BLOODLETTER : "Leave the Light Behind"

 

Considering how much I listen to  Slayer and Metallica, I would check out more thrash bands. I am not opposed to the thought, however, when that itch scratches me, I dig up at best Power Trip or some more obscure band from back in the day. This band is expectedly to open their album; they have a more high-speed DRI-like approach, touched with a bit of the "Ultraviolence" era Death Angel in their sound.  Unlike the bands from back in the day, there is very little to bait you into doing the toxic waltz. They are in your face and aggressive, not catchy. In order to keep my interest, they are going to need to hook me in. 

The lyrics are spit out with venom-laced conviction, but I am not sure that any of these songs are about anything. Though I know what Exodus and Testament were preaching about, and their songs practiced those principles. "Eternal Winter" seems like they took the fantasy garbage from a black metal song and tried to throw it in here. I think what plays against them the most is the rabid racing pace they come at you with. "Terminal' feels a little darker until they get back into the same speed that has dominated the first three songs. There is a little more of a palm-muted tension that is a little more effective. "Unearthing Darkness" bores me as it is more of the same, and at the rate this album is going, there seems to be little experimentation that would deviate from this.

"Hunting Horror" has more going on with the guitar interplay, but the vocals become monotonous. The riff that gives "The Black Death" its backbone works well enough, and once again, the vocal delivery drops the ball to capitalize on this nuance. "Call of the Deep One" is likely about Dagon or using Lovecraft as inspiration, though the pace of the riffing does not create this mood. The last song has an intro, but aside from that, when they are out thrashing, they have only one mode of attack.  I will give this album a 7, as vocals aside, they are good at what they are doing. Vocally, it's an afterthought at times, though with bands like, say, Rigor Mortis back in the day, the vocals felt like an afterthought as well, so it might work for some fans of the genre, more than it does for me. 

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