Earlier this month, SoCal based metalcore band Bloodshed dropped their debut album Punishments Beyond Comprehension under Daze Records. This is a band I have been really high on since they released their demo last summer that had some awesome tracks like Spirit Corruption and Endless Nightmare (which they also remastered for this album). I also had the chance to see them earlier this year at Hellfest West where they played an great set and I got to hear some of the tracks off this album early.
From the opening track, Abhorrence, Bloodshed immediately sets the hateful tone that defines this release, with the first lyrics literally being “I hate you all.” The bands animosity for us all is also felt through the pissed-off low vocals that reign over this album. Speaking of vocals, this album also has a ton of sick features from the vocalists of bands like Laid 2 Rest, Upon Stone, Leave no Doubt and Forced Order.
The instrumentation on this album is also great of course. What most stuck out to me in this album and one of the coolest parts Bloodshed’s style are the awesome licks, dive bombs and short solos jammed packed into their songs. One of my favorite examples of this is on the song Punishment. This song, which is only a minute long, is probably only meant to be a short instrumental interlude, but the little solo in it is one of my favorite parts of the album every time I listen to it. This album also has tons of groove which comes a lot from the awesome drumming. This album also takes heavy inspiration from the “Holy Terror” sound pioneered by legendary hardcore acts like Integrity and Ringworm.
Another thing that I also really appreciate about this album is that while most bands writing a heavier style of metalcore like this end up just writing their songs around breakdowns, Bloodshed doesn’t fall for that trap. All of their songs feel very purposeful, not just fluff to build up to another repetitive breakdown.
I will say, one thing kind of disappointing in this album is that four – practically half of the album – songs on the album are just remasters of previously released material. It is nice to see a hardcore band put a album out this quickly. But at the same time, I think I could’ve been better to sit on the new songs for a little longer to while writing a couple more songs rather than old stuff taking up a large portion of the run time.
That it’s for my review. If you like what you’ve read and this band sounds interesting to you, check them out on some of their coming Arizona dates in October. First on the 4th with Massachusetts hardcore legends Blood for Blood headlining and support from other awesome acts like Ingrown and Death Before Dishonor. Then again on the 9th with Connecticut legends 100 Demons.
