Bloodbound Serve a Hefty Chunk of Swedish Power Metal For Dinner

Discovering Bloodbound as a part of my searching/learning process for the bands listed at what was to be my first venture across the ocean for Sweden Rock Festival in 2013, I liked their power metal

Bloodbound - photo taken from AFM Records press kit

sound. In becoming an ever bigger fan of that category of metal/rock I quickly collected their catalog consisting of 2005's Nosferatu, 2007's The Book of the Dead, 2009's Tabula Rasa, 2011's Unholy Cross and 2012's In the Name of Metal.  Bloodbound began life in 2004 with Fedrik Bergh (keyboards) and Tomas Olsson (guitar) being the original creators.  The band started out with Urban Breed handling the vocal duties, but for the second release he was succeeded by Michael Bormann.  Breed returned to the fold for Tabula Rasa until he was replaced with Patrik Johansson for Unholy Cross and forward.  The rest of the band on Stormborn alongside Bergh, Olsson and Johansson are: Anders Broman (bass), Henrik Olsson (guitar) and Pelle Akerlind (drums).

Stormborn begins with a 1:43 intro, "Bloodtale", that I suppose is intended to be creepy or devilish, but serves to me as not much more than a waste of time.  "Satanic Panic" turns things around and rips out of the gates running rampant with piercingly tight vocals, riffs, thrash style pace and a huge chorus.  "Iron Throne" is a little high pitched and screechy at times for my particular likes but it has been chosen as the lead single/video, included below.  "Nightmares From the Grave" is more like my expectations from Bloodbound with a chanting chorus and a children's choir segment.  The title track "Stormborn" is a stomping power metal anthem beginning ominously with the clap of thunder and rain falling, to choir vocals, to the pounding beat driving the track forward.  "We Raise the Dead" begins with a charging riff, powering forward into the thumping track for one of the best of the compilation and probably my top pick.  Anthemic "Made of Steel" had my air drumming off to the races and is exactly what the title would suggest, hard driving, first pumping, chanting metal, perhaps this will be my top pick instead.  "Blood of My Blood" keeps things moving in the same vein as Stormborn just seems to get better and better as it moves forward.  A truly epic track with "When the Kingdom Will Fall" appears next and "Seven Hells" is a thundering delight.  Stormborn wraps up with the ripping "When All Lights Fail" to bring the album to a nice close on a high note.

An excellent entry into the year's album race, Bloodbound's Stormborn is a solid bet for all power metal fans.  Johansson's soaring, piercing vocals and Bergh's keyboards add to the orchestral and Gothic feel of the record backed up by lyrical themes of pirates, dragons and more.  This shall be loaded onto the MP3 player immediately!

BUY: Bloodbound - Stormborn

Cheers,
The Meister

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PHOTO CREDIT: AFM RECORDS PRESS KIT 2014

(Bloodbound Facebook)