Blood
Dysangelium
4.3
Blood defines themselves as a mixture of death metal and grindcore. And with a name like Blood, what would one expect? Well...call me a prude, but I've come to expect a lot from my death metal. And why not, the pure talent and thought provoking aspects of music are as important to me as any catchy riff. And ultimately, it is this kind music that stands the test of time. I've come to expect basically crap from most bands that use the defining word "core" in their self-descriptions. This comes with exception, but for me, it has overwhelmingly proven to be the case. Riffs are a dime a dozen and too many bands come across as if they only had one dime to share amongst each other. What these bands should do is use that dime for some musical instruction...or maybe just buy a cheap burrito and forget about the rest. How does Blood compare? Do they straddle the line between technical speed and grinding grooves? Unfortunately, no. Blood is a somewhat speedy unit, but it's all very simplistic and frankly, cheap sounding. There are a few highlights scattered on the album, but they're completely forgettable to me. The intro is okay. It features some female chants and ambient effects. The subsequent tune has an alright feel to it, but that's pretty much where it ends. By my calculations, this is Blood's 26th release of one form or another. Adding to that, they have been around since 1986, so one would first think that these guys are veterans and that they would prove it on this album. It's really not the case. These guys might as well be complete rookies, because that's how the album comes across to me. As I mentioned, everything is simplistic. There's little musical credibility to draw from here. I would say the vocals are probably the highlight to the album, if there is one. They're heavy and gore sounding. Some of the lyrics are fair, but nothing above the average threshold. The vocals often sound like the guy is wrapping his hands around the microphone and his mouth at the same time. Very boxy and enclosed sounding. The vocals are often doubled-up as well. I just don't like it. If the vocals were sitting further back in the mix, they would sound much better. As it is, they stand out too much most of the time. The guitar playing is overly basic. Sort of like old Celtic Frost, but not nearly as unique. The sound of the guitars is sort of nasal sounding. It could have been much better. The low end of the guitar sound was rolled off too much and removes much of the harmonic undertone that normally gives a guitar much of its gut wrenching power. Combine that with pretty weak writing and there's little to be excited about. The bass and drums are also pretty weak. There's no real meat to the sound and inevitably, little drive. There's a few speedy sections, but it's still so basic and has been done a million times before...and done better as well. The sound also suffers from too much compression with bad attack and release times. This often gives the music a pumping/washy sound that is too overbearing and unappetizing. Most songs are in the one minute range and only add to the simplistic cheapness that is Blood. I can see some people thinking that these guys are okay...maybe even decent. All I have to say to those people is you're cutting yourselves short.
