Album Review: Blood Eagle - To Ride In Blood and Bathe In Greed I
Reviewed by Tim Finch
Having recently signed to Nuclear Blast, Blood Eagle seem quite an interesting concept. The band originate from Denmark and comprise of former members of Volbeat, Mnemic, Hatesphere, Illdisposed and Raunchy. They originally formed back in 2013 over a shared love of death metal, delivered with old school values.
To release their debut album, the band have decided to mix it up a bit, dropping three E.P.’s over the course of October and November. To Ride in Blood and Bathe In Greed will be quite the concept piece of work.
'To Ride in Blood and Bathe In Greed I' was released last week to much fan fair. It opens with ‘Feed On The Blood Of Man’ which certainly harks back to their values of old school death metal. Guitars are brutal and vocals guttural in a ferocious delivery of extreme music. Whilst rooted in old school death metal, the bands sound is more expansive than they make out. It’s darker, sometimes showing a hint of progressive writing, sometimes an influence of At The Gates and then sometimes a hint of black metal creeps in.
‘Unsung Zeros’ is a battering ram of a song, two minutes of aggression, almost drawing on punk influences in places. More grind than death but always so brutal. ‘Impact Irreversible’ is an insatiable onslaught, blast beats ring out throughout the track as the song leaves you feeling like you’ve been hit in the face with a shovel.
In a genre full of similar acts it’s refreshing to see Blood Eagle try to stretch the boundaries of what is acceptable. Part I of the album demonstrates what the band is capable of. We won’t have long to wait to see how parts II and III live up to the initial offering.
Blood Eagle's To Ride In Blood & Bathe In Greed I is out now via Nuclear Blast. Parts II and III will be unleashed in the next few weeks.
