death metal
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Let's keep that death metal blasting for a while today. This time with Russian quartet Bloodshed. Now I know that there are several bands with that name, apparently even a Christian folk rock band. However, there's nothing Christian about this Bloodshed. This is some brutal old school death metal in the vein of bands like Hypocrisy, old Sepultura and Cannibal Corpse. The lyrics also show some very un-Christian activities. They are horror stories in where a lot of blood flows.
After a short intro, we're being thrown into the vile, putrid world Bloodshed has created. 'Ritual Butchery' is an early highlight, a splendid death metal song with massive riffs and a suffocating tempo. Yet, to be honest, most of the songs on this album are brutal anthems at a very high paste. Title track 'The Hunger and the Agone' seems to be slower but don't let the first seconds of a death metal song fool you, these things chance tempo more than you change underwear.
These are not mere songs, these are sonic onslaughts but often come with a little bit of melody. 'Unmarked Graves' for instance, shows some folky guitar melodies which are quite irristible. In that aspect, I can't help but think about old Amorphis here and there, although Bloodshed usually goes for the punishing approach. 'The Roadside Slaughterhouse' does come at a slower paste, without losing it's power. I guess this is my favorite song on the album.
The album closes with two versions of 'Let The Blood Flows'. The original is a vintage death metal song and the second one is a symphonic version, played with wind instruments and strings, a little like Emperor's 'Opus A Satana' actually. In a way this feels like Bloodshed will be taking on new directions in the future, maybe incorporating those symphonic elements into their death metal. As far as I'm concerned, that would be a great next step for this band.
Serge
After a short intro, we're being thrown into the vile, putrid world Bloodshed has created. 'Ritual Butchery' is an early highlight, a splendid death metal song with massive riffs and a suffocating tempo. Yet, to be honest, most of the songs on this album are brutal anthems at a very high paste. Title track 'The Hunger and the Agone' seems to be slower but don't let the first seconds of a death metal song fool you, these things chance tempo more than you change underwear.
These are not mere songs, these are sonic onslaughts but often come with a little bit of melody. 'Unmarked Graves' for instance, shows some folky guitar melodies which are quite irristible. In that aspect, I can't help but think about old Amorphis here and there, although Bloodshed usually goes for the punishing approach. 'The Roadside Slaughterhouse' does come at a slower paste, without losing it's power. I guess this is my favorite song on the album.
The album closes with two versions of 'Let The Blood Flows'. The original is a vintage death metal song and the second one is a symphonic version, played with wind instruments and strings, a little like Emperor's 'Opus A Satana' actually. In a way this feels like Bloodshed will be taking on new directions in the future, maybe incorporating those symphonic elements into their death metal. As far as I'm concerned, that would be a great next step for this band.
Serge