A man staggers from his horse,
falling to his knees at the bank of the river.
With difficulty he shrugs off his armor, his hands stained russet with
the remnants of his passage. He presses
a hand to his side, and it comes away darker, mixing his own lifeblood with
that of his enemies’. He takes off his helm
and drops his halberd in the rocks at the edge of the river. With great effort he crawls towards the
water, his right fist clenching and unclenching, filled with bloody gravel. Then he is at the stream; he has
arrived. The warrior plunges his hands
deep into the river, splashing cool water on his rugged, upturned face. For a moment, at least, he feels peace
descend on his spirit, and he forgets the terrible deeds that have gone
before. He has come through the storm,
through death, and has found hope and forgiveness in the cleansing waters
of the stream.
How
can a music album evoke such a strong image?
Melding the bone-crushing heaviness of traditional death metal with a
symphonic background, Blood Thirsty’s debut album Sanguine River Absolution is a call to battle for the stalwart
metal fan. The one-man project, led by
Derek Corzine, is influenced by bands such as Crimson Thorn and Cannibal
Corpse; however, through the shredding guitars and bone-jarring drumming,
melodic portions more reminiscent of bands such as Extol and Dimmu Borgir float
to the surface. Continuing in the vein
of his band Syringe, Corzine writes intense, driving melodic guitar riffs that
should please fans of In Flames and Immortal Souls.
“Slaughtering
Sin” begins with a deep, chugging guitar line reminiscent of Meshuggah, but
it’s clear that this a horse of a different color as the keys come in after a
few moments. Throughout the record,
Corzine does an excellent job of paying tributes to some of the greats in death
metal without merely aping or reproducing what these bands have
accomplished. At one moment heavy bass
and down-tuned guitar have me convinced I’m listening to Broken Flesh; the next
moment my senses are indulged by a melodic portion that wouldn’t be out of
place on an Extol record. “Mercy of the
Storm” is one of the most epic and refined tracks on Sanguine River Absolution.
The guitar line falls like a deluge of acid rain, bringing to mind I
Built the Cross; a chugging, audible bass line is the proverbial cherry on top
of the milkshake. “When the Flesh
Explodes” takes the band briefly into thrash metal territory and also showcases
higher-pitched black metal shrieks. “Scared
to Death” boasts the most unique guitar work on the album, alternating between
scaling riffs and orchestral portions.
The song is further bolstered by skillfully executed time changes and
slamming bass lines that immediately bring to mind Mortification’s Steve Rowe
during the Scrolls era. Sanguine
River Absolution ends with “Behold, the Fire,” which is certainly a unique
track. From the screams of tortured
souls to the uplifting guitar solo at the end of the track, the listener will
certainly find an engaging experience.
Overall,
the album fits together very well and each instrument is executed
professionally, which is no given with a one-man band. Vocals, guitar, and bass really shine on this
record; however, one area for improvement would be in the drumming. I was looking for a few more detailed fills
and perhaps even a solo or two; setting up a drum pattern that is then taken on
by the guitars and developed throughout the song would be fitting here. The production on the record is solid, but I
feel that it could be improved in regards to orchestration. The orchestration sounds a bit thin and reedy
in a few areas. A solid plus, though, is
that the orchestration is mixed at the right level compared to the other
instruments; it isn’t drowned out or overbearing. Overall, this is a record that is
intelligently put together. Blood
Thirsty captivates the senses and doesn’t let go until the last chord fades
out.
While
fans of traditional death metal will find tons of material to enjoy on Sanguine River Absolution, the album is
especially tailored with fans of bands like Renascent, Extol, Dimmu Borgir, and
Betraying the Martyrs in mind. Derek
Corzine is an experienced metal man, and in terms of a debut album, Blood
Thirsty has nailed it. It doesn’t get
much better than this.
Rating: 4.5/5.0
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