Yeah.

How did the Children Of Bodom tour go?

It was our first tour in the States. It was very special to us. It was like a dream come true. Really. It was so important for us to be able to make it in the States. It seems impossible when you’re in France. When you’re a French band. That was the point. The audience was good. Children Of Bodom are great guys. Highly professional. We learned a lot so it’s been a fantastic experience. We discovered California, Texas, Detroit.

Tonight is the first night of the tour and you guys are starting in Dallas. I think that’s great. What are you guys doing after the tour is over?

We have another tour two days after. I’m not kidding. It is really, truly two days after. We end the tour in Cincinnati on April 6th and April 8th we’re going to Dublin, Ireland and then England for 20 gigs. Then we have another gig in Spain and then we go back home. I think I have to sleep for three weeks. We have to sleep and compose new material. We have ideas already and an album to record. I can’t tell when but we have to compose some music.

From Mars To Sirius was one of the top records in the United States. How do you feel about that?

I can’t believe it. It’s almost too much. It’s great. We’re happy.

I think it’s fucking awesome because I know a lot of people here get down on the French because they didn’t join us in that fucking bloodbath we’ve got going on. I’m like why the fuck should they? It’s not their thing. It’s a bunch of fucking politicians that want that shit. I’m so glad to see this for you guys.

Thank you very much.

To me in a lot of ways music and fans are the U.N. of getting people together so I think that’s wonderful.

Yeah, absolutely.

I just love the way the crowd reacted to you tonight. Oh my God, that was awesome. I was so excited for you guys.

Thank you, thank you. It’s true that music is a good way to link people.

How long is the tour going to be?

42 gigs.

42 gigs.

It’s going to be two months on the road. It’s going to be tough especially in March. We only have four days off and we play every night.

So for four days you’ll probably being sleeping straight through.

Yeah.

What do you have planned for after the tour?

Well, after the tour as I told you we really have to compose new material and we have some other gigs. Especially one on a French island that is very far. We have to travel 28 more hours so we’ll be one week on this island and we have only three gigs. It’s a very small place and it’s going to be great because we’ll chill out.

Kick back. Have some beers.

Yeah, also we’re going to play in Morocco in Africa. It’s amazing to go and play there.

Yeah, because you never think of Africa having a metal scene.

Yeah, I didn’t even know it was possible to get there and plug in an amp. I was told they started to organize some rock concerts and they had something like 10,000 people coming to the shows. It’s amazing so it’s going to be a great experience for us.

I know that a couple of guys from the band Seether are from Africa so I knew that they had a rock scene there and they also seem to have a hip-hop thing going so it’s cool to see that they have a metal scene too. That’s awesome. Of all the places that you’ve played, what was the most exciting country that you’ve been to?

The United States and I’m not saying that because I’m talking to you.

I know.

We’re in the cradle of rock and roll. That’s the place where rock came alive. For us it’s really important and we went to another gig in England at the Donington Festival which became the Download Festival. We played with Metallica, Tool, Guns ‘N Roses.

You mean Axl actually showed up?

It was again a dream come true. We were like kids watching Metallica play. We didn’t meet them really but we met Max Calvera, the guys from Deftones, and it was a great day. That was an exciting one.

Have you guys been doing any videos?

Yeah, we have one DVD which is released I think or will be released in the States pretty soon. For us it’s pretty old already. Three years.

Oh yeah, it was the one that you guys released in France. So we’re finally going to get it. Cool.

Yeah, and we have a video on MTV. I think it’s on air on MTV.

Oh probably on Headbanger’s Ball.

Yeah, on Headbanger’s Ball from the last album. For the song “To Sirius” we shot a video.

It would be cool to see you guys on the International Music Feed that I get. That’s got bands from all over the world on it. That’s the channel where I found out that they have big hip-hop scene going on in Africa. I was like wow.

Yeah, it’s pretty surprising.

Hip-hop and metal in Africa. I can just see it now.

Well, it’s natural. They have rhythm.

They mix pop with hip-hop and their tribal music which I think is very cool. It was neat. Unfortunately one of the people in the group they were talking about was killed in a car accident so I don’t know how far that’s gone. What’s the new record going to sound like or are you still thinking about it? I’m excited now.

Yeah, we have a few ideas. It’s very exciting. I can’t tell you really.

Because you don’t know yet.

It’s going to be heavy. It’s pretty much experimental. Maybe more straight to the point. More groovy maybe. I don’t know. We have a few ideas. Some parts are very deep in the melodies. Strange melodies. It’s going to be a good mix.

Somebody had described your music and I thought it was funny. “From Mars To Sirius is a monstrous, alien endgame chords, forged in fires of ice, and honed to hyper jazz perfection.” I just thought that was so fucking cool.

I like it!

So is it going to be something heavier and more monstrous than that?

Since the beginning we have the same idea of being big. We try to build something big. Something heavy and there are so many things that we really like in old school metal like Sepultura. We really like the tribal stuff.

Yeah, Sepultura is really big on tribal rhythms from Brazil.

Yeah, so we also like that kind of stuff. Very spontaneous and tribal. Who knows? I don’t know, maybe we’ll do a soft album. We’re pretty open-minded really. We love music.

You guys are the heaviest thing coming out of France. It’s interesting. I don’t know if there are a lot of metal bands in France but it seems like there’s hardly anything coming out of France.

It’s very hard to come to America. It’s very hard. Actually the music business in France, people are French. They speak French and they don’t speak English that much so it’s hard to deal with English. Even England. England and France are very close. Only 30 miles away. The island of England is very close but we don’t do anything with English people.

I was told a long time ago that a lot of it has to do with people in Europe not really caring much for the English. My mom said one time that she would be happy to just build a wall around that island and not let them out. I don’t know if that’s a feeling that a lot of people in Europe have.

I always find what’s good in people. When I go to England I have no idea what’s going to happen and I just meet great people all the time. I have a very good friend in London now and I met her through music just like you. Interviews and she’s writing for Kerrang and I met her. She’s English and she’s fine. That’s a good example.

My mom’s just funny about things like that. She’s a true Swiss, what can I say? I know there are bands coming out of Switzerland but the only one I’m really familiar with is Celtic Frost.

They have a very good scene in Switzerland. It’s a bit underground so some people might know the bands here but they have to find them by themselves.

At least we have the Internet now. That makes it a lot easier because I know back in the day people traded tapes and sent tapes around. What else do you guys have planned outside of doing another record and some more touring? Resting up?

Resting up.

I think you guys are well on your way to doing that. Any other thoughts or comments?

Yeah, I’d like to say hi to people. I’d like to say that I’m French and I really appreciate the American way of life. People here are very friendly. I wanted to say that. It’s important because you have all this political stuff. People are not all into politics. All my friends around me feel open-minded with strangers and American people. When we see someone coming from the United States we have so many questions to ask them. We aren’t prejudiced and we’re very, very happy to be here. Even if we don’t especially like George Bush.

Believe me, a lot of people don’t.