Bloody Knives - Blood

‘Blood’ is the first full-length LP from Austin three piece Bloody Knives. The album is a full-on assault on the senses, its pace never dipping below frenetic from the opening burst of ‘Lesson’ to the incessant grind of final track ‘Bleed Out’. Opening track ‘Lesson’ is a mind-shattering rush of heavy industrial shoegaze, with throbbing guitars and samples sparring with an intense vocal from Preston Maddox. This is ‘Territorial Pissings’ for the post-electronica age, with conventional grunge gristle (bordering on speed-metal in places) superbly woven around Jim Moon’s “sound manipulation.” The high-octane delivery continues on second track ‘Blood’, a piece which sounds like Kasabian channelling Animal Collective via Gary Numan. A brilliantly throbbing migraine of a track, ‘Blood ‘maintains the pace and vitality of the opening track and will leave ears ringing and listeners begging for more. The proto-punk sound is consistent throughout the album, with each track seemingly improving on its predecessor. For me, the standout track is ‘Problem,’ its anthemic riff boldly off-setting a magnificently saturated cacophony of guitar, looping electronic sequences and a superb vocal which sits low in the mix. This is a track which would be equally at home at a stadium gig or the sweat-haze humidity of a packed club. The programmed loops final track ‘Bleed Out’ take more of a back-seat than on any other track on the album, and this allows Maddox’s vocal to come to the fore highlighting his undeniable abilities. ‘Bleed Out ‘ is perhaps more melodic than the remainder of the album, and is a memorable bookend to a unified and coherent set. ‘Blood’ combines the energy and swagger of ‘Nevermind ‘with the electronic experimentation of Merriweather Post Pavilion. I found it the perfect antidote to today’s disposable celebrity, ‘X-Factor’ culture – this is not pretty music by any stretch of the imagination, but its quality lies in the sheer range of skills and the seemingly boundless energy evident in its creation. Buy this record and play it loud.

Track Listing:-

1 Lesson
2 Blood
3 Not Now
4 Undecided
5 Death Blessing
6 Fire
7 Problem
8 Stare Into Your Eyes
9 Bleed Out

Band Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/thebloodykniv
http://bloodyknives.bandcamp.com/
http://www.last.fm/music/Bloody+Knives

Label Links:-

http://saintmarierecords.limitedrun.co
https://www.facebook.com/Saint-Marie-R
https://twitter.com/StMarieRecords
https://www.youtube.com/user/stmariere
https://instagram.com/saintmarierecord
https://plus.google.com/10115674474082

Interviews

Interview (2010)

Roger O' Donnell was the keyboardist in the Cure between 1987 and 1990 and again from 1995 to 2005 and played on four of their albums, including their classic 'Disintegation'. He talks to Anthony Strutt about his time in the band and latest solo album, 'Piano Formations'