Bonded by Blood, Feed the Beast
Borrowing their name from the seminal 1984 debut of California’s thrash pioneers Exodus, Bonded by Blood take their shot at the title of new thrash kings with a debut of their own. Feed the Beast, unlike releases from fellow new wave of thrash acts Municipal Waste, Gama Bomb and Evil, sees the band take a darker, more aggressive approach to their genre. While most at the front of the thrash revival tend to gear their lyrics toward campy topics such as partying, drinking, zombies and other horror related material, Bonded by Blood tend to take a more serious (yet still campy) approach to their lyrical content.
As for the music on Feed the Beast, the guitars have more of an old school edge to them as they flash through burly riff after burly riff and trade leads like a single, schizophrenic being. Heavy handed drum work and thundering rhythms keep the band on track, rumbling toward an unknown destination as breakneck speeds. Finally, the lead vocals are pretty aggressive in their own right and settle into a mid range, gruff delivery. The key to the Aladdin’s vocals however is his ability to spit out lyrics at an uncanny rate on frequent bursts throughout the disc.
Immortal Life
The album opens up with heavy drum work and nasty riffs before the group dives head first into a churning, violent sea of thrashing maniacs. There’s a nice underlying groove to this one that will keep your head banging long after it’s been severed from your shoulders. Deep group vocals accompany Aladdin’s mid range shouts as Alex Lee and Juan Juarez lob devastating leads back and forth at each other.
Feed The Beast
The title track gets off to a quick and speedy pace with driving drums and guitars. There are several slick tempo changes throughout this one mixed with guitar squeals and chugging riffs. More gang shouts for the backing vocals add a nice layer to the band’s sound. Man, I don’t think Carlos Regalado knows of any sort of restraint when it comes to beating the living hell out of his drums. There’s a sick series of leads at the 2:15 mark that last a good long while.
Psychotic Pulse
A sweet riff starts this one off as the bass and drums build up the steam to a nice chugging pace. As a lead comes in a the 25 second mark, the vocals come in. This is one quick paced monstrosity of a song. Vicious riffs and heavy drumming dominate this one.
Necropsy
Bonded by Blood waste no time with “Necropsy.” A brief series of beefy riffs are quickly overtaken by pummeling drums and driving guitars. The drum work on this one is primal in its singular goal of beating in your freakin’ skull. The vocals come in quickly around the one minute mark and quickly escalate to a rapid, dual vocal attack. This is easily one of my favorite tracks on the disc.
Mind Pollution
A classic, thrashing riff and guitar highlights get this one going as the band shifts into full thrash mode with crushing drum blasts and galloping riffs. There’s a pretty sweet lead at the 1:40 mark that simply shreds. “Mind Pollution” is a beast of track.
Another Disease
Memorable riffing and beats get this one moving along at a nice pace. I love the guitars at the 47 second mark — very cool. Several tempo changes and blasts punctuate this one as beefy riffs and layered vocals join in. Check out the lead at the 2:15 mark.
The Evil Within
I love the opening to “The Evil Within.” It’s got a bit of a Slayer feel to it, but completely rocks the hell out. The vocals on this one are interesting as they and the pace build up to speed. The backing group vocals are a nice touch, as well. A series of evil leads dominate the remaining two minutes or so.
Tormenting Voices
Evil as hell guitars and chugging beats get “Tormenting Voices” well on its way. More beastly drum work pounds away at what little resolve you have left at this point in the album. There’s another slick lead at the 1:50 point of the track that can’t be missed.
Civil Servant
Thick riffing opens up this next track, but is quickly overwhelmed by a solid lead. Layered vocals add a nice dynamic to the track as gang shouts back them up. The pace to this one nears maniacal in its nature.
Self Immolation
I love the opening transition from the creative drum work to the chugging, driving riffs as this one gets underway. “Self Immolation” is one hell of an aggressive track, yet has some of the catchiest guitar work you’ll hear on the album. It definitely has an old school feel to it. The lead at the 2:18 mark is pretty bad ass.
Vengeance
This is the last tack of original material before the bonus track hits. “Vengeance” hits hard and often with classic riffing and unrelenting drum work. Some of Aladdin’s quickest vocals show up on this one — and they are impressive as hell. I love the combination of the shout and lead at the 1:13 point. It’s one of those unique touches that gives the band their own sound in the flood of new wave thrash acts. And you need to be fully prepared for the brief lead at the two minute mark.
Bonus Track
There’s a hidden/bonus track on the album that should bring a huge smile to any fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Bonded by Blood tear through the shows theme song in record time. It’ll have you shouting along with the band with a quickness.
~ ~ ~
Man, talk about separating yourself from the pack. Bonded by Blood’s debut album is heavy beyond heavy. It’s got a much more aggressive and dark feel than much of the sound that dominates the new breed of thrash metal. Combining old school aesthetics with modern touches, the group will leave you bloody and out of breath by the time the album is done. You have been warned.
Favorite Tracks:
All of them
Additional Notes:
N/A