By John Bedard
‘Blood Is Blood’ starts strong. Grabbing elements from multiple styles, On Hollow Ground have made an album that will fit into pretty much any playlist that is even close to the genre. I have mentioned before that sometimes you hear music as a kid and think it is more aggressive than it really was. This is like what you have in your memory. This is the aggressive tone you thought you were listening to back when you were playing ‘Tony Hawks Pro Skater’. When your parents were not listening. Assuming your parents were as strict as mine about music that is. If you are lucky you can’t relate to this memory.
Tonally we have very heavy driving guitars and drums that the majority of the time push this aggressive sound but occasionally changing and cleaning up to add a little variety. Really the tone and style, especially in the first two tracks, reminds me of the way the music in the 2016 release of ‘Doom’ evolves. That same feeling of high adrenaline awesomeness is captured here – except with vocals.
Speaking of vocals, we have a wonderfully aggressive distorted vocal tone that complements the musical style wonderfully really helping to drive that tone home. Also, like the music, there is some pretty good variety here at times changing from a growl to a shout and even cleaning up. There is a back and forth between multiple singers as well that give a decent variety to the tracks.
One complaint I do have is that even though there is that added variety I previously mentioned once the whole evolution is heard it is then repeated multiple times to a point where the repetition is noticeable. Sure it is a small thing and I am pickier about repetition than most but it does bug me a little here. Not enough to take away from the overall experience though. Frankly, if this is the most negative thing I have to say that is a good thing as it is a very minor issue to have.
‘Blood Is Blood’ has a lot to offer and is absolutely worth your time. With the aggressive passionate delivery, it makes for a great album that deserves a hard-earned place in your collection. Especially as a part of any playlist, you listen to when combined with any high adrenaline activity. It is powerful and driven with some unique musical elements peeking through to make it really stand out.
- ‘Blood Is Blood’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.
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