Bloodthirst
Let Him Die
7.4
"Man, this is fast." That was my initial impression of Bloodthirst's Let Him Die. This is one of those thrash albums where you've kind of already heard all the riffs before, and there's nothing all that special going on in the rhythm section, but the speed draws you in. For me, beneath all the slightly bullshit explanations I have for loving this music is a primordial and honest truth: I love listening to bands play the fuck out of unreasonably fast songs. That's what Bloodthirst did on this album. The riffs are just tricky enough to be worth air-guitaring to, and the performance is so tight and doggedly fast as to be undeniably hand-bangable.
I should make something clear, this isn't nearly as fast as anything by a band like Nile or Decrepit Birth, nor is it anywhere in the same stratosphere in terms of technicality. This is roots death-thrash evocative of Sepultura, Sodom, Kreator and The Crown. Remember how fucking fast The Crown sounded on Deathrace King, even though they were probably playing half the speed of Hate Eternal? Something about those songs, I don't know what, just made them sound way faster and more intense than even the most esoteric and perverse grind on the planet. That's what Bloodthirst having going on.
It might help you to better understand where I'm coming from if I point out that Bloodthrist are from Poland -- a country known for exporting bands so intensely focused on playing the music the way it is supposed to played. They don't necessarily push anything forward, but they will damned if they don't spill their blood into every song. "Let Him Die" and "Destroyer - Bringer of Flames" are the type of songs you just know started with a guitar player fucking around and eventually fleshing out a concise and catchy riff, then forcing himself to be able to play it faster than he could the time before. "(Upon the Cross) Tormented and Lost" is actually a pretty epic number that features some satisfying harmonic guitar interplay in the bridge. However, speed is never thrown under the bus in the pursuit of complexity. Of course, every song comes with an Agent Orange/Arise inspired breakdown which in addition to being punishing in their own right, make the fast parts sound even faster.
The thing about this album is that what I find so awesome about it will to many be its biggest turn-off. This is not dynamic stuff, nor does it aspire to be. Most guitar-hackers with six months experience could figure out these songs and play them pretty easily. The riffs are fucking cool, but they're not hard. I know that matters to some people. However, the bottom line, for me, is that these guys know exactly what they're doing on this album. They knew what sound they were going for and they nailed it, full speed ahead.
