BLOODBATH - The Arrow of Satan Is Drawn
Peaceville Records
A few years ago I was at a show in downtown and after one band's set I went out back for a smoke. While I was standing there minding my own business there were these two hipster dudes discussing metal. One of em mentioned that he was getting into Swedish death metal and mentioned BLOODBATH. This guy called em a new band and mentioned a whole bunch of other dumb shit. I kept quiet. I figured sooner or later the dude would learn the truth.
For all of US, yeah BLOODBATH is a super-group of various Euro musicians taking a break from their own bands and getting together to play recycled ENTOMBED death metal. I'll admit the first couple of releases are cool. I'm talking about 2002's Resurrection Through Carnage and Nightmares Made Flesh from 2004. Both of those were on Century Media Records. After that Peaceville Records got em and well here we are still.
So here we have this latest one, The Arrow of Satan Is Drawn, their fifth full-length. This is also the second one to feature Nick Holmes of PARADISE LOST on vocals. On a whole it's still a what if ENTOMBED were not a joke these days and put out a decent album kinda thing. This one is far better than Grand Morbid Funeral from four years ago (which was when I heard those hipsters talking). Holmes actually delivers a dedicated vocal performance this time around. As opposed to their last one which sounded phoned in.
I'm always going to be on the fence with super groups like this because they get the attention whereas new bands playing similar stuff don't. So the guys from KATATONIA, OPETH and PARADISE LOST, plus Joakim Karlsson from the CRAFT, get together to get their death metal jollies off. Hell the guys from KATATONIA haven't played a tough riff in decades. Sure it's a decent release but it's supposed to be.
http://peaceville.com/
https://www.facebook.com/bloodbathband
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