Alexi Laiho (Finnish: [ˈɑleksi ˈlɑi̯ho]; born Markku Uula Aleksi Laiho; 8 April 1979 – 29 December 2020) was a Finnish guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. He was the lead guitarist, lead vocalist and founding member of the melodic death metal band Children of Bodom, and a guitarist for Sinergy, the Local Band, Kylähullut, and Bodom After Midnight, which formed just prior to his death. Laiho had previously played with Thy Serpent and Impaled Nazarene on occasion, as well as Warmen and Hypocrisy.
Laiho started playing violin at the age of seven and guitar at the age of eleven. His main guitar influence was Helloween. He then became interested in more extreme music, mainly black metal.
His first guitar was a Tokai Stratocaster.
In 1993, after taking part in an experimental band named T.O.L.K. with friends he met while attending the Finnish Pop & Jazz Conservatory, Laiho formed Children of Bodom together with drummer Jaska Raatikainen, under the name of IneartheD.
On 31 October 1997, prior to releasing their debut album, Children of Bodom played their first concert in Helsinki, as the opening act for Norway's Dimmu Borgir.
Silenoz, Dimmu Borgir guitarist, on Laiho's first performance: "We could hear the opening band playing from backstage. We were like, ‘Holy shit, what is this?' It sounded like Yngwie Malmsteen on speed. We ran out and watched the spectacle and stood there with our jaws open". "There was this fucking beast on the guitar," added Dimmu's then-keyboardist Kimberly Goss, who formed power metal band Sinergy with Alexi in 1997, and married him in 2002. "I was looking at our guitar player like, ‘I don't know, man, you've got some competition..."
Laiho recorded three full-length albums with Sinergy. An unreleased fourth album was recorded and slated to be released in 2005, but the finishing touches were never completed due to Laiho's demanding schedule with Children of Bodom.
In 2004, Laiho founded a side-project called Kylähullut, which was assembled together with drummer Tonmi Lillman (ex-Sinergy) and singer Vesa Jokinen 69er of Finnish punk band Klamydia. Their discography includes two EP's, and two full-length albums one of which features Laiho's wife, Goss, singing in Finnish.
Children of Bodom played at the 2008 Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards. There, Laiho also received the Dimebag Award for "Best Shredder" and performed a track off of Bodom's 2008's album, Blooddrunk.
Laiho appears on Canadian thrash metal outfit Annihilator's 2007 album, Metal, as a guest, playing a guitar solo on the song "Downright Dominate".
On 3 July 2012, Children of Bodom announced on their Facebook page that they had to cancel two European shows because Laiho had been taken to the hospital because of severe stomach pain. The frontman was hospitalized once again the following year in Nashville, leading to speculation about his dangerous relationship with alcohol, which he'd later discuss in multiple interviews.
On 15 December 2019, Children of Bodom played their last show at the Icehall in Helsinki, dubbed "A Chapter Called Children of Bodom"; in November it was announced that after this show, the group would disband after over two decades together. For legal reasons, Laiho would no longer be able to continue using the Children of Bodom name.
In March 2020, Laiho announced his new band together with former Children of Bodom guitarist Daniel Freyberg, Bodom After Midnight featuring drummer Waltteri Väyrynen and bassist Mitja Toivonen.
Laiho died on 29 December 2020 due to liver degeneration resulting from years of alcohol abuse, leaving behind a few songs recorded with Bodom After Midnight to be published posthumously. Several months later, Daniel Freyberg told Loudwire that Bodom After Midnight would disband rather than replacing Laiho. Regarding his death, in a 2023 interview, former Children of Bodom keyboardist Janne Wirman reflected back to what Alexi Laiho had told him in 2016 after his health issues came to light, that he had no plans to stop drinking but instead plans to drink himself to death.
Laiho's main influences were classic metal bands like Manowar, Helloween, Judas Priest and W.A.S.P. Along with the classic metal bands, Laiho has cited guitarists such as Steve Vai and Yngwie Malmsteen as other influences on his early guitar playing style.
Laiho has often been described as a visionary who brought back melody and flamboyance to metal music in a post-grunge and nu metal era. His guitar style was influenced by black metal, power metal and classical music, all cemented together by blistering solos. He was known for his guitar-keyboard solo duels with Janne Wirman, keyboardist in his band Children of Bodom. Alexi also incorporated various references to classical music in his early works.
Laiho received a Metal Hammer Golden Gods prize in the category of Dimebag Darrell Shredder Award in 2008.
Laiho received widespread acclaim for his guitar work and according to AllMusic, he is "widely celebrated as one of the genre's most accomplished players". In 2004 he was ranked No. 96 out of 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time by Guitar World. Guitar World magazine has also ranked him as one of the 50 fastest guitarists in the world. In addition, Roadrunner Records ranked Laiho at No. 41 out of 50 of the greatest metal frontmen. Furthermore, Total Guitar conducted a public voting poll to determine the greatest metal guitarist of all time; Laiho was voted No. 1 out of 20 metal guitarists, with over 20% of the vote. In 2023, Loudwire ranked Laiho number 24 on their list of The 75 Best Hard Rock + Metal Guitarists of all time.