That Time You Went To A&E Because You Accidentally Crucified Yourself...
It's weird to think really, that, I've been reviewing for at least four years now and, I've covered a fair range of artists for not only this blog but, I've whore'd myself out to other publications as well! That sounds bad...but no, over these past few years I've been allowed to develop as a writer, contributing to several amazing teams which has taught me a lot and allowed me to grow into the bitter, sarcastic bastard you follow today...one such publication would be FIREBRAND. A very well organised e-zine, Firebrand was split into two publications; Firebrand Magazine (which dealt generally with straight-forward rock 'n' roll, blues, AOR type releases) and Firebrand After Dark (which I primarily wrote for, featuring heavier, darker releases). In issue 11, going way back to May 2014, I wrote a review on an album called "Grave Party" by a Greek gothic-rock band by the name of SADDOLLS...it was refreshing to see and hear a band keep the genre alive with a genuinely quality album (gothic rock has always been a niche market)...now...three years later, they have released a follow-up record by the name "Blood Of A Kind" and there's absolutely no way I wouldn't keep you up to date...get your goth on...let's go...
We open up with a track called "Dunkelstein" and immediately I'm forced to imagine Boris Karloff tea-bagging Mae Clarke in a director's cut of "Frankenstein" from 1931...that literally never happened but I really wish it did...nevertheless, it opens up with some chilling organ-esque synth notes and thematically it's very Transylvanian in a horror movie sense. The guitars chug along while the deep vocals of George Downloved offer the listener a dose of familiarity, with this style already working well for the likes of DEATHSTARS and LACRIMAS PROFUNDERE for example, fans of those will appreciate this and as an introduction it works. "Creep It Into You" however takes things up a notch following immediately afterwards and offers us an early album highlight...more melodic and up-beat, it's got a hell of a hook in the chorus and the softer female vocals provided by Ioanna Zach give the track extra texture, the guitar solo is brief but sleek; there are rich pop elements to the track and the finished result is catchy as hell.
Lead single "Cold Blood Inside" is a slower, far more morose track for the most part, the video portraying a simple message, hope springs eternal so to speak, metaphorically no matter what, the outlook for humanity has to be optimistic, you can't kill hope...musically it'll appeal to fans of "Blessed Be" era THE 69 EYES in ways, it's quite simplistic and to a degree repetitive, there are better choices for a lead single really. "Kiss You In Hell" for example opens with it's moody bass, layered under tickled keys and more guest vocals provided by Georgia Dm, it's generally got more life to it, as is the same with "Die Better"...an absolute scorcher of a track; there's great rhythm here, it's solid and consistent, again, it's got really catchy hooks, key changes, I've said it about tracks in the past but this is the sort of thing that would do great in alternative nightclubs.
There are lesser tracks here too however, with "Pale White Dracula" sounding like they are going through the motions so to speak, plodding along, no real life in the riffs as such, and lyrically "Dracula, Dracula, kiss my lips...Dracula, Dracula, give me that kiss..." sounding just a little bit cheesy, but not as much so as "Sex In Church"...yes that is the actual name of track five. As aesthetically pleasing as the track may be musically, you can't help but cringe here...I hope this is a track that doesn't get a music video...anal beads for a rosary anyone? Were you really a virgin Mary? Were you? Were you really? Ave Maria...I bet he did...all jokes aside, while laughable it doesn't spoil the album too much and overall, the nine tracks on offer here again deliver us a solid goth-rock record, as I said before, goth is rarely "in" as such, but it's good to see bands still catering for miserable buggers such as myself. These dolls might be sad but, they are still worth playing with. [7]
We open up with a track called "Dunkelstein" and immediately I'm forced to imagine Boris Karloff tea-bagging Mae Clarke in a director's cut of "Frankenstein" from 1931...that literally never happened but I really wish it did...nevertheless, it opens up with some chilling organ-esque synth notes and thematically it's very Transylvanian in a horror movie sense. The guitars chug along while the deep vocals of George Downloved offer the listener a dose of familiarity, with this style already working well for the likes of DEATHSTARS and LACRIMAS PROFUNDERE for example, fans of those will appreciate this and as an introduction it works. "Creep It Into You" however takes things up a notch following immediately afterwards and offers us an early album highlight...more melodic and up-beat, it's got a hell of a hook in the chorus and the softer female vocals provided by Ioanna Zach give the track extra texture, the guitar solo is brief but sleek; there are rich pop elements to the track and the finished result is catchy as hell.
Lead single "Cold Blood Inside" is a slower, far more morose track for the most part, the video portraying a simple message, hope springs eternal so to speak, metaphorically no matter what, the outlook for humanity has to be optimistic, you can't kill hope...musically it'll appeal to fans of "Blessed Be" era THE 69 EYES in ways, it's quite simplistic and to a degree repetitive, there are better choices for a lead single really. "Kiss You In Hell" for example opens with it's moody bass, layered under tickled keys and more guest vocals provided by Georgia Dm, it's generally got more life to it, as is the same with "Die Better"...an absolute scorcher of a track; there's great rhythm here, it's solid and consistent, again, it's got really catchy hooks, key changes, I've said it about tracks in the past but this is the sort of thing that would do great in alternative nightclubs.
There are lesser tracks here too however, with "Pale White Dracula" sounding like they are going through the motions so to speak, plodding along, no real life in the riffs as such, and lyrically "Dracula, Dracula, kiss my lips...Dracula, Dracula, give me that kiss..." sounding just a little bit cheesy, but not as much so as "Sex In Church"...yes that is the actual name of track five. As aesthetically pleasing as the track may be musically, you can't help but cringe here...I hope this is a track that doesn't get a music video...anal beads for a rosary anyone? Were you really a virgin Mary? Were you? Were you really? Ave Maria...I bet he did...all jokes aside, while laughable it doesn't spoil the album too much and overall, the nine tracks on offer here again deliver us a solid goth-rock record, as I said before, goth is rarely "in" as such, but it's good to see bands still catering for miserable buggers such as myself. These dolls might be sad but, they are still worth playing with. [7]
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