BERLIN, GERMANY – MARCH 27: Singer Alexi Laiho of the Finnish band Children of Bodom performs live during a concert at the Astra on March 27, 2017 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Frank Hoensch/Redferns)
Redferns
The Finnish heavy metal icons Children Of Bodom are set to return to the stage in early 2026. Following the death of lead guitarist and frontman Alexi Laiho in December 2020, the surviving members of Children Of Bodom haven’t performed together under the same name since December 2019, when they performed their final farewell show before breaking up. Slated for February 26th, 2026, Children Of Bodom will be hosting A Celebration Of Music show at the Tavastia-club in Helsinki, Finland. Bassist Henkka Seppälä, keyboardist Janne Wirman, drummer Jaska Raatikainen, and guitarist Alexander Kuoppala will be joined by Lost Society guitarist and vocalist Samy Elbanna who will be performing Laiho’s parts.
“We want to celebrate the life’s work of our band and at the same time the musical legacy of our friend and bandmate Alexi,” Children Of Bodom commented about the upcoming show. “The gig will be played at the Tavastia club, which is important to Children Of Bodom, and at the same time, we will fulfill the long-standing wish of our fans.”
Tickets for Children Of Bodom’s reunion show will go on sale on Wednesday October 29th, at 9am local time and be purchased via the venue’s website.
The Death Of Alexi Laiho
Nearly a year following Children Of Bodom’s final performance in 2019, Alexi Laiho died from reportedly fatty-liver disease and pacreatic fibrosis. Laiho had suffered longterm health issues leading up to his death, and the issues he had faced with his liver were a result of alcohol-induced degeneration. For many fans Laiho was the face of the Children Of Bodom, and despite Laiho and the rest of the band going their separate ways in 2019, Laiho continued on with his own short lived project 2020 project, Bodom After Midnight.
The Future Of Children Of Bodom
With reunion tours popping up left and right in the modern rock industry, many fans are wondering if this celebratory Children Of Bodom show will lead to a fully fledged reunion tour. As mentioned, for many Laiho was the face of the band. Guitarist and vocalist Samy Elbanna will have massive shoes to fill for this upcoming gig, and it’ll be an even greater task if the rest of Bodom and Elbanna are to tour together under the COB name.
Given how integral Laiho was to the band, it’s hard to imagine the band will move forward with new music and pick up where they left off in 2019. Instead, this reunited Children Of Bodom might look to extend their legacy in a similar fashion to how Death has been doing – Death To All is the tribute band that has toured celebrating the life and legacy of the late great Death guitarist and vocalist Chuck Schuldiner. While more details will arise in leading up or following Children Of Bodom’s reunion show, it would be nice to see if that band did in fact extend these celebratory reunion shows to their global fanbase.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/quentinsinger/2025/10/28/children-of-bodom-announce-reunion-and-tribute-show-for-early-2026/
