Japan rocks again
Blood Stain Child (BSC) are from Japan a country whose metal output for me consists of 'Vow Wow' and 'Loudness' back in the day. BSC however do not sound like either of these bands, both of those bands were like Japanese versions of eighties British metal, BSC on the other hand sound like they're from mainland Europe, in fact you could narrow it further and point at Sweden. They have worked hard at achieving a European sound, getting Tue Madsen in on production duties to give them that 'Gothenburg' feel. Why? I have no idea; I'll have to dig out some Japanese metal to check the differences. It's strange but you often hear of western bands 'making it big' in Japan but this is the first band I've seen trying to do the opposite.
I assume if western metal is big there then a Japanese band that sounds western isn't such a crazy idea. Well BSC pull it off with aplomb, straight from the opening bars of 'Hypersonic' you know where you are, I thought I had put in an 'In Flames' album for a minute, the musicianship is tight as an accountants wallet and brutal enough to demand your attention. I will be the first to complain when a band just tries to jump on someone else's coattails but this album bears a few listens. What you take for a carbon copy turns out to have some subtle nuances that make it stand out a bit.
There are a lot of electronic beats bubbling under the surface of all the mad brutality and every now and again they come up for air and actually manage to enhance the songs, a dozen ideas coalesce in every song and there is a sense of the amount of work that's gone into this album. I would go so far as to say they're not just emulating their peers but surpassing them.
This album is an absolute must buy for any fan of 'In Flames' or 'Soilwork'. Indeed anyone with a screamcore bone in their body, it's just so damned entertaining, play it in the car and try not to crash as you're forced to jump around screaming at the windscreen and waving devil horns at other bemused drivers. "I'm sorry officer Blood Stain Child made me do it". "I see sir would you blow into this tube for me?"
I'm holding onto this album to play for the foreseeable future, so if the record company wants its promo back they'll have to come and get it and prise it from my cold dead hand. Superb, powerful stuff, everyone buy it so they'll come over and play live.