Ha-this is so awesome.
Vancouver’s 3 Inches of Blood return for their anticipated 2nd album and the cursed Ozzfest appearances, and as second albums should be, everything is bigger, better and more METAL!
The sheer, guiltless enjoyment that the band’s old school thrash meets NWBHM meets melodic death metal meets Robert E. Howard is as present as it was for the debut, but the songs are better and the band seems on the cusp of a Mastodon like explosion and record deal. An even more impressive feat considering the band features a completely new rhythm section from the critically acclaimed Advance & Vanquish.
Of course, the bulk of 3IOB’s sound is Cam Pipes’ Kind Diamond/Rob Halford-ish croons and Jamie Hopper’s blackened rasps, which both return as well utilized as balanced as ever. The new guys, drummer Alexia Rodriguez (Walls of Jericho) and bassist Nick Cates fill in admirably with no noticeable change in the bands rhythm section at all.
Intro track “Through the Horned Gate” sets the mood appropriately letting you know something special is about to happen and then launch into five truly spectacular tracks; “Night Marauders”, “The Goatrider’s Horde”, the superb Hammond laced “Trial of Champions”, brilliantly melodic “God of Cold White Silence” and “The Forest King” and all five are littered with scream along choruses and air guitar inducing riffs that will simply bring a grin to any metal fans face. The second half of the album essentially follows suite with excellent, romping metal, but only “The Hyrda’s Teeth” got me as aroused as the first five tracks, but all at least have the same sort of endearing, fist pumping, pure metal quality as “Deadly Sinners” and “Destroy The Orcs”, the arguable standouts from Advance & Vanquish (i.e. “The Demons Blade”, “Assassins in the Light” and the rollicking “The Great Hall of Feasting”).
The Joey Jordison (Yes, he of Slipknot) production is actually rather good, giving the material a little more ‘oomph’, and ultimately, the just having his name associated with the album will no doubt expose the band to a bigger crowd and A & R folks from bigger labels. More power to ‘em I say, a band this good and this damn fun deserves everything they get.
Fire Up the Fuckin’ Blades indeed.
[Visit the band's website]Find more articles with 2007, 3 Inches of Blood, E.Thomas, Review, Roadrunner Records
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A band that doesn’t get nearly the respect that they deserve. People constantly scream “metalcore” when this band is mentioned but the fact is that this band could easily come from a 1986 speed metal mixtape. They are NOT metalcore. I saw them open for GWAR late in 2007, and they tore the house down…with much the energy of a young Judas Priest. Call them speed metal with a hint of 80’s metal. To call them metalcore…simply because they arrived on the scene when the title was prevalent…is ignorant.
Much love to 31OB…and I CANNOT WAIT until they return to Atlanta, hopefully headlining.
on Nov 3rd, 2008 at 21:49