The death metal legends Bloodbath announced their new album ‘The Arrow Of Satan Is Drawn’ and released the first track of it ’Bloodicide’ a few weeks ago. It is the second record with Nick Holmes on the microphone.
The album starts with the track ‚Fleischmann‘, which means something like ‘man of flesh’ or in a transferred sense slaughterer in German. It is a brutal beginning with blackened guitar riffs mixed with typical stuff of Bloodbath. I like the arrangement of the background guitar and the sloppy, but powerful guitar solo as well as Nick Holmes’ varying vocals.
The previously announced track ‘Bloodicide’ is a true monster of death metal and as brutal as the name of the song. Jeff Walker from Carcass, Karl Willetts from Bolt Thrower and John Walker from Cancer participate in this song as guests. Nice! The hymnic beginning and the groovy chorus are very powerful parts, but especially the half-time part in the middle of the song killed me. I imagine the head bangers during a concert every single time. A masterpiece!
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‘Wayward Samatarian’ is an uncommon mix of riffs, but surprisingly cool: Evil Death metal meets groovy Rock ‘n’ Roll. Listening to this track the first time was strange, but the more I listened to this track the more I like it.
To be honest, the next four songs ‘Levitator’, ‘Deader’, ‘March Of The Crucifiers’ and ‘Morbid Antichrist’ can be summarized in a few sentences. There are cool parts, solos, vocals, riffs, beats, and so far and so on. There is absolutely no doubt about it. These songs are legit and pretty brutal Bloodbath songs, but in their core nothing special in comparison to the other songs on the record. In my point of view, this is the bridge between the best parts of the album.
Okay after that, we go back to Rock ‘n’ Roll with ‘Warhead Ritual’. I do not know why, but I like this crude mixture. I think this style could be a real killer live on stage. Long parts of groovy riffs and beats leads into a short and crazy guitar solo. But the song is always backed with the spirit of Bloodbath. Very cool!
‘Only The Dead Survive’, a heavy title as well as the track itself. Mid-speed powerful rhythms with evil background and lead guitars appear the whole time. This is my taste of death metal on point, again. Especially the second half of the track have massive potential to headbang as never in a metal fan’s life backed by quite evil lead melodies. I must say it again: What a masterpiece!
The last track of the so far very awesome records ‘Chainsaw Lullaby’ sounds heavy and evil again. Bullet blasts and crazy guitar riffs merge with Nick’s varying vocal into a bewitching spirit while listening to that. The end of the track and obviously of the record is heavy, hymnic, and creepy simultaneously because of scream and chainsaw samples. That is quite brutal and a graceful end of the track. Awesome!
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I tried to find something I do not like about the sound. I really tried it. But seriously, and to be honest as a Bloodbath fan, I know the really bad sound of Bloodbath records, but I am liking the muddy sound of them, especially the guitar sound which sounds like a broken chainsaw in a few tracks in their career. But “The Arrow Of Satan Is Drawn” has a perfect sound. I recognize the well-known muddy spirit of the guitar sound, the creepy vocals and the powerful rhythms. But this record casts it into a positive light. The sound is crystal-clear and well mixed in every sense.
Bloodbath’s “The Arrow Of Satan Is Drawn” is a masterpiece! The sound is heavy, powerful, just brutal and perfect in any sense. The most tracks are very, very awesome and filled with newer ideas. Fans of death metal music should give this record a try definitively. Fans of Bloodbath have no choice but to buy this outstanding album blindly, trust me.