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Bloodwork

The Final End Principle

Written by: TL on 26/02/2009 14:50:44

While melodic death metal was originally a genre created and refined in Sweden, no people seem to have embraced it quite as warmly as the Germans have, as can be seen in yet another band putting their debut album up for review here. Their name is Bloodwork, and while their promotional sheet claims that "There is no other band like BLOODWORK existing in Germany and it's not likely there will be one in the near future!", they share not only their name (good luck finding them via. myspace search), but also their sound with a small host of other bands, most of which I can think of are from either Germany or Sweden.

To describe the sound of this debut album of theirs, called "The Final End Principle", I feel like I'm repeating something that I've come to write in a good deal of reviews lately. At the core of the record things are kept fast and thrashy in the most modern of ways. As usual I think Trivium is the best example of what I'm thinking of. However, given the German obsession with Swedish melodeath, everything is produced to sound like just that, and when synths kick in like on "A Cycle Once Broken" you're much more likely to think of Soilwork or Dark Tranquillity than any neo-thrash outfit. Vocally we're treated to the very trendy variation between coarse howls and clean refrains, neither of which are either good or bad enough to warrant any extra attention. Then it's a different story when it comes to the guitars, seeing as their power-metallic solos stand as the firm point of strength in Bloodwork's sound, as the aggressive and thrashy background is perfect for making them sound more blazing than contrived. I'm thinking Dragonforce without the cheese if that's a fantasy you can conjure.

Overall, I feel that our very own EW came with a most accurate description of the kind of feelings I have for this record when he recently reviewed Black Metallers Hermh, so I'm just going to go ahead and quote him and then you may imagine "Bloodwork" inserted in the place of Hermh;

"I'm sure that most scenes across a disparate selection of genres have the equivalent bands to (symphonic) black metallers Hermh. Y'know, bands that are indeed good in many ways (production, technique, expertise) but at the same time leave no lasting impression on the listener once the CD has finished it's spin cycle."

I don't think I can put it any more precisely than that. "The Final End Principle" is just one of those solid metal albums that you listen to and it gets your feet tapping and your head bopping and then when it's over it's over and mostly gone from your memory. If you're an avid fan of this whole attempt at merging melodeath and neo-thrash then this is another "good but not great" release for you to enjoy, but personally, I'd rather go for the best from each world separately.

Download: A Cycle Once Broken, Demonic, Silent Revolution
For The Fans Of: Soilwork, Emergency Gate, The Very End
Listen: myspace.com/bloodworked

Release Date: 23.02.2009
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