Bloodlands / Cross to Bear – Split 7″ EP
Bloodlands debut last year was full of short groovy songs based on the cross point of Metalcore and Brutal Death Metal. The band took the sound of Dying Fetus and Dehumanized and glued it on short hardcore punk structures. They are back with two songs and sharing the wax with Cross to Bear also from Finland. On the cover of the EP two masked skulls are staring in our eyes; one has a shotgun and the other an axe. Just as the masked skulls the music kills within seconds.
The tough sound of Bloodlands is heavier and more brutal than before leaning on the Death Metal side in the first song ‘Assault’. Luckily they add on the typical hardcore grooves and breaks when needed. The growling vocalist shows after the first half he can shout in range of the grooves and breaks like Jamey from Hatebreed does. ‘Experience in Flesh’ has the typical chuggah chuggah grooves and has Metalcore like Unearth incorporated which also means melodic riffing during the sample of a screaming woman. They close their side off with a brutal grooving part. The production is organic which I prefer over all these digital outputs nowadays in this style. Well done guys!
Cross to Bear is focused on brutal Metalcore; think of 100 Demons and the likes. The vocalist has the same typical low growls. Double bass drums and heavy hardcore guitar parts are grooving like a mad motherfucker. In Finland they never get tired of playing this type of music. Cross to Bear picks up the style with full confidence and know how to groove their ways through ‘Mind Control’ and ‘Worst Case Scenario’. Maybe on purpose but I like it how the sound is kept nasty and organic. The flow of the songs give you enough time to startup your mosh moves.
Fans of Dying Fetus, 100 Demons, Dehumanized or old Hatebreed please take notice. To order a copy of this split 7 inch please click this link
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