Roope Latvala — born in Finland in 1970 — was Children of Bodom's guitarist between 2003 and 2015, but his importance in the Finnish scene predates the band. He built his reputation in Stone, the late-1980s thrash metal group that is a founding reference of Finnish metal — the band that opened the way for the following generation, including the musicians who would form Children of Bodom. He also passed through Sinergy, alongside Alexi Laiho, before joining his main band. His entry in 2003 coincides with Hate Crew Deathroll, and he stayed twelve years, also recording Are You Dead Yet? (2005), Blooddrunk (2008), Relentless Reckless Forever (2011) and Halo of Blood (2013) — the group's phase of greatest international reach. His function was to be the counterpart to Laiho, who shared solos with Janne Wirman's keyboard in duels of extreme speed. Being the second guitar in that arrangement means holding the harmonic base while two soloists occupy the foreground — work demanding precision with no possibility of prominence.
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