Don’t you just love the early period of heavy metal, with soaring guitars and lots of leather? In an ultimate throwback, heavy metal act BLOODY HELL make no secret of being inspired by the some of the most legendary heavy metal acts like JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN, and many more. If you like your metal on the raw side, you might just wanna check out “The Bloodening,” out on April 30th, 2021, via Rockshots Records.
If you have been following our website for a while, you may have heard of a band called METAL DE FACTO. BLOODY HELL shares two members with them (guitarist Esa Orjatsalo and drummer Atte Marttinen) who have not only sworn to make power metal great again but also seek to put the heavy back in heavy metal. Combine that with the strong and raw vocals of Marko Skou – whose voice reminds me a little bit of Udo Dirkschneider – and you’ve got the essence of what BLOODY HELL is: uncompromising and edgy tracks that will get you starting a circle pit in your living room (we’re still living in pandemic times, right?)
Opening track “Hangover Rider” is a fun track to start the record off and most likely will be an exciting song to perform live. I can already see the crowd in my mind shouting along with the backing vocals, screaming “Bloody Hell!,” which is something the band likes to use in other tracks too (eg. “What the Hell”). Continuing with the more laidback “Face In Hell” with more groove, the band already shows off great diversity within these first two tracks and make no mistake, the variety in this album is one of its strongest points. “In the Night We Ride” contains some fun twin guitaring melodies, while “The Undertaker” has some great bass melodies. The most surprising track, however, was “Kiesma (The Museum of Modern Art),” a wordplay on Kiasma (with an a), which really is a contemporary art museum. This song is the album’s epic, clocking in at over 7 minutes, it has totally turned this album upside down. I presume the band wanted to make some kind of art piece out of this track, given its title.
To sum things up, BLOODY HELL have created a bunch of heavy metal tracks that are incredibly diverse, combined into “The Bloodening.” If you are hoping for an overly-polished album, then perhaps this might not be your cup of tea. The production of the songs sounds like a typical garage band in the ’80s, which, given the music they play, is totally fitting. If you’re in the mood for some plain and simple heavy metal, with no frills, but instead raging guitars, twin harmonies, groovy basslines, and pounding drums, then you’re at the right address… BLOODY HELL make fine heavy metal tracks, with fun lyrics and lots of attitude. What’s not to like?
Tracklist
1. Hangover Rider
2. Face In Hell
3. The Undertaker
4. In The Night We Burn
5. Smoking
6. What The Hell
7. Burn Witch Burn
8. Muders She Wrote
9. Midnight Man
10. Long Road To Hell
11. Bite
12. Kiesma (The Museum of Modern Art)
Lineup
Marko Skou – Vocals , BassJaakko Halttunen – Guitar
Esa Orjatsalo – Guitar
Atte Marttinen – Drums
Label
Rockshots Records
