Review of Bloodlined Calligraphy - Ypsilanti

Synopsis:

It’s hardcore. It’s on Facedown and there is a female singer. Read on or click ‘back’.

Review:

Boasting a line-up that seems fitting for a twisted reality show or opening line for a joke (“A chick, a black guy, a frat boy, a Chinese guy and an emo kid walk into a bar...”) than a hardcore band, Michigan’s Bloodlined Calligraphy have sort of been one of the genre scapegoats for playing completely cliched and un-original hardcore/metalcore music here at MetalReview.com, and while Ypsilanti (the band's hometown) does nothing to change that overall opinion of most of you knuckleheads, they do, to their credit, do it with apt gusto and heaviness as well as slightly improved songwriting.

Much like label mates Alove For Enemies, Bloodlined Calligraphy are suddenly quite improved and tangibly heavier than their debut album. And while the band won’t be dethroning Walls of Jericho or Light This City as Hot Topic’s female fronted poster band or even moving into hardcore’s elite, they do garner a bit more respect with their second album.

Boasting an incredibly stout no name production from Mike Dresch at Cathouse Studios, Ypsilanti is burly and angry and Ally French is certainly no trophy singer, as her voice is as husky as her pant size and she is a formidable front woman (both on record and live) capable of going growl for growl with her male peers. The rest of the band do their thing with plenty of chugging, rumbling and breakdown heavy Hatebreed meets thrash panache (“Is You Asking or Is You Telling?”,”From Here On Out”, “If Heaven ‘Ain’t Like Ypsi, I Don’t Wanna Go”, “Frienemies”) and low end competence with the occasional thrashy, surprisingly tight, up tempo bursts (“It Can’t Rain All The Time”, “Ashes to Ashes”, “America’s Next Top Model”, “They Want you Silent”) all delivered with tangible urgency and Ally’s cynical, lyrical sneer. She even shows off her acceptable clean pipes for “It Can’t Remember All the Time” , but there is no ballad like Wall of Jericho’s recent album.

Despite its formulaic approach, Ypsilanti drips with conviction and honesty and does the genre justice, but at the same time is restricted by the genre as the album also never strives for anything greater than a by the numbers toughcore throwdown.

Release Details

Bloodlined Calligraphy

Ypsilanti

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