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BLOODRED
The Lost Ones EP

Self-released (2014)
Rating: 5/10

Having been spewed forth from the shadows that envelope Oberstenfeld, north of Stuttgart in Germany, black metallers Bloodred is the work of one Ron Merz. Merz formed Bloodred back in 2009 and is responsible for almost everything you hear on this two-track composition; all except for the percussion which was provided by Joris Nijenhuis (Atrocity, Leaves’ Eyes).

Put simply, Bloodred play black metal, which is drenched in melody but all the while remains hostile. So, think of classic bands like Emperor at its most epic and that’s where Bloodred sits.

The opening track on offer here, ‘The Lost Ones’, begins as a barrage of rattling drums and straight-laced riffage. Initially, this is no more than black metal-by-numbers, until it decides to slow the pace to a gallop which enables the song to become a tad more rewarding.

I was hoping for a touch more invention with the next track, ‘Spirits Of The Dead’, which begins steadily with that simmering percussion before the whole song becomes a sudden rush of racing guitars, blasted drums, and vocals which have a versatility, enabling them to fit alongside not just a black metal framework but also thrashier and deathlier segments.

It’s certainly the thrashier aspects which come to the fore with this track, although in its entirety it’s again a rather bland, formulaic black metal cacophony, if one is honest. Of course, what we’ve come to expect from true black metal over the years is the restriction with the pace, but in spite of occasional melodic tempos ‘Spirits Of The Dead’ does become too boring all too quickly.

When one has been exposed to this type of black metal years ago, the gimmick is sure to wear off, and although the title track seems more comfortable changing its shifts in tempo, even the vocal grates begin to… er, grate. For an artist who speaks of being influenced by British doom metal as well as thrash and death metal, I really expected a lot more from this brace of songs, but I won’t judge Bloodred too harshly on such a brief stint.

As the songs go, this is a rather average EP that needs to not just exist as a battering ram but instead take a few moments to reflect and let the listener in, because at the moment what we have on offer is something not just generic but extremely mediocre in its quest for recreating a black metal surge of an epic nature.

Neil Arnold

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