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BONDED BY BLOOD
"Exiled to Earth" (Earache;
2010)
Reviewed by Mike SOS
Thrash revivalists Bonded by Blood return with a conceptual sophomore album entitled "Exiled to Earth."
This California quintet once again makes no bones about their influences, as 80s thrash is the order of the day for these metal mavens, referencing everyone from Testament and Kreator to Vio-lence and Overkill throughout this blatantly brazen 11-track retread while an alien-versus-human sci-fi storyline is set to the band’s borrowed backdrop of frenzied guitars, thunderous drums, and high pitched vocal sneers.
Showcasing a particular affinity for early Exodus (from whom the band derives its name), songs like “Sector 87” and “Prison Planet” could be mistaken for cleaned-up outtakes of Baloff-era material with its tantalizing twin guitar work while tracks like the title cut melds Megadeth with Forbidden and “Genetic Encryption” gives props to modern day Slayer with its dastardly riffing and mighty percussion work.
While their rapid-fire interpretations are far from original, Bonded by Blood does a fine job in shaking up their thrash metal concoction to produce a palatable offering that produces a solid listen for those concerned with nothing besides banging their head.
For more information, check out http://www.myspace.com/bondedbyblood.
"Feed the Beast" (Earache;
2008)
Reviewed by Mike SOS
So thrash metal it hurts, this California quintet have dug up the remnants of Exodus (where'd ya think they got their name from?), Forbidden, Death Angel, and Overkill to recreate the glory days of '80s thrash.
"Feed the Beast" is a 12-track homage to white hi-tops, squealing guitar solos, and apocalyptic song topics yielding titles such as "Self Immolation" and Necropsy," and -- despite a few well-trodden roads travelled -- this disc delivers an authentic melange of smoking riffs ("Civil Servant"), tongue-in-cheek humor ("Theme from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles") and unbridled fury which made thrash metal such an exhilirating entity.
If you dig Megadeth, Bay Area thrash, or can't get enough of Municipal Waste, then satisfy your craving with Bonded by Blood's latest entry to the revival.
For more information, check out http://www.myspace.com/bondedbyblood.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2010 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights reserved.
