Something Wild Drum Setup: Jaska Raatikainen's Gear on Children of Bodom's 1997 Debut | MetalForge

Frequently Asked Questions

What kit did Jaska Raatikainen use on Something Wild?

On *Something Wild* (1997), Jaska Raatikainen played a pre-endorsement Pearl configuration — an early professional Pearl setup assembled before the Masters Premium Maple endorsement that would define his later career. The kit featured twin 22" x 18" bass drums, rack toms (10" and 12"), and floor toms (14" and 16"). This is the earliest documented CoB studio kit, predating the Tama Starclassic era of *Hate Crew Deathroll* (2003) and the Pearl Masters Premium Maple endorsement that followed. See the [Jaska Raatikainen full kit guide](/articles/jaska-raatikainen-drum-setup) for his complete gear evolution.

What label released Children of Bodom's debut album Something Wild?

Children of Bodom's debut album *Something Wild* was released on Spinefarm Records on November 5, 1997. Spinefarm Records is a Finnish heavy metal label, one of the most significant in Scandinavian metal, and the CoB relationship with Spinefarm continued through much of the band's career before Nuclear Blast became their international partner for later releases. *Something Wild* was the record that brought CoB to Spinefarm's attention — released before Hatebreeder put the band on the international map.

How does Something Wild compare to Hatebreeder in terms of drum sound?

*Something Wild* (1997) and *Hatebreeder* (1999) represent the two ends of CoB's debut-era drum sound. *Something Wild* is rawer and more direct — Raatikainen at 17–18 years old on a pre-endorsement Pearl configuration, with the Zildjian A Series cymbals providing natural brightness without post-production polish. *Hatebreeder* has more refined production and a more controlled studio performance, recorded at Astia Studio with producer Anssi Kippo, who established the sonic blueprint for CoB's next decade of recordings. Both records demonstrate the same fundamental drumming vocabulary, but *Something Wild*'s pre-endorsement immediacy gives it a distinct character that no subsequent CoB album replicates. See the [Hatebreeder drum setup article](/articles/hatebreeder-drum-setup) for the direct comparison.

What cymbals did Jaska Raatikainen use on Something Wild?

On *Something Wild* (1997), Jaska Raatikainen used Zildjian A Series cymbals — a pre-endorsement selection that preceded the Paiste configurations documented on later CoB albums and the eventual Zildjian A Custom / K Custom pairing of his Pearl endorsement era. The A Series setup included 14" A hi-hats, A crashes (16" and 18"), a 20" A ride, and an 18" A China. The Zildjian A's B20 bronze alloy and traditional lathing delivered the natural brightness and cut that melodic death metal requires in keyboard-heavy arrangements.