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Thursday, November 9, 2006
 

For quite awhile I have been more then a little turned off by The Blood Brothers and despite the fact that they have released quite a bit of music over the years I just haven't been able to get into them with the ferocity that others have.  Now if you are looking at your computer screen with a scrunched up face then feel free to relax because the band's fifth full length, Young Machetes, has turned me into a believer.  The best part is that the reason I liked it so much was the reason that Pitchfork thought it was an average effort; the band found middle ground between singing and screaming.  I personally like the melding of both worlds and for me the entire disc is full of instantly accessible songs.  Now I realize that some hardcore Blood Brothers' fans out there may not agree and if any of you are reading this then you are more then welcome to leave a comment that rants and raves about what the true sound of the band should be.  As for me though I think the band's extensive catalog was in need of some material like this that could serve as a bridge for their diverse sound.  This is a great album for those that are unfamiliar with The Blood Brothers and are looking for some new punk inspired metal to get down too.  There is a lot to love on the new album so take a moment to check it out and be sure to enjoy how well all of the songs proudly display their influences.

:The Blood Brothers - Set Fire To The Face On Fire:  The Shape Of Punk To Come by The Refused is a good place to start when trying to come up with a good way to describe this song to you.  By that I mean the entire presentation of the song feels like something that came directly off that album.  Luckily that is a pretty stellar album to be favorably compared too and in my opinion the band couldn't have picked a better song to kick off their new disc.  As soon as it starts you will immediately imagine what this song would be like live with a thousand other people around you singing it as loud as they can with their fists in the air and their bodies shaking spastically.

:The Blood Brothers - Camouflage, Camouflage:  For me this song sounds like something At The Drive-In would be doing if they were still together.  It's not necessarily shrouded in as much mystery as something that ATDI would have created but sonically it feels like what would have evolved for the band after Relationship In Command, especially at the beginning.  The music is a nice mix of straight forward punk rock and more dance enthused rock but the best part is the swift change from the half scream/half spastic vocals to singing towards the last third of the song.  I think this is an interesting listen so go figure that it is the track that I have found myself revisiting the most.

Young Machetes is awaiting your hard earned dollars here; it definitely is worth picking up if you haven't done so already.  If you would like to hear some more songs from the album then I think it would be in your best interest to visit the band on Myspace.

- John Laird -



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