Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway
From deep within The Netherlands comes the vicious Dutch collective that is Bloodgod and their latest EP, ‘Catharsis‘, for which we have a review today. The band features former members of acts like Disquiet, Hymir, and Nuestros Derechos, so you know they aren’t novices.
These five tracks were recorded and mixed by Marieke Koedijk, Arnout Leene, and Folkert van Blom at Mass Audio Studio in The Netherlands, and mastered by Grammy-nominated engineer Jacob Hansen (Aborted, Mercenary, Volbeat, Pestilence, etc) in Denmark.
‘Catharsis‘ is the follow-up to the 2013 début EP from Bloodgod, ‘Pseudologia Phantastica’, and it finds the guys as savage as ever. Those guys are Daan Douma (guitar, screams, and grunts), Frank van Boven (bass, screams, and grunts), and Johnny Derechos (drums, spoken words).
Their blending of old-school or traditional style death metal with thrash metal overtones is potent and powerful.
The technical proficiency provided by the trio on songs such as the crushing introductory cut, “Valar Morghulis” is superb. From the tight-knit grooves, alternating vocal styles (guttural to harsh, shriekier ones), and dizzying drum work, things are fluid and fierce.
Although the trio does keep things aggressive for the most part, there are ample amounts of melodic moments as well. Tracks like the title cut “Catharsis” or the acoustic-tinged “Hammerite” provide enough diversity to keep things interesting. The latter track, along with “t Schrickelick Tempeest“, possess touches of a European flavoring, as well.
If you like music that contains the heaviness of, say Mortification or Sadus, but with the technicality of a band like Meshuggah, then you should check out Bloodgod.
You can stream their latest effort ‘Catharsis‘ via the Bandcamp embed below.
