Bloodbound - Tabula Rasa - review
Bloodbound - Tabula Rasa - review
Tracklist
01. Sweet Dreams Of Madness02. Dominion 5
03. Take One
04. Tabula Rasa
05. Night Touches You
06. Tabula Rasa Pt.II (Nothing At All)
07. Plague Doctor
08. Master Of My Dreams
09. Twisted Kind Of Fate
10. All Rights Reserved
+ A Year With Bloodbound [video] [limited digipack bonus]
A review by
Darkside Momo December 30, 2009
Tabula Rasa means 'blank slate' in latin, as in 'erase the past and start anew'. Did the band started again from scratch, then? Well, as you can imagine I can't really compare, so I'll just concentrate on describing briefly the music. It's heavy/power metal, for sure (the drumming patterns are quite a tell-tale sign), always melodic, very catchy and also aggressive at times, kinda like Brainstorm if you want a vague comparison. But that's not all. Some harsh riffs or rythmics (and a few melodies too) are clearly reminiscent of the Gothenburg scene (check "Master Of My Dreams"), and one could also find a similarity with Masterplan on the quieter parts.
Most of the songs are catchy and up-tempo anthems, "Sweet Dreams Of Madness", "Dominion 5" and "Take One" being the best examples without a doubt. Of course there's also the mandatory power ballad, and it's called "Night Touches You". It's not bad actually, seeing how this kind of stuff usually bores me to tears, and well it wasn't the case this time.
All songs are played flawlessly, the guitar work is great, the solos are good, not overly-demonstrative, and they fit really well in the songs. And, it's Urban Breed on vocals. No wonder this guy is praised for his performances, his singing is pretty flawless. Aggressive, quiet, emotional, he can do it, and then some! A special mention is needed for the keyboards too, always discreet, never overbearing or cheesy.
Sure, it's nigh-impossible to be original in this style now. But, a quality album deserves to be recognized as such in any case. And this Tabula Rasa is one, no doubts about it. With good songwriting, great performance and a clear but warm production, it is definitely worth checking out!
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 8 |
| Songwriting: | 8 |
| Originality: | 7 |
| Production: | 9 |
Written on 30.12.2009 by
Written on 30.12.2009 by
Once your regular Hellfest reporter, now retired. I (strangely enough) listen to a lot of metal. And enjoy good beers, comics, novels and role-playing games. Comments
 Posts: 4774 |
Posts: 4774
Spot on review! Hoping to see the album in the awards as it's definitely my fav heavy metal release in 2009
---- loves 小巫
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 Posts: 5102 |
Posts: 5102
Spot on review Momo. It's a very good release and it's nice to have Urban Breed back on vocals. Not that Borman didn't do a good job, 'cause he did. Breed is just a bit better. Been a while since I listened to their previous two releases, but this one seems a bit darker and heavier to me, number two being the most "uplifting" and "power metal like"
----  Dreams are made so we don't get bored when we sleep
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| Posts: 9125 |
Posts: 9125
Thanks for the comments! As for the awards, we'll see, we'll see...
---- My Author's Blog (in French)  "You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you" "I've lost too many years now I'm stealing back my soul I am awake"
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 Posts: 55 |
Posts: 55 Written by Irritable Ted on 30.12.2009 at 21:30 The album? the review?
---- On wings of time we have been flying For too long it seems to me that I've crossed the final fence... [url]www.twilightning.net[/url] http://deliriumveil.main.jp
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Posts: 234  |
Posts: 234
Have to disagree with this one, there are more elements of american metalcore than the gothenburg scene, listen to Dominion 5 and you will get what I mean
---- "I'm rising in power through murdering rain Stronger than Faith allows Braver than heroes vows ...My head is bloody but I am unbowed I am power..."
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 Posts: 353 |
Posts: 353
Love this album as their previous one, great guys and I enjoyed designing the booklet 
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