Sweden Strikes Again! As I got through listening to this record, I had a hard time comparing them to another band to give you an idea of what Bloodbound sounds like. They have all the elements of classic melodic metal along with a sound all their own. I can easily end this review by telling you to "Just Get This Record!" But what fun would that be.
Let us turn our ears to the opening track. A little narration called "Bloodtale". It's a little hard to understand, so turn up the volume or read the liner notes to get the story. This leads to the powerhouse chord-age of "Satanic Panic" and "Iron Throne". Two heavy tunes to get your party started right!
br/>Thrashing their way into your heart are "Nightmares from the Grave", "Stormborn" and "We Raise the Dead". All bring an intense storyline, melodic choruses and killer solos. The next song is a little metal anthem titled "Made of Steel" - made of the unbreakable amour we are! And busting down your door is "Blood of my Blood". Exceptional vocals here. Its metal opera without the orchestra and ultra-fast!
Speaking of opera, "When the Kingdom Will Fall" continues the powerful ambiance of the sound. You can actually picture the singer in Viking ware standing on a pedestal projecting the story. Then there's the speed fest of "Seven Hells". I think we are well off with one, but if we can send someone to seven of 'em - I'm down! We end the travels with another big sounding anthem. Picture if The Scorpions took a bunch of speed and got real technical - you'd have "When all Lights Fail”. I can't put it any other way.
Downside is at points the songs tended to have the same tone, but that got buried by the intensity of the song-writing. I would have also had liked to have heard the bass up in the mix a bit more and move outside the pocket every now and then. This is a group that would benefit from that.
Upside is that "Nightmares" and "Raise the Dead" have some riffs right out of early Stryper! Is it intentional? I don't know, but its bloody cool! All in all a very good sounding record, solid song-writing and the whole band blends and meshes well with each other. I give Bloodbound's "Stormborn" a solid 9
Tim Duran, HMS
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