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Review: Bloodred Hourglass - Heal
Bloodred Hourglass
www.brhg.net
Heal

Label: Ranka Kustannus
Year released: 2017
Duration: 46:25
Tracks: 9
Genre: Melodic Death Metal

Rating:
4.25/5


Review online: November 4, 2017
Reviewed by: Luxi Lahtinen
Readers' Rating
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Rated 4.33/5 (86.67%) (12 Votes)
Review

Finnish melodic Death Metal has become quite the movement over the years, with Children of Bodom being the flagship of the genre.

After C.o.B., many bands have come and gone, trying to take their throne away. Bloodred Hourglass come close enough to doing just that with their new album, Heal.

Bloodred Hourglass (or just BRHG) formed in 2005 and gained some attention with their two studio albums (Lifebound, released in 2012, and Where the Oceans Burn, released in 2015). With the band's latest, they are undoubtedly moving towards their goal.

Starting off with the song "Quiet Complaint," it's likely that people will start complaining that the band is another C.o.B. clone and that there is no need for another one of those. As C.o.B.-inspired as "Quiet Complaint" sounds (especially the band's earlier stuff, which really isn't a bad thing at all), it doesn't set the tone for the rest of the whole album and is simply just an offering of how melodic Death Metal can be done convincingly, interestingly, and correctly. The latest trend seems to be adding a dose of clean singing into melodic Death Metal, which I personally cannot stand much, if at all. Gladly, that's not the case with BRHG; vocalist Jarkko Kaukonen shrieks and growls the best he can, full of blood-stopping testosterone. In fact, I also find many of the same elements that can be found in Mors Principium Est's music, that being a perfect combination of brutality and melodiousness. Take for example "Remnants," which is a just perfect marriage between unforgiving brutality and awesome melodic parts that stick to your brain like chewing gum stuck on the back of your jeans. The same can be said about the Bodom-esque "Six Feet Savior," which is nothing short of impressive on all counts. "Times We Had" is another jaw-dropping track, even having a faint Black Metal flavor incorporated in it (mostly vocal-wise). It is a fantastically composed, soul-shredding track, underlining the band's excellent musicianship.

I'm not overdoing it by describing Heal in such details because some albums just really need to be heard to understand their finesse. With Heal, I see nothing that could stop BRHG from becoming the next big thing in the melodic Death Metal genre.

More about Bloodred Hourglass...
Interview with vocalist Jarkko Koukonen on October 22, 2017 (Interviewed by Luxi Lahtinen)
Interview with vocalist Jarkko Koukonen and drummer Jarkko Hyvönen on August 17, 2019 (Interviewed by Luxi Lahtinen)
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