Bonded by Blood-Feed the Beast
(Earache Records, 2008)

All you have to do is look at the name of this band and you can pretty much assume what style of metal they play. Not surprising is the fact that the band does indeed sound like Exodus and unlike many thrash bands around right now they manage to get the perfect balance between fun and all out fury. Thrash has always been a manic for of music and while I do enjoy the more evil side of the genre, the fun side has its merits as well. A band like Bonded by Blood understands the genre and has written an album that will not only appeal to the newer fans of the genre but also veterans of the genre as well.

The songs are fast paced with lighting quick riffs, energetic drumming and old school feeling vocals. Modern elements are nowhere to be found here although the production is polished and modern sounding which really isn't a problem. Guitar solos are very common throughout the album and have a slight Metallica feel at times going for a more melodic and thought out approach more so than just whammy bar dives and fast runs. The band slows down occasionally throughout the album and in these sections I can't help but think the band takes on a slight crossover feel bringing in a bit of hardcore as well. It adds a nice balance to the songs and shows that the band knows how to be effective regardless of the tempo. One smile inducing moments is the full out thrash cover of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme song. Sure it is silly, but if you are like me and grew up watching the cartoon the song certainly is entertaining.

Bonded by Blood doesn't do anything new for the thrash genre and that is itself is one of the reasons I am enjoying this album so much. They understand the history of the genre and understand what makes the style work sticking to those strengths and never added unneeded outside elements. You won't find any death metal vocals or riffs here, just old school thrash with a powerful production. If you are a fan of the Bay Area thrash sound prepare to be devastated.

http://www.myspace.com/bondedbyblood

Canvas Solaris-The Atomized Dream
(Sensory Records, 2008)

With each passing album Canvas Solaris manages to move in new directions while still maintaining elements of the previous album. This latest album, The Atomized Dream, shows the band moving into more dreamy and ethereal waters utilizing electronic drum beats and echo drench guitars. The sound of the band is still technical and lengthy guitar runs are just as common as ever but the overall feel of the album seems much more natural with this album.

The Cynic influence is certainly present with this latest album but the band has moved into some unique areas and flirts with a few different textures than the aforementioned band. What Canvas Solaris excels at with this album is combining their trademark rhythmic technicality with dreamy passages. Razor sharp metal riffs give way to riffs that could only be described as beautiful. It gives the album a more organic sense of technicality. This isnt a band that is trying to throw a million notes at you at once. There are plenty of busy moments on here but the band certainly knows how to show restraint. That one quality is missing from a lot of instrumental bands and is one of the key reasons why Canvas Solaris actually plays music and these can be considered songs, not just technical exercises.

Although this is unquestionably the least metallic album yet from Canvas Solaris it still showcases multiples moments of brilliance from the band. The band has really taken their sound down a different path for this album and I am more than happy to follow the band down the new path. If you are under the assumption that instrumental music is masturbatory and lacking in depth and feel, this album will certainly prove you wrong.

http://www.myspace.com/canvassolaris

Deicide-Till Death Do Us Part
(Earache Records, 2008)

After releasing Serpents of the Light Deicide went through what some might consider being a rough patch but with Scars of the Crucifix and Stench of Redemption the band proved that they still had their early intensity in them. Armed with a new energy and melodic lead guitar work the band has ultimately reinvented themselves and that continues with Till Death Do Us Part, an album that is pure Deicide through and through. From the guttural roars to the tremolo picked guitar riffs there is no mistaking the trademark sound of the band coming through your speakers. If you were expecting Deicide to stumble after back to back quality albums, you expected wrong.

The album opens with the surprisingly melodic The Beginning of the End bringing in an almost black metal feel to the opening of the album. The rest of the album aside from a few deviations in Deicide in their rawest most primal form taking the intensity of the early albums and combining it with the bands current direction. While somewhat lacking the melodic leads from Stench of Redemption, the album more than makes up for it with their raw bestial approach. At the end of the day the sweep picking solos did sound fairly impressive but in my opinion it is one of the most overused techniques in death metal right now. The solos have a stripped down feel but still have a melodic edge somewhat taking the classic style of Deicide soloing and making it much more focused. That said the solo in Worthless Misery is on par with the last album in every way possible.

Lyrically the album is surprisingly in depth and quite different for Deicide. The themes are still very dark but the simplistic nature of the lyrics definitely seems to be a thing of the past. It has taken a number of albums but it is a nice change to see a new direction in the lyrics of Deicide. I'm also left somewhat shocked but just how well the new lyrics are written. Granted there is a lot of power to Benton growling Kill the Christians, but this is definitely the next step in the lyrical evolution of the band.

The basest of comparisons you could say this album sounds like the faster moments of Once Upon the Cross mixed with the melodic elements explored with the last few albums. The album is fast and raw showing that the band still has a dangerous edge and while some of the memorable aspects are lost in the brutality, the power coming through the speakers in hard to ignore. If you are expecting Stench of Redemption 2 you are going to be let down with this album. If you are expecting a fast and raw slab of death metal however you certainly will not be disappointed.

http://www.myspace.com/thestenchofredemption

Blood Stands Still-Salvation Through Struggle
(Mediaskare Records, 2008)

This is one of the cases where a band really doesn't do anything overly unique but still manages to write an album that leaves an impact none the less. Blood Stands Still sounds a great deal like a cross between Throwdown and Bury Your Dead and that is essentially it. The band plays an energetic and extremely heavy form of hardcore but its pretty clear to see that the band really isn't doing anything original.

The album definitely has breakdown riffs in spades. For me I enjoy the band more when they are kicking the tempo into overdrive and playing faster. The rhythmic riffs are well done but breakdowns are just overdone to the point of banality. The band is certainly good at pounding out a groove, but it's just the same riffs you have already heard countless times before. The fast moments just seem to hit much harder to me as do the straight up metal riffs that are littered throughout the album. The metallic riffs are chuggy but they still manage to be much more interesting than the breakdown riffs. Like I said before youve basically heard all of this before but the band is good at what they do.

At the end of the day while I wouldn't call Blood Stands Still an original hardcore band yet they certainly aren't a band without anything to offer. The band can write some heavy riffs and the energy on display is unquestionable. If your CD collection has albums from Hatebreed, Throwdown, Madball and Terror, this album from Blood Stands Still will sit comfortably alongside the aforementioned bands.

http://www.myspace.com/bloodstandsstill