That we lost two legends of the metal world like Joey Jordison of Slipknot and Alexi Laiho of Children of Bodom in the space of a few months is an immeasurable loss to the scene. The contributions of both of these titans cannot be overstated, though their mutual friend and frequent collaborator Wednesday 13 has revealed that Jordison and Laiho were very nearly a part of the same act, and that that will not be realized may be the greatest loss of all. In an interview with Guitar World promoting his own new album Mid Death Crisis, Wednesday 13 revealed that around the time that he and Jordison had released their 2010 Murderdolls album Women and Children Last, Laiho was nearly brought in to play guitar on the album. Says Wednesday on the matter: “At the beginning stages of the second album [2010’s Women and Children Last], Alexi Laiho from Children Of Bodom was going to be the new guitarist in the band. It would have been Joey, me, and Alexi... and damn, that guy could shred. That was almost a thing. Can you imagine what that would have sounded like?” For those unfamiliar with Murderdolls, Jordison played guitar and drums for the band, particularly on the aforementioned sophomore album. The band is steeped in Misfits-esque horror punk tradition with a particularly morbid edge, with songs like “Blood Stained Valentine,” “She Was A Teenage Zombie,” and “Dead in Hollywood.”
It is also worth mentioning that a potential explanation for these two ships passing in the metallic night would be that around the time where Wednesday and Jordison would have begun recording their Murderdolls album, Laiho and Children of Bodom would have begun recording their 2011 effort Relentless Reckless Forever.
Folks can have their alternate universes where Les Claypool is in Metallica or Dave Navarro is in Guns n Roses. One of the most influential guitar players of the 21st century partnering with the equivalent for drummers being in the same band could have been a match made in Hell like no other.
