - Silent Night, Bodom Night

Children of Bodom’s “Silent Night, Bodom Night” (from Hatebreeder, 1999) is a dark twist on the Christmas carol title, rooted in the band’s recurring “Bodom” mythos. Lyrically, it evokes a predawn, lakeside murder scene narrated by a Reaper-like figure—an allusion to the infamous 1960 Lake Bodom murders near the band’s hometown of Espoo, one of Finland’s most talked-about unsolved cases. The “Bodom” in the title isn’t random—it ties back to several tracks across the discography (“Lake Bodom,” “Bodom After Midnight,” etc.), where the band weaves folklore and true-crime imagery into a grim, theatrical universe. “Silent Night, Bodom Night” sits squarely in that tradition: a murderous winter tableau at the water’s edge, equal parts speed, melody, and menace. Formed in 1993 (originally as Inearthed) by guitarist-vocalist Alexi “Wildchild” Laiho and drummer Jaska Raatikainen, Children of Bodom helped define late-’90s/2000s melodic death metal by fusing blistering guitar work with neoclassical keys and power-metal energy. Their catalog runs from Something Wild (1997) to Hexed (2019), with international tours and a devoted fanbase cementing their status as one of Finland’s most influential metal exports. The combination of Alexi’s lead firepower against Janne Wirman’s rapid-fire keys—became the band’s signature sound throughout the classic period. Legacy note: Alexi Laiho (1979–2020) remained the group’s creative engine through their final shows in 2019. His death in late 2020 marked the end of an era, but his songwriting and guitar work continue to influence metal players worldwide. #ChildrenOfBodom #SilentNightBodomNight #Hatebreeder #AlexiLaiho #COB #MelodicDeathMetal #FinnishMetal #LakeBodom #BodomMythos #Metal #ExtremeMetal #NeoClassicalMetal #GuitarTab #GuitarTabs #GuitarCover #GuitarSolo #MetalGuitar #ShredGuitar #JanneWirman #AlexanderKuoppala #JaskaRaatikainen #HenkkaSeppala #Finland #Espoo #1999 #Melodeath #HeavyMetal #Riff #LeadGuitar #MetalHeads