(By Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker, Senior Writer/Editor, RiffRelevant.com)
Parisians Fishing With Guns recently returned to the front with a new five-song EP, “Blood On The Ropes“. I for one have followed the band for the last year or two and am glad they are back with a new release after reviewing their previous one last year.
Now in their twelfth year of activity, Fishing With Guns, aka Iñigo (vocals), Guix (bass), Max (drums) and Tof (guitar), have issued one of their most powerful outings yet here.
Melding fiery elements of heavy Rock ‘N Roll, Post-Hardcore, and even some touches of Sludge, the quartet take no prisoners with their latest EP. After a briefly melodic start on the EP’s intro, “Dodge And Counter“, things quickly delve into a bit of southern doom before unleashing the fury. Aggressive vocals wail the title a few times and then BOOM!
“Motherfucking Badass” hits like a skull-crushing blow that sends you reeling. Piston-pumping drums, smoking guitars and vocals that alternate between clean-yet-aggro and full on guttural ones drive the song onward.
The intensity remains present for title track “Blood On The Ropes“, with an onslaught of riffs and rhythms. They chug and chug away for the duration of the energetic number before the incendiary “King Of The Crossroads” is reached. This is definitely one of my favorite songs of the five. A dizzying delivery of tumultuous tempos unfurl, while the gravelly hardcore vocals narrate their lyrical tale in this semi-bluesy heavyweight.
It is followed by the other stand out cut, the EP-ending “Reasons To Cry“, another song that flat-out rips right out of the gate. It’s high-octane right off the line, then detours into groove-laden, spiraling twists and turns.
Fishing With Guns’ “Blood On The Ropes“ is out now and streaming via Bandcamp below. It’s also available as a Digital Download for purchase here.
