2007-03-18
Everything about Dutch deathsters Fuelblooded's debut release screams professionalism, beginning from the fantastic cover art courtesy of ever dependable Travis Smith, on with the sharp and precise sound, with the mix and mastering done by the busy Jacob Hansen (
Hatesphere,
Mercenary Etc.), with the main thing being the tight musicianship by the band members themselves.
Musically the band brings together several extreme genres, the most obvious is melodic death metal, but there also some neo-thrash involved, and some more melodic elements thrown in by the use of some not overly melodic vocals. The tuned down guitars add a whiff of
Meshuggah to the mixture.
While the opener," Art Of Life", is quite straightforward melodic death/thrash, the second number – "Measure Swords" is complex enough to be considered progressive, with some nice melodic guitar work and strong lead work.
The best parts are the more aggressive in my point of view, with the third track – "Dream Tech Inc." being a good example, the moment the double-pedal drumming and death growls kick in, it adds a needed dose of aggression into the mix, and the combination of melodic and growled vocals comes off strong.
The title track is a short, almost industrial sounding piece, doesn’t better the album in any way, but the next number "Hate Of A Thousand Ages" is one of the fastest cuts here and it works a treat. The tuned down guitars fit in well with the aggressive feel of the track.
It's not an overtly original release, but there's no denying the amount of effort and talent put into the album. It's not an easy album too, it's quite complex and the tuned down guitars make it a bit hard to swallow at times, but for those willing to put some attention here, it has a definite pay-off.
Alon Miasnikov
