The anticipation is finally over. I have been waiting a long damn time to get a piece of BloodRail to take home with me.
I attended BloodRail’s release party on November 21st at the Spigot in Lincoln, NE, from where BloodRail hails. The Spigot is a choice place for a metal show! The band room is a decent size, the stage looks cool, and the bar is in a separate room so you don’t have to scream when ordering drinks.
There was an impressive crowd throughout the whole night at the Spigot, and every band killed it. A Different Breed opened up the night and put on one of the best sets I’ve seen them play.
Propergander took the second slot of the night. Since I haven’t written about them, a short review:
Propergander blends disparate influences to create their sound. They describe themselves as a hard rock band, and I suppose that’s accurate. Vocalist Ted Vergith is a talented singer and covers quite a range with his vocals, from some nu-metal-esque rapping to really solid clean singing. This works because the songs cover a lot of ground, with hints of influence from all over the “hard rock” spectrum, be that vintage classic “hard rock” or some of the sounds you may hear on modern “hard rock” radio.
Architect or Arsonist, from Norfolk, NE, was up next. And as usual, the brutality spilled off of the stage and into the crowd as a somewhat violent mosh pit opened up.
The men of honor, BloodRail, then took the stage. They played great, looked great, and commanded the throng of metalheads packed into the Spigot. BloodRail always looks and acts like each band member is having an awesome time, and this feeling is contagious.
And because anyone would be foolish to try following the almighty DeadEchoes, Lincoln’s gods of metal closed out the night. There is nothing I can write about my love for DE that I haven’t already, so I won’t bother. Let’s get to BloodRail’s new EP!
I don’t think there would be another way to start out the BloodRail EP than with the rooster sample from the beginning of “Rugaru,” and after the cock has finished crowing, we’re blasted with a wave of NWOAHM glory. This tsunami of sound was wrangled by none other than Sir Sean Joyce of Sean Joyce Audio, and as per usual, it sounds fantastic. There are musical morsels hidden in these songs that you miss in the live experience, but they expose themselves on the recording.
BloodRail is one of the only (the only?) local metal bands that incorporates keyboards into their songs, and I don’t know why more bands don’t. It opens up a whole universe of textures and timbres. This self-titled, 5 track disc is a master class in varied textures and vibes. The spacey chorus of “Trapped In A Nicholas Cage” makes you feel a little floaty, but then the intro to “Last Straw” damn near gives you whiplash while you’re sitting still. There are some sounds on “Gasoline Grunt” that really make you scratch your head, and then right as you think you may have it figured out, BloodRail kicks you in the teeth with a brutal, double-bass heavy breakdown. And keys aren’t the only “exotic” feature of this EP; while vocalist Joey Horton screams through most of the songs, he delivers some really weird and wonderful clean vocals too. Check out tracks 3 and 5 to see what I mean.
If you love pounding, headbang-inducing, modern metal, you’ll love this record. If you grow weary of formulaic songs, but still need to rock the f*ck out, BloodRail is for you.
You can get this beast at their upcoming show on Dec. 5th at Knickerbockers, RSVP here. If you can’t wait that long, buy it on Bandcamp, but make sure to buy one of their kick-ass shirts at the show, dumbass!
I make it too easy for you assholes, I even tell you when and where to go, but it’s up to you to….
…get out and pay some cover charges!
-Damascus Wootz
