Review: Blood Has Been Shed

by campbell

blood

With the release of Blood Has Been Shed’s third disc “Spirals” on Ferret Records, the Connecticut four-piece has endured its prevalent line-up changes curse to start the foundations in the new family of the metal neighborhood. Their practice of relentlessly blasting out slaughtering riffs song after song rips apart the new wave of metal causing the imitators and unrighteous to fall through the cracks leaving BHBS standing in great company among the ruins. Since forming five years ago, Blood Has Been Shed has solidified its cast to include vocalist Howard Jones, guitarist Corey Unger (who runs his family business in addition to slaying the riffage), bass player John Lynch, and drummer Justin Foley. Foley, who joined the group a year-and-a-half ago, had his first chance with “Spirals” to add to the writing process. Blending the spastic sessions bands like A Life Once Lost with a similar likeness to Between the Buried and Me, BHBS builds “Spirals” up by adding layer upon layer to the metal that we have come to love – but they don’t stop there. Once your mind is in full-fledged mosh mode and you’re flailing your arms around your bedroom and picking up change among the piles of dirty clothes in your room, BHBS seamlessly flows into a melody that temporarily displays another dynamic to the band. These tears in the obvious also show that BHBS is not afraid to sacrifice something predictable for something that reeks of creativity. Once they’ve completed their vocal harmonies and soothing guitar work, it’s back to the grindstone and the pillaging continues. Working with producer Zeuss (who has worked with Hatebreed, God Forbid and Shadow’s Fall) proved to be helpful. “Spirals” achieved a progressive sound that shows through on every inch of the record. The band credits the improved sound quality of the album to Zeuss and to themselves for making the effort to work hard and make the record happen. Jones, who also fronts Killswitch Engage, had been absent from the Blood Has Been Shed lineup for three-quarters of the year. The band had to work even harder further proving their dedication and passion for creating music.