RSS Feed


BLOODY REDEMPTION
Hit To The Gore

Awakening (2022)
Rating: 6.5/10

I thought these Slovak metallers gave up the ghost after the release of their 2017 debut album Infected Minds, but it’s always good to see a band return from the shadows with extra vigour and intent.

Hit To The Gore is a strong eight-track affair that transports one back to the early-to-mid 90s death metal scene. I guess some may call this old school death metal, although I sometimes struggle with the clean, clinical nature of some bands from that particular era. I’ll call Bloody Redemption simple death metal, but not as a way of being disrespectful as this opus has that no frills feel without ever being murky.

There are some nice segments of lower paced heaviness and the growls of guitarist Jozef “Falusoid” Kováč certainly add menace, especially on ‘Unknown Evil’, but it’s still standard death metal by design. Much of the record is up-tempo and aggressive where the likes of ‘Vultures Waiting’ and ‘Beyond The Truth’ successfully marry strong melodic darkness with flashes of belligerence, while the title track begins more like a contemporary Megadeth track with its metallic chugging.

Elsewhere there is no great deviation, just solid and consistent death metal as again the strong melodies come to the fore with ‘Ancient Knowledge’ and ‘Shotgun Lullaby’ heading off into thrashier climes.

One gets the impression that Bloody Redemption has set their stall out and it’s one made of concrete foundations and dense walls. There’s nothing decorative or even macabre about this record. Instead, it’s all no fuss and to the point, and I’m sure such a production will appeal to many.

Neil Arnold

<< Back to Album & EP Reviews



Related Posts via Categories
Share