THROUGH THE EYES OF THE DEAD

It would not be inaccurate to call "Bloodlust" a death metal album, provided one takes the description in context. THROUGH THE EYES OF THE DEAD's debut full-length for Prosthetic is not guaranteed to satisfy those seeking to quench a thirst for CANNIBAL CORPSE or DISMEMBER. It is not that kind of death metal. Think more in terms of death metal by way of metalcore. In other words, this ain't your old man's death metal.

"Bloodlust" is a brutal affair with little in the way of hardcore breakdowns and not a pleasantly sung note to be found. Anthony Gunnels' growls are of the mid-register, abrasive variety (more along the lines of what you'd hear from ALL SHALL PERISH, rather than, say, SUFFOCATION) and his screaming parts are very similar to what Trevor Strnad does with THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER. There are some nice crunchy riffs, as well as those all-important muted harmonies that bring out a modicum of melody in the compositions. A smattering of effective leads on tracks like "Truest Shade of Crimson" and "With Eyes Ever Turned Inward" serve to break up the crush, as opposed to acting as "solos" in the strictest sense of the word. Dayton Cantley (now replaced by Josh Kulick) does a fine job on the skins, adding plenty of accent work and fills to his kick-drum attacks, always a good thing when the music doesn't emphasize melody or hooks. A few times through the album and "Bringer of Truth" begins to surface as the standout track, followed closely by "Force Fed Trauma". That said, nothing ever really jumps out at you, even though it does appear that the band spent some time on the arrangements to ensure at least a limited degree of variety across the album.

On the whole, there is nothing to dislike on "Bloodlust", especially for those with a hankerin' for the heavy stuff (which often includes myself). At the same time, it's difficult to recommend this album over countless others that sound similar.