Metal, Hardcore, Indie, Rock
Following their EP “I Am Death,” the fresh-faced Swedes Bloodstain are now unleashing their first full-length album—including the title track from that EP. Why the band is filed under the banner of Thrash Metal is a bit of a mystery to me, but that doesn’t detract from the quality of the music one bit.
The album features four singles in total, one of which is the opener “Annihilation Line“. Here, a very classic metal track meets soaring arena choruses. Right from the first second, it’s clear that these guys really know their way around their instruments. The fluid bassline at the start is particularly killer. Add a slightly raspy yet melodic lead vocal, paired with an outrageously catchy chorus. Really cool!
Moving on to “Something Sinister“: the riffing subtly recalls darker Metallica days, though it still doesn’t quite qualify as true thrash. The song is slower and darker, relying heavily on background vocals once again while delivering swirling, squealing guitars. Sounds good, though it makes you want to nod along comfortably in your armchair rather than jump around wildly.
“I Am Death” brings more dynamic energy, rolling in a bit rougher around the edges. The chorus instantly grabs you in the best way possible, while musically sticking to middle-era Metallica territory. The solo is absolute genius, and the track packs a light pop appeal. Meaning: it gets stuck in your head instantly.
Next comes “Carved In Stone,” a well-crafted, cleanly sung ballad. I’ll just leave it at that, as ballads simply aren’t my thing. What’s clear, though, is that they had to throw down some serious weight right after. By Bloodstain‘s standards so far, “Taint Me” gets extremely energetic without ever losing sight of harmony and melody.
“Disdained” follows up, dragging itself a bit more heavily through your ear canals. The track sounds more like Hard Rock or Sleaze, but does a solid job nonetheless. “Lies Bleeding Through” kicks off with great guitar work and picks up the tempo significantly before slamming on the brakes again. At times, it feels a bit like driving with the handbrake on: everything is played at a top-tier level, but that final explosive breakthrough never quite happens. It all sounds very controlled. The mid-song break, however, is genuinely fantastic.
“Conspiracy” is a crisp rocker featuring ear-pleasing choruses. “Faceless Dealer” doesn’t bring much new to the table either: plenty of backing vocals and neat riffing sitting right at the crossroads of Metal and Hard Rock define the track.
To wrap things up, “Banner Of Supremacy” picks up a noticeably more thrashy pace (nice!). The band actually manages to sustain the higher tempo for a while before the chorus burrows deep into your ear canals once again. An all-around awesome closing track!
Conclusion: Objectively speaking, the Swedes haven’t done much wrong here, and subjectively, I quite like what I’m hearing. What I’m noticeably missing, however, is a bit of grit. The material feels a little too polished and smooth around the edges at times. I’m definitely curious to see how they evolve; either way, this debut is a solid start.
Tracklist:
