Children of Bodom Forced to Cancel Remaining Tour Dates

Children of Bodom was forced to cancel its remaining live dates as part of the “No Fear Energy Tour” with Lamb of God due to injuries sustained by guitarist and front man Alexi Laiho. Laiho, 30, broke his shoulder two weeks ago when he was ejected from his tour bus bunk after the vehicle took an irregular sharp turn. Laiho and Children of Bodom were touring North America in support of the band’s critically acclaimed album Blooddrunk. The guitarist was recently named as the world’s "Best Metal Guitarist" in the 15th annual Guitar World Readers Poll.

Against recommendation, Laiho had decided to “bite the bullet” and remain on the tour, wearing the arm in a sling to restrict movement at all times when he was not on stage. But after performing ten live dates with both the broken shoulder and internal bleeding, the toll became too much for the guitar hero to endure and Children of Bodom made the decision to cut its current tour short, placing Laiho’s long-term health as its first priority.

"After the New York show (May 9) I knew it was going to be over," commented Laiho in an official statement. "During the thirrd song I started feeling like someone was stabbing me in my lungs, my heart and my ribs. That was the kind of pain that stubbornness, painkillers, nor alcohol could alleviate. I wanted to try to keep going but after seeing a second doctor in Philadelphia, I was basically told that I could fuck myself up for life if I didn’t stop playing. Against all recommendation, I have played and sang for the last 10 days in violent pain which has only made my condition worsen. So, I decided to listen to everyone around me, who was telling me the best thing to do would be to go home and get some proper rest and give my shoulder some time to heal."

"This was a hard decision for me and I feel bad about it," he continued. "But it is the right thing to do if I want to keep making music. I apologize to our great fans for not being there for the remaining shows and I want to thank all the guys from the other bands; Lamb of God, As I Lay Dying, God Forbid and Municipal Waste for backing me up on this. Most of all I want to thank our fans for still being there, showing support, and continuing to rock out with me! I promise I will be back and I hope you all will too! Horns up!"