By:
Ernesto Aguilar
Album Type: EP
Date Released: 11/08/2017
Label: Relapse Records
With
the opening cut, "The Scourge and
the Gestalt," and throughout, you hear Poison Blood
stand among some of the legends – Slayer, Venom and precious few more that can grind you into dust
with the sheer force of sound and the rawness of their lyrics. All
you have heard about Poison Blood is
completely true. It’s a sensational debut that is exactly what the genre needs,
and we can all only wish for more.
“Poison Blood” CD//DD//LP track listing
1.
The Scourge and the Gestalt
2.
Deformed Lights
3.
Myths from the Desert
4.
A Cracked and Desolate Sky
5.
The Flower of Serpents
6.
Shelter Beneath the Sea
7.
From the Lash
8.
Circles of Salt
The Review:
The
only thing that has generated more buzz than the beautiful cover art for Poison Blood's self-titled debut is the devastating music
within.
And
what a debut it is. You no doubt have seen a great deal of praise for the
project,
a
collaboration between Jenks Miller of the post-rock outfit Horseback
and Neill Jameson of the New Jersey black metal band Krieg. By
all accounts, Poison Blood was intended as a creative
space for the pair to explore the darker, heavier side of their respective
work. They do, in smashing fashion. Smashing, that is, in every way imaginable.
The
eponymous recording is probably going to be the most jarring 19 minutes of your
life. From the understated opening that turn into rattling, bestial guitars and
then into Jameson's harrowing vocal delivery, Poison Blood
is positively ruthless. With the opening cut, "The Scourge and the Gestalt," and throughout, you hear Poison Blood stand among some of the legends – Slayer, Venom and precious few
more that can grind you into dust with the sheer force of sound and the rawness
of their lyrics. "A Cracked and
Desolate Sky" compliments the fiery backdrop with technical and
melodic guitar work. You catch touches like this across the board too.
Where
Poison Blood is most shocking in its quality is with its
miniscule but fatal songs. Consider "Shelter
Beneath the Sea," 51 seconds of assault from start to finish.
Ironically, the most unusually slow and gentle track, "The Flower of Serpents," at 48 seconds, is its lead in.
Both are sterling in their composition and production. Poison Blood's
longest entry, the four minutes-plus "Circles
of Salt," is practically an operetta in comparison and is the passel
of tighter entries. You almost wish there was more of this, because this closer
swirls with moods, tempos, musicianship and incredible vocal effects. This
release is billed as an EP, so you have to expect you may hear more of this on
the full-length in the future.
All
you have heard about Poison Blood is
completely true. Its a sensational debut that is exactly what the genre needs,
and we can all only wish for more.
"Poison
Blood"
is available here
