Blaze has been a very productive band, this is the third release since the debut in 2000 and in that time we also got a double live album. And let's just get Blood And Belief put into the broad picture; the new stuff is certainly more dark, hard, grooving and not as speedy as in the past.
Lyrically the album has become a very personal case,
Blaze Bayley has had a difficult time lately, dealing with a drinking problem and a depression, all of this frustration is reflected into the words for Blood And Belief, but the positive aspect of concurring these major problems is working as a dynamic balance. All in all profound lyrics nicely interacting with the music that has a certain deep and solid base.
Helping along in making this a very raw and almost live-ish experience is the production. The energy level is extremely high and I like the fact that the sound has a certain unpolished and compact edge.
The opener
Alive quickly sets the direction for the other nine songs; a driving and vigorous piece. A mean groove binds the song nicely together, this one must work quite well in a live setting.
Ten Seconds is one of the albums fastest cuts and also one of the best. The driving rhythm guitar takes a leading role and intensity is a key word, a great tight bass approach making its important contribution to a very successful composition.
With the
Blood And Belief track we find a very compact and tight pounding monster. One of the album's zeniths being the mellow and yet melodic chorus line, sung with great empathy. My favourite track on the album.
Life And Death presents itself with a suiting depressing and sombre mood, I find the detailed and innovative drumming very interesting too.
Tearing Myself To Pieces is not among my favourites even though it has some cool grooving elements, a rather monotone verse part and a general lack of something really exciting makes it an average track though.
Heavy riffs and tight breaks fill up a lot of
Hollow Head, an aggressive and direct track with a chorus that easily could have been more thrilling.
Will To Win is a classic
Blaze track, relying on a forceful drive and a strong refrain. The important lyric about fighting for what you believe in is brought forth with an impressive and striking vocal performance, the melodic guitar solo being another highlight in one of this bands best songs.
Regrets has a great solid chorus as a central element. All in all a successful mid-tempo track that has a smooth flow.
A very diverse and well-put together song is found in
The Path And The Way. Hard drumming, heavy riffing, grooving bass tunes and jamming guitar leads make up another very good song.
The atmospheric
Soundtrack Of My Life ends off Blood And Belief. I'm especially fond of the dark intro, anyway the chorus is much too simple and dull to be working out for the better and the main rhythm is not that captivating either. Not that this is a bad song, thanks to some catchy leads, powerful drums and a creative bass approach it all in all gets to a medium score.
The overall band performance is high, a firm and powerful delivery of a well worked through album.
An honest and hard-hitting release that has a comprehensive raw profile.
Written by
Tommy Monday, June 21, 2004
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