Children Of Bodom - BloodDrunk, Review by Rugter

Artist: Children Of Bodom

Album: BloodDrunk

Year Of Release: 2008

Genre: Heavy Metal with Mallcore influences

"It had the potential. But it fell flat on it's face."

Children of Bodom has arguably been one of the most successful metal bands of the last decade: With 11 years of being active with the name "Children of Bodom", and even more years if you count their early days as "Inearthed", they've been a force to be reckoned with, with their first 3 albums being considered classics. Now, I'm not gonna lie, I prefer the sound of their recent stuff (Are You Dead Yet?, Hatecrew Deathroll), to the one of their old stuff. I must even admit that Are You Dead Yet? is what I consider their best album. Being heavier and more complex than their old stuff while keeping a lot of melody was definitely something I quite enjoyed. Songs like the title track and Thrashed, Lost & Strungout kept calling me for playing them again. But let's get back on track, a review of Are You Dead Yet?, this is not.

Now, this album keeps the same formula as AYDY?... So why is it I don't rate it as highly? Well, to start with, I must admit that the quality of this album keeps jumping from song to song. The album opens in a good note with the fast, thrashy Hellhounds on My Trail. This song feels just like the kind of progression they needed, cool keyboard that makes atmosphere here and there. But if there's something interesting about this song, it is the solo. The solo of this song jumps back to the 80's thrash era, it is dissonant, fast, completely insane, yet it fits right in the madness. Even the keyboard solo is completely crazy. But it fits. And then, the title track. Blooddrunk is quite a good song, the keyboard intro is amazing, the solos are more like classic Bodom, and there's more melody here. Alexi's vocals are stronger than they were on AYDY?, and in both of this songs they fit perfectly. Sadly, this 2 songs might be the only ones of the album I can say that, and maybe Tie My Rope. Both songs are great, but I can't say that with the rest of the album so easily.

You see, one of the biggest problems here comes from Alexi's vocals. In the songs that were previously mentioned, his vocals felt right were they belonged. But in the other songs, he sounds overbearing. Since Hatecrew Deathroll, Alexi started changing his vocals from a harsh black metal like screech to a mid-range scream which you could actually understand and also was more powerful than his screech of early albums, and far better than his attempt at a low growl in Something Wild, which was, admittedly, quite laughable. But in this album, he tries to get his vocals to take over: In songs like Lobodomy and Roadkill Morning, his vocals are overbearing and annoying, you just get to wish he shuts up. Alexi has never been one of the most appreciated vocalists out there, but this album definitely won't help those who hate his vocals at all. 

Musically, this album lacks an edge: While there are some seriously awesome songs like Hellhounds on My Trail, Blooddrunk, Tie My Rope and Banned From Heaven, there are some terrible ones like Lobodomy and Smile Pretty for the Devil, and the others are just... there, they are neither good nor bad: They're just forgettable. This album suffers from feeling like a collection of B-Sides instead of an actual album, and that quite damages the quality, making it quite jumpy. The riffs in this album are mostly great, going from highly melodic to thrashy, and that is one of the high points of the album. Same cannot be said about the lead guitar work, though: As good as Alexi is, the solos feel recycled and repetitive, with certain exceptions: Hellhounds on my Trail has that insane Slayer-like solo and Blooddrunk is quite good. But the rest of his solos are lacking the feeling of the ones in earlier stuff. Drumming isn't anything really special, but it's good. Jaska could do more creative stuff, but he does a good work. The bass has some cool parts like in Smile Pretty for the Devil, where it sounds cool in the intro, that is admittedly the best part of that weak song, but overall it is M.I.A. during all the album. The keyboards aren't as prominent as they used to be, usually now they just follow the notes, but they shine at times.

Lyrically, this album is simply disastrous. I can't keep it any longer, this album might as well be considered their lowest point lyrically. AYDY? got some of their best lyrics to date, this is totally the opposite. Take, for example, the great Hellhounds on My Trail:

Watching the c***
But before I'm into worries
I do better think fast
Step beyond the legs
Risk selfdestruction
One more sucker
Wait again
To the wrong turn
To the right direction
Too many ****ing gonna turn
Going too fast
When you call me outrageous
As a questioner 

Now, asides from making NO SENSE AT ALL, they are plain terrible. Luckily, that is one of the songs where musically you won't care about the lyrics. But there are cases, like Lobodomy, where you'll hope "Well, at least this song might have good lyrics". Well, let's look at the source:

You mother****ers wanna give me, a lobodomy?
**** no, then you know who I am?
Well we're about to ****ing see
You started messin with death
No one said?
I'm a Maniac
Fuck yeah, you have no power to ask why!
Then I will give you a turn

Well, you get your answer, and it is a no. And don't expect the rest of the album to be any better lyrically, it's just plain terrible in that sense.

In short, this album had potential, but it ended up falling flat in it's face. Alexi tries to hard to take over with his vocals, the songwriting keeps jumping in quality, the lead guitar works usually feels like more of the same, the keyboards which used to give an extra edge to earlier albums aren't there for a good part, and the lyrics are horrid. Their worst album to date, though it has songs like Hellhounds on My Trail, Blooddrunk, Tie My Rope and Banned From Heaven that save it from being downright terrible. I don't know how their next album will turn out, but I do hope it ends up being better than this one.

Rugter's favorite tracks:

As mentioned before, Hellhounds on My Trail, Blooddrunk, Tie My Rope and Banned From Heaven. Because those are actually awesome.

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(Editor's Note: LoC would just like to point out that this Review is the opinion of the author, Rugter, and his alone.  Personally I can't stand anything CoB released after Follow The Reaper, although I do enjoy the first 3 albums. - LoC )

Dawn Of Tears: Dark Camber Litanies Review, by Rugter

Dawn Of Tears: Dark Camber Litanies

Review by Rugter

[Awesome Melodic Death Metal band from Madrid, Spain they are. This EP is just a show of what they got. Could be hailed as a classic in some years.]

For those who do not know the band, Dawn of Tears are:

J. Alonso - Vocals
A. Perez - Guitar
J.L. Trebol - Guitar
Konrad - Bass
I. Perez - Drums

Spain has many great things. They have a great soccer league (Atletico de Madrid por siempre!), they have Gaudi's architecture, they got that Arabic culture infusion in Sevilla, La Puerta De Alcala in Madrid... A great country indeed. But Madrid has other things asides from 2 great soccer teams: They got Dawn of Tears, one of the most promising bands of recent years. Formed in 1999, this band didn't really do much until 2007, when they released their first LP, Descent. That LP was quite a great debut, with really few flaws. 2 years later, they've come and released an EP that displays their great potential. Being a band that leaves their albums free for download over the internet and having only one LP and 1 EP, asides from being very much unknown, you might think they're amateurs, but it's far from that: They are at the level of some of the best melodeath bands, and maybe even better. Their sound could be described as if Children of Bodom, In Flames, Dark Tranquillity and Cradle of Filth decided to do an EP toghether, but each one being on top of their game: The music is at the same time melodic, aggressive, technical and catchy. They manage it all at the same time, and with no flaws at all, I must admit. It's enough to listen to the opener, Cadent Beating, to witness how do they get it all done at once.

This band has it all: A great vocalist who ranges from sounding like an improved version of Anders Frieden from In Flames when using his Death Grunt at times sounding like Mikael Stanne from Dark Tranquillity in his Damage Done era, going to a Danni Filth like low whisper, all the way to some impressive clean vocals that normally harmonize with some grunts and at times with some female vocals for a great effect, normally that being in the choruses, which are really memorable. Dual lead guitars are obligatory for a melodeath band, and they keep that with no problem, the solos in this album are mindblowing, showing some great technical proficiency, keeping the melody with no problem. The riffs are also great, they can go from quite heavy to light power-metally ones. The bass manages to stand out enough, mainly in the song Winds of Despair, where you can listen to it quite clearly under all the madness. The drumming is quite good, keeping double bass most of the time, and there are some cool fills here and there, but in all honesty, it's the least memorable part of the album. I think Perez could do more interesting stuff. Lyrically, I have yet to figure out the lyrics, and they aren't up in their site yet, so I doubt I can comment on it any soon.

From the intro of the amazing 7 minute long Cadent Beating, you will be blown away. Starting with some toy-piano like effects, it goes and builds up before finally exploding into a massive tremolo-picked riff. From that very moment, you will notice something: Dawn of Tears mean serious business. Alonso enters showing a great vocal performance, and about 3:05 into the song, you'll listen to the first chorus: Melodic and memorable, simply awesome. The keyboards (Who I do not know who takes care of it) keep the atmosphere for it. By 4:05, the first solo hits, and man, is that a great solo. This song alone is not only a great intro to the EP, but possibly their best song to date. The riffs, the solos, the vocals, the drums, everything about it is as perfect as possible. Since They're Gone opens with a great piano intro, and the awesomeness is kept throughout. This song features some audible bass, and Alonso enters the vocals in a Danni Filth-like whisper, which is great. The chorus of this song is massive, with clean vocals harmonizing with death grunts. They sound simply perfect. After the relative calmness of the last song, Winds of Despair opens with a heavy tremolo picked riff, yet the keyboard simulating violins behind it gives a good amount of melody to it. The drumming in this one is a bit faster than in last 2 songs. With some female operatic vocals in the background in some parts, it gives it more power. Some tempo changes here and there, and yet another amazing chorus. The solo in this song fits the atmosphere perfectly. And the last chorus is sang acapella, a big plus. And in harmonized clean vocals, kinda sounding like Vortex from Dimmu Borgir.
Next song, As My Autums Withers opens with a heavy riff that once again gains the melody it has thanks to some background violins. This song has what I consider the best solo of the album, it's simply too damn good. Yet another solid, memorable song, every riff is great, and the solo is... well, THE solo. It finishes slowly fading out, making it's way to the next and last song. Mr. Jarrod opens with one insane intro: Distorted guitar and piano at the same time have never sounded so good. And suddenly, the song explodes into the main riff, which is basically the intro with tremolo pick and without the piano. Alonso's vocals in this song are outstanding: Death metal growl, black metal shrieks, to whispers, some drowned all clean vocals at the end, and all perfectly done, I must add. The solo is epic, and fits perfectly the song. If goes from melodic to fast and back to melodic again. It closes with just violins, drums, and drowned out clean vocals. This is simply a perfect closer for a great album.

Now, I've praised this album quite a bit, but why do I give it a 4.5? Well, for one, it leaves you wishing for more, Mr. Jarrod is a great closer, but still leaves you waiting for a next song first time around. And to be honest, the drumming could be quite better, it is just... repetitive. Other than that, this band is a clear winner for me: The know how to be epic, when to, they got one hell of a vocalist who knows when to do each thing, they got a pair of amazing guitar players, and they are at a really high level for a band with so few records. This album is a clear 4.5 for me, would be a 5 if not for the above mentioned flaws. Every song is a 5/5 for me. This band has some serious potential, which I am sure we're yet to see.

P.S.: This EP and their debut LP are free for download in their site: http://www.dawnoftears.com/descarga.html