5 peculiar facts about the recording of Children of Bodom’s Hate Me! single
Children of Bodom’s Hate Me! single was released 25 years ago on May 5th 2025. This powerful metal song that came out in the spring of 2000 sold platinum, spent two weeks on the official Finnish singles chart and stayed in TOP20 for the total of 15 weeks. I asked the band members to comment about the version we made together. Now we’ll tell you 5 peculiar facts about the recording of Children of Bodom’s Hate Me! single.
You should read this article if you want to hear details about Children of Bodom and especially about the making of the Hate Me! single.
To read the blog post in Finnish click here.
Have you already read:
5 Things You Didn’t Know About Children of Bodom’s Something wild album
5 peculiar facts about the recording of Children of Bodom’s Hate Me! single
The Hate Me! single was recorded at Astia-studio’s current location in Lappeenranta from February 27 to March 2, 2000. Since it was a leap year, the session took five days. Along with Hate Me! we recorded a new version of W.A.S.P.’s Hellion, which COB almost invariably played as the encore at the time.
If we don’t count the two demo sessions done as Inearthed, this was my and COB’s 10th studio session together. A large number of gigs had polished the band into a tighter unit, and I feel that Hate Me! was a clear step aways from the neoclassical style of the previous two albums towards what we called ”punk rocking”.
This one always works live too, and it’s a single that actually went platinum in Finland, which is insane. It’s always in the set every time we play live, and people just go off every time we play it.
When it first came out, it was totally different to anything we had recorded before. To me, it’s more of a rock ‘n’ roll song than anything death or black metal, and it gave us a new direction to head in. Hate Me was our first song to capture that rock ‘n’ roll vibe.
–Alexi Laiho, guitar & vocals / Children of Bodom – Metal Hammer interview from 2015
The single version was recorded on magnetic tape instead of a computer. I had synchronized five Alesis Adat recorders together so that we had a total of 40 tracks on our disposal. See the image below to learn what individual tracks the song has.
Did you know that Hate Me! is Children of Bodom’s first platinum-selling single?
1. The Single Version Is Different Than the Album Version
Just like the two singles preceding the second studio album, Hatebreeder, as well as Hate Me! were recorded twice: first for the single and then again for the album. After this COB started using the single version also on the album. Alexi Laiho made a comment about it in an interview for Soundi magazine number 12/2002 during the release of Hate Crew Deathroll album:
We had all the songs ready before going into the studio. It also made things a lot easier that the single You’re Better Off Dead had been completed in advance. We decided not to record it again because the last time we re-recorded the Hate Me! single for the album, and I still think the original single version is better. When you do something that’s good, you shouldn’t change it.
–Alexi Laiho, guitar & vocals / Children of Bodom – Soundi magazine 12/2002 interview
But what does this mean? Are there two versions of the song, and if so, how can they be distinguished from each other? First of all there is an easily noticeable sound and balance difference, and in addition some parts are even played differently. However, on YouTube there is a single version of Hate Me! which is claimed to be the single version on the description.
Here is a list of the clearest differences between the single and album versions:
- The intro feedback guitar is different.
- The first pre-chorus has a different bass line (we will get back to this later).
- The group shout at the end of choruses is a bit smaller on the album.
- The solo after the first chorus is very different.
- In the verse after the first solo the single version has a keyboard pattern that is missing from the album version.
- From 3:18 onwards the guitar groove on the heavy riff is slightly different.
- In the second pre-chorus, the bass line is clearly different..
- In the album version there’s a vocal part at the beginning of the solo that is missing from the single version.
The easiest way to notice the difference is to listen attentively to the different versions from the links below. You should play them in four-bar segments.
To listen to the audio sample, you need to accept cookies. Listen to the single version:
To listen to the audio sample, you need to accept cookies. Listen to the album version:
2. A Surprising Tribute to Billy Idolille
You will only find this next thing on the single version. I admit that I lured Henkka T. Blacksmith into playing this pattern during the recording. COB and I had been really into Billy Idol’s “White Wedding” and its music video.
Yeah, I remember this well. Eventually that pattern was a keeper and I always played it live!
–Henkka T. Blacksmith, bass / Children of Bodom
If you’ve never noticed it, focus on the single version at 1:36, 1:42, 4:02 ja 4:06:
- Listen to the single version from the beginning of the first pre-chorus.
- Listen to the single version from the beginning of the second pre-chorus.
When you focus on the same parts of the album version, the bass does not play ”White Wedding” but follows the guitars instead.
Listen to the same parts from the album version where the pattern is missing:
- Listen to the album version from the beginning of the first pre-chorus.
- Listen to the album version from the beginning of the second pre-chorus.
Have you already read:
5 Interesting Facts That You Haven’t Heard Before About Children of Bodom’s Hatebreeder album
3. Video Interview During the Recording of Hate Me!
Heta Hyttinen from the Jyrki tv show came to Astia-studio for the Hate Me! session to interview Alexi for the Kuuden Kielen Maisterit (Six String Masters) video series. You may have seen Alexi’s episode, but did you know that it was shot in Astia?
Alexi plays the guitar in Astia’s dim lounge and in the studio A control room couch. The same sofa is still in use after all these years, but the seat cushions have been reupholstered.
From 3:42 Alexi’s improvised solo for the video begins. The backing track is the solo part of Hellion. It was the second song recorded on the Hate Me! single session.
Watch the Kuuden Kielen Maisterit video, that was shot at Astia-studio:
4. You Would Never Guess Where the Double Guitar Lead Section Was Composed
In the six months leading to Hate Me! single session Alexi Laiho had spent nearly two months at Astia-studio. We worked together on Impaled Nazarene’s Nihil album, two cover songs by Children of Bodom, Sinergy’s second album To Hell and Back and a few months earlier three cover songs.
Alongside the session, in September–October 1999, Children of Bodom was on a European tour with In Flames, Dark Tranquillity and Arch Enemy. COB performed material from their first two albums while simultaneously working hard on new tracks. Alexi was responsible for the compositions, but the guitar patterns were often refined together with the then-guitarist, Alexander Kuoppala.
I remember when we developed (with Alexi) the double guitar parts for the chorus. We were on tour with In Flames and worked the part out in a German castle.
–Alexander Kuoppala, guitar / x-Children of Bodom
Whether on tour or in the studio, the guitar duo was often seen with ”spears” meaning guitars in hand also on their leisure time. They had Marshall Micro Amps in the chest pocket that were powered by 9-volt batteries. They were just the right power for practicing and arranging new songs.
5. Alexi, Alexander And Anssi Met Steve Vai During the Session
Even though this too sounds strange, the story you are about to read is true. The AA club, meaning both Alexi and Alexander, and I were huge fans of Steve Vai. I was delighted to hear that Alexander too had gotten a ticket to Steve’s concert at club Tavastia in Helsinki. We had already agreed that the third day of recordings would be a bit shorter, as we would be driving from Lappeenranta to Helsinki to see Steve on stage. We’d then head back to the studio after the concert.
When Alexi heard about the show, it was already sold-out. I vividly remember when we called their label, Spinefarm Records, and asked them to arrange for Alexi to be on the guest list. At that time the COB guys were not that well known, so we had to ask Mr Juhani Merimaa, the head of Tavastia at the time, for a free ticket several times.
Eventually it worked out and all three of us got in. After the concert the AA club was smoking in front of the main entrance of club Tavastia. We joked, saying, ”Soon Steve will come through the gate with his hair flowing just like on stage.” It wasn’t long before Steve actually showed up. I was so surprised that I can’t remember if his hair was flowing or not.
Very rarely have I asked for an autograph, but I asked Steve, or actually Stefano, to sign my ticket. Alexander did the same. Alexi didn’t have a ticket, so he pulled out a form he had retrieved for his American visa from his breast pocket, and Steve Vai scribbled his autograph in the signature section.
It was an amazing gig! I remember that afterwards we met Steve Vai on the street. He walked out of the archway with his hair flowing and white gloves on, and we asked him for autographs on our tickets.
–Alexander Kuoppala, guitar / x-Children of Bodom
Later, we laughed how Steve had no idea that a few years later – in spring of 2005 – he and Alexi would pose with Zakk Wylde for the 25th-Anniversary Virtuoso-Issue of Guitar World magazine!
We will return to this topic in a new episode of Astia-studio’s 30th-Anniversary Video Series to be released later. Before that, you should check out my 82-minute discussion with Jaska Raatikainen about the early years of Children of Bodom.
Bonus Fact
In point #2 you read that one of the differences between the single and album versions is the group shout at the end of the chorus – specifically in its intensity or aggressiveness. Did you know that the single version featured other shouters besides the members of Children of Bodom?
Astia-studio has been a place where many musicians have met since the 90s. Therefore, I also introduced the members of the band Horna and COB to each other. The group shouts on the Hate Me! single includes Horna’s then-vocalist Lauri Penttilä aka Werwolf / Nazgul von Armageddon and drummer Jarkko Heilimo aka Gorthaur.
The track sheet at the beginning of this article shows that I recorded five separate shout choir tracks. I encouraged the shouters to deliver as powerful as an expression as they possibly could.
Children of Bodom: Hate Me! Single
A multitude of thanks for reading about the recording of Children of Bodom’s Hate Me! single at Astia-studio. Share this post on social media to help others discover these interesting facts. Also, leave a comment below and tell me whether you prefer the single or album version of Hate Me! song.
Did you know that Children of Bodom’s first three albums, including singles and cover versions from the same era, were recorded on magnetic tape instead of a computer? If you want the same kind of raw energy and production for your music as in COB’s early albums, you are warmly welcome to a tape session with me at Astia-studio A. Send me a message and lets continue from there. Have a great week & all the very best!
Astia-studio is a full-analog recording studio located in Finland with over 30 years of experience. Bands and artists from all over the world including USA and the furthest corner of Russia, Vladivostok have arrived to us for tape recording sessions.
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