Bloodcrown - Sound of Flesh and Bone

Bloodcrown – Sound of Flesh and Bone
Release Date: 26th July 2024
Label: Gruesome Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Melodic Death Metal, Thrash Metal, Death Metal.
FFO: The Haunted, Terror 2000, At the Gates, Entombed, The Crown.
Review By: Mark Young

Sound of Flesh and Bone is the debut release from Sweden’s Bloodcrown and enters a crowded arena full of bands who seek to emulate those who came before. The bio that accompanies certainly highlights that they are from what could be considered the spiritual birthplace of melodic death metal (that is an argument for another day) and that they draw influence from the Legend tier of metal. What is key is that they have enough about them to make their own mark and stand out from this ever-growing number of bands.

So, when they kick off with When Wolves, double bass flying and riffs that bring the low side as well as the melodic, there is a little sight of relief from yours truly. It’s not as I feared a sub ATG moment, it’s a focused attack that brings all the hallmarks of their homeland whilst wrapping it up in a box unique to them. Their net of influences seems to have been cast further than Sweden mind, with hints of Morbid Angel in the way the drum parts are put together. It is a strong opener, not groundbreaking, but enough to suggest that they know the direction they need. Sword Cut blows things wide open with a thunderous opening. There is some fast action here, and wisely they know to slow things down into a melodic phase. It is familiar but a pastiche. It has an abrasive tone to it, so the flurries lose definition, but to be fair it adds rather than subtracts.

The title-track hits like The Haunted – that full tilt gut stomping arrangement that characterised their first album. It’s frenetic, just as you might expect, and is delivered to a high standard. Hypnotised in Chains ups the speed and gives me an initial buzz, but it’s missing something in its execution. The shadow of ATG does loom large and possibly in trying to avoid them, it drove their sound closer to it. Purge does a lot to pick things up as they find their range with this one. A clean opening passage is absolutely murdered by a cracking melodic passage. It moves with intent, this time with a substance to it. The riffs are razor sharp, drums hammering and as it progresses it feels like this is their true voice. Obscenity picks up the baton and runs with it, stomping forward, mixing tempos to suit with some truly low guttural roars which I am totally here for.

They close out with Fire of Resistance, which is a melodic beast that occupies the mid-range, moving from cleanly picked strings to a groove-filled riff. It’s a resounding end to an album that goes some way to living up to the promises made in their bio. Not every song is a winner, and that is unfortunate. But, on the title-track and Purge, there is enough evidence there to show that they are on the right path to discovering their own way. It’s a good debut, mind, and you might find more to love than I did.