Scotland has always had a death metal scene. Even back in the day with bands like Inextremis, Korpse, Confusion Corporation and Inversus, it was incredibly tough for a Scottish band to break through the barriers and get any form of recognition. Yes, Korpse did get a deal with Candlelight Records, but there were so many other talented bands north of the border that never got a chance.
Nowadays, with social media the way it is, bands like BloodThread are busting a gut to get that kind of recognition, get a record deal and get the tours that they deserve. Four years after The Tolerance is Over EP, BloodThread now release their new four track effort, Era of Corruption, which after a few listens, is already a massive step up for the band with this release and maybe now Bloodthread may get that recognition.
“Extractor of Innocence” starts things off with nice chugging riffs and a huge scream from vocalist Tony and you immediately see that the production on this EP is excellent. Having released the EP themselves, a lot has to be said about the sound quality, with all instruments being clearly heard and evenly balanced. The song soon settles into groove laden riffs with guitarist/vocalist Tony bellowing forth lyrics about the disgust of human paedophiles and how they “extract the innocence” of young teens.
It’s no wonder that Tony sounds as angry as he does, ranging from almost pig squeals, deep growls and screams in an instant. There are a lot of heavy riffs from Tony and Peter before the pace soon picks up with drummer Dikie blasting out the snare and thundering double bass. The song then reverts back to the original sequence of riffs again and is a strong statement as to how the EP is going to sound.
“For I am the Butcher” starts off with Peter guitar tapping an intro, with the sound allowing the bass and drum to be heard clearly working in tandem, showcasing how tight the rhythm section is from Dikie and bassist Chris together. This is definitely the most progressive section of the EP for me, before the guitar tone drops and Tony evokes his deepest growls that he could muster, bordering on the pig squeals again.
Tony truly is a talented frontman and after witnessing them in the live environment, he can handle the vocal duties and changes in tempo with ease. Groove keeps this seven minute monster alive, with Peter and Tony making sure you snap your neck in unison, whether it’s the slow chugging riffs or almost slams in the song. This has to be my favourite track off the whole EP as it has everything, showcasing each individual’s talents with their instruments and mixing the tempo bringing out influences of doom metal to blast beats.
“Castrating Those to Which You Bleed” is as angry a tune as you are going to get, with stomping riffs that you just lose all body control to and with Tony being the angriest he has ever been throughout the whole of the EP. Singing about the corrupt political system, you can’t do anything else but agree with him. Tony does get some help though with dual vocals courtesy of Paul Kelly from Burning the Dream, complementing the violence being spewed forth from the speakers.
The musicianship on show here is extremely tight, even though most of the song is mid paced; it is obvious that the band have rehearsed their asses off in the studio. I particularly like the tail end of the song, where you just find yourself being immersed with Peter’s use of the whammy bar to great effect and you also get to hear Chris slap his bass strings like there is no tomorrow.
Final song off the EP, “The Tormentor”, starts off with Tony bellowing lyrics with the band opting to go again with the groove element rather than all out blasts. There are some elements of blast beats and thundering double bass from Dikie, keeping in sync with the lightening picking from Peter and Tony. Chris adds his progressive touches to the track with his bass and with Peter’s best lead is followed by Tony enjoying a solo which you don’t often get to hear in the death metal market. The song then has chugging riffs before playing the most progressive death metal on the EP and then resorting to the aural violence which ends with all the band working in unison, closing off the EP with another stunning track.
One of BloodThreads’ many strengths is to unify so many different sub genres into each of their songs without creating a mess and instead creating powerful, meaningful and blistering tunes for the listener. Is it original…? of course it isn’t. That was done almost 30 years ago now.
What BloodThread do is play death metal the old school way, add in a few new school death metal ideas, apply their own deft touches and make death metal enjoyable again. They ply their trade with blood, sweat and tears and have death metal blood running through their veins. It will be hard for them to better this but with the live shows listed below and I am sure bigger support slots in the future and with the band looking very stable, the only way can be up for all things BloodThread.
Era of Corruption is out on May 5th
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In association with: Sine Effect, Cranium Titanium Metal Radio Show and Slow Dragon Music.