Bloodshoteye
An Unrelenting Assault
7.5
Self-proclaimed deathmetalcore act Bloodshoteye has returned with their sophomore effort An Unrelenting Assault which is bound to gather some well deserved attention from not only the deathcore community at large, but fringe fans who can enjoy both metalcore and death metal spliced in this sort of way. Not everyone’s going to be able to get into this one, but for those of you who the constant blurring of genre distinctions between hardcore and metal, are going to love this one.
Surprisingly enough, even the strong metalcore overtones of this Canadian quartet manages to sound fresh and interesting in certain areas especially while blending the groove and melody of bands like As I lay Dying, Through the Eyes of the Dead, and Unearth with the more brutal aspects of bands like Animosity and All Shall Perish. There’s the occasional tech hardcore phrase ala artificial harmonics or dissonant melody borrowed from acts like Despised Icon, Ion Dissonance, or Into the Moat. Though there’s plenty of metalcore and deathcore comparisons that can be made, Bloodshoteye shares a peculiar affinity for death metal in the vein of Kataklysm, even going as far as mimicking their distinctive guitar tone.
Vocalist Jessica displays an emotional performance with her vicious growl and well-suited vocal patterns. Fuck gender lines; the vocals on this album deliver completely no matter how you look at it. “Lock and Load” and “The Last Laugh” are excellent opening statements, booming out of the speakers demanding attention with their strong presence by employing various tempo shifts and stylistic changes, offering excellent examples of detailed songwriting and strong musicianship. One strength I noticed and appreciated in Bloodshoteye is their equal attention to both the lead and rhythm section of the guitar, neither one becoming dominant over the other or distracting the listener.
However, the spectacular moments of excellence end quickly as the album fails to re-achieve the quality of their initial material. The softer tracks “Mourning In Silence” and “Be My Victim” are decent, but uneventful and lackluster compared to their other work. I appreciate the dynamic contrast with Jessica’s melodic clean lines and the variety of style offered by the inclusion of slow to mid paced guitar riffs, but Bloodshoteye’s forte is found in their all out aural assault, not their ability to slow things down. Their often midpaced performance maintains a high level of intensity on “Foul Play” which after a slow start, blends melodic tapping that sounds like old Underoath with a vengeance. “Torn Between two Worlds” which features some chunky, bottom heavy rhythm churning that trumps most tough guy hardcore bands, granted I would have liked to see a more driving performance from drummer, Mike, but he handles himself well with some interesting fills and quality showmanship. “These Bloody Cravings” is equally aggressive but the overall composition style is noticeably more simplistic than their opening barrage. “Pains of Misfortune” sends the album off nicely with a culmination of their different influences and personal additives all wrapped up nicely in one neat package.
I’m willing to admit this is a hell of a release in a lot of ways, perhaps one of the more enjoyable and forward thinking metalcore bands I’ve come across, but An Unrelenting Assault isn’t the most consistent of releases and despite some glowing moments of excellence, there seems to be enough dull moments of filler scattered around to keep Bloodshoteye from completely delivering.
