Bloodshot Dawn - Demons - review
Bloodshot Dawn - Demons - review
Tracklist
01. Smoke And Mirrors02. Consequence Complex
03. Unified
04. Inadequacy
05. Black Hole Infinity
06. Human Void
07. The Image Faded
08. Demons
A review by
deadone January 15, 2015
In theory yours truly should not like this album and certainly not instantly and not to the degree I do.
First it's a real mish-mash of genres. A core of melodic death metal is coated in elements of thrash, death, and metalcore. One can hear shades of Arch Enemy, Aborted's more metalcore moments, Arsis, Darkane, Lamb Of God, Shadows Fall, Soilwork, Switchblade and Scar Symmetry. Some of them aren't surprising given the guests featured. But the sound here is unique.
Mish-mashing genres is bad; bands seldom get all the elements right and it often sounds disjointed. Bloodshot Dawn nail each element perfectly. It all flows nicely and to use an overused word, they manage to create synergy between all these different elements.
The vocals are a mash-mash too. There's death metal growls and metalcore screams. Again this is generally bad. But vocalist Josh McMorran and backing vocalist Ben Elis do a great job and even the metalcore style vocals are done stylishly. And Aborted's Sven de Caluve sounds perfectly at home.
Secondly the music can be very technical, something the author also isn't a fan of especially when it's technicality for technicality's sake. Bloodshot Dawn know when to ramp up the technicality and when to tone it down to match the song. There are times when they'll just crank out a simple thrash riff or some reasonably brutal death metal and others when it's a mad frenzy of demented riffs, huge crazy bass lines and intense leads.
Thirdly, it sounds great. Production is modern but fits the music perfectly. And the keyboards are kept in the background whilst the guitars rightfully dominate. And no one element is overbearing.
Basically it would be damn near perfect except for the songwriting. With so many different styles and riffs crammed into each song, they sometimes lose their individuality and distinctiveness.
That Bloodshot Dawn could impress me with music I nominally don't like is testament to the quality of this album. It also shows what a band can do without major label support by utilising crowd funding and sticking to their own values and vision.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 7 |
| Originality: | 8 |
| Production: | 9 |
Written by deadone | January 15, 2015
Comments
Comments:
10
Visited by
231 users
|
Posts: 38 |
|
 Posts: 6941 |
Posts: 6941
I fucking love this album. And I love the review almost as much! You put it perfectly. Every element IS necessary. 8.5 is spot on. I could just drown in those guitar solos.
---- "A life all mine Is what I choose At the end of my days" --The Gathering "A Life All Mine" from Souvenirs
Loading...
|
|
Posts: 57 |
Posts: 57
Definitely one of the best I've heard off '14 catalogue. Tasty stuff. Being a total fan of the styles used in this record, I tip my hat and say this is a fair review. 
Loading...
|
|
Posts: 12 |
|
 Posts: 1127 |
Posts: 1127
I liked some what I heard when MetalSucks posted this a while back, but I was not particularly enthralled. I have been meaning to give it another go. Love that artwork too. I preferred Aspherium's The Fall of Therenia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aIqo05ZUac
---- Daily underground metal recommendations at Metal Trenches. Watch metal content on the Metal Trenches YouTube Channel.
Loading...
|
|
Posts: 39  |
Loading...
|
| !J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted |
|
| Posts: 1127 |
Posts: 1127
Gave the exact same score as you. Excellent album with just a few shortcomings mainly in the vocals/lyrics and occasionally with the guitars show-boating a touch too much. You beat me this time, UK.
---- Daily underground metal recommendations at Metal Trenches. Watch metal content on the Metal Trenches YouTube Channel.
Loading...
|
|
Posts: 257  |
Posts: 257
Nice review, glad someone took the time to do a write-up of this one. These guys had a stellar debut and this follows right in its footsteps. Big fan of this release.
Loading...
|
|
Posts: 1  |
Loading...
|
Hits total: 4360 | This month: 11