Bloodhorse, Bloodhorse

One of my favorite albums many years back was The Church Within by Wino-lead The Obsessed. It was a dark and sludgy riff filled stoner rock experience filled with brooding doom.

Nearly 13 years later, Bloodhorse have released a self-title EP that reminds me a good deal of that album. Comprised of former members of The Red Chord and American Nightmare, Bloodhorse have escaped the trappings of their previous incarnations and given to the world 35 minutes of riff filled doom and destruction. There are some huge riffs and powerful drumming that accompany roughly sung vocals. The whole album has a thick layer of gloom covering it, but at the same time has a great groove that flows well throuhgout the disc’s 6 songs.

With the likes of Early Man, Doomriders, and The Fucking Wrath, Bloodhorse are joining an ever growing genre that’s pushing sludgey, riff filled heavy metal to new heights.

I’m Burned
The opening bass line has a nice Black Sabbath feel to it as the drums slowly beat along with it. “I’m Burned” is a farily atmospheric piece with beefy riffs and grunchy bass. The vocals are almost drowned out by the rest of the band. It’s as if they are there to compliment the music and not the other way around. I’m digging the effect it has. As one of the three 7 minute tracks on the disc there is alot going on here. The great thing about all longer tracks is that they don’t feel as though they are dragging on — each entertains from start to finish.

Il Treno a Tucumcari
This second track has a nice driving beat to it. It’s given the vocals a bit more prmoinence as well. I love the thick bass guitar work throughout this song. “Il Treno a Tucumcari” has a great groove and flow to it that’s sure to get your head nodding.

Son of Man
A similar bass riff as the opening track gets us started on “Son of Man.” Again, it’s very Black Sabbath inspired, but definitely sets the mood for the rest of the song. Overall, I think this is the one track that really reminds me of The Church Within. I absolutely love the guitar/drum work at about the 3:30 mark.

The Goat
The reverb from “Son of Man” leads into a killer hook on this next track. The upbeat tempo will get you going for sure. “The Goat” is a bit heavier as well. The drum solo is a great touch as well.

Bloodhorse
A very dark bit of doom inspired guitar work opens up the title track. We don’t actually get any vocals until about the 3:30 mark, but those that we do get flow real well with the groove of the music.

Hidden Track
The hidden track is actually a cover of The Who’s “Sparks.” I’m not fully familiar with the song, but Bloodhorse does a nice job with it.

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Overall, this is one hell of an EP — it’s infectious riffs and groove only prove to make me want to play the disc again and again.

Favorite Tracks:
Il Treno a Tucumcari
Son of Man
Bloodhorse

Additional Notes:
N/A