Children of Bodom

Henkka Seppala, bassist for Children of Bodom, Finland's favorite death metal export, does his best (in broken English) to explain why his band covered "Oops, I Did it Again" as a single in 2005. "And the drunk somebody said, 'Hey, let's do Britney,'" says Seppala. Despite his pedestrian second-language skills, Seppala's assessment of the circumstances is accurate. "We did it as a joke, but I think it's a cool version," he adds. It's that kind of humor and honesty that has made Children of Bodom stand out among so many poseurs and outright buffoons currently flailing away in the darker realms of metal. For more than a decade, these Fins have shown an ironic flair that escapes so many of their contemporaries, parlaying a fascination with death and war into a series of legitimately powerful releases that has never sacrificed the songs for the solos. The band's recent live effort, Stockholm Knockout, pulls together gems from throughout their career, offering a handy summation of their skill and wit. Hopefully, Children of Bodom will continue to take advice from that drunk somebody.