▄█████▄ ░█████▄ ▄████▄░█▄ ░█▄ ▄█████▄ ███▄██ ▄██ ▄█▄ ▄██████ ▄█▄ ▄███
░████░██▀████▓ ▀██ ▄██░▀█████ ████ ███▓ ██████▓██ ▓███████ ███▓░▀█▀████ ███▓
███▓ ▓███░ ██ ██▄ ▄██▓██ ▓███▓██░ ▓███░███░███████████▄ ███░███░
███░ ▄███ ███ ▄█▀░ ████████░██ █████████▄ ▓██░███ ███▓█████████ ███████
███ ███░ ███████ ███▓ ░██ ██ ██████▓ ░██ ▀██ ███░███▓██████ ███▓███
███ ███ ████████░███░ ███ ██▄ ██▓███░ ██▄ ██░██▓ ███ ▀▀████ ███░███
███ ███ ███▓░███████░ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███▓██▓██░ ███ ▓████ ███ ███
▓██▓ ███ ███░ ▓██████ ███ ▓████ ▓██▄ ▓████████ ███ ▓███ ███ ███
███░███ ███ ░██████ ███ ░████ ░███ ███▓███▓ ███ ░███ ███ ███
██▓███ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███ ▓██▄ ███░███░ ███ ███ ███ ███
░█████ ███ ██▓░██▄ ███ ▓█▀ ▓██▄ ███ ██░ ███ ██▓ ███ ███
░███▀ ░█▀ ██░ ██ ░█▀ ░███▄ ▀ ▀ ▓█▀ ███░ ░█▀ ██▀
██░ ▄██▀ ░█▄ ▄███▀ ░██
░ ██ ▓░ ▓░ ██░
▓█░ ░█▀ ▀█░ ░█▓
░ ██ ██ Artist: Bleeding Gods ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Shepherd of Souls █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2015 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2015-06-28 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Death Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Punishment 18 Records ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ The Netherlands is renowned for producing some of █
█ the finest Thrash and Death Metal bands in Europe. █
█ Everything from the more Brutal forms of Death █
█ Metal like BODYFARM to the likes of THANATOS has █
█ come from this particular corner of Europe. █
█ BLEEDING GODS are a band that combine Death and █
█ Thrash Metal to great results. They are just about █
█ to release their first full length album, █
█ "Shepherd of Souls" on Punishment 18 Records. How █
█ does this album stand up to the standards set by █
█ their contemporaries? █
█ The opening track, "Abyss of the World", is a █
█ brilliant piece of Death Metal with a distinctive █
█ Thrash guitar hooks to it, and an amazingly slow, █
█ eerie guitar solo which just fits the rest of the █
█ song so perfectly. For an Extreme Metal track, █
█ it's quite catchy, and the vocals are more or less █
█ designed to be sung along to live. Likewise, "Into █
█ the Depths of Misery" takes the speed and █
█ musicianship of Thrash and couples it with the █
█ aggression and power of Death Metal, resulting in █
█ an absolute beast of a tune. The album's title █
█ track is, to say the least, a solid, amazing track █
█ from start to finish. It's been a long time since █
█ I've heard music like this played with such █
█ confidence and passion on all instruments. This is █
█ sure to become the cornerstone of the band's live █
█ set for years to come. █
█ "Rise From Ashes" leans significantly more towards █
█ the Thrash Metal side of the bands sound, although █
█ there is some characteristic Death Metal chugs in █
█ there. "Ixmucane (I)" is a short acoustic track █
█ with spoken word parts instead of vocals which █
█ works very well, and serves as an introduction of █
█ shorts for the track that follows, "The Lords of █
█ Xibalba (II)"; this is a very strong Thrash song, █
█ which is a pretty strong contenders for the best █
█ song on this record. It transitions from razor █
█ sharp, speed driven riffs to a slow chug in a █
█ matter of moments at some points, and you █
█ genuinely can't tell what the music is going to do █
█ next. "Glorious Relentless Destiny" is a song that █
█ does exactly what it says on the tin; it's █
█ glorious (or as glorious as a Death/Thrash Metal █
█ song can be), and it's relentless in its █
█ heaviness. The eighth and ninth tracks, "Empire of █
█ the Immortals" and "Human Weakness" are fairly █
█ straight forward pieces of Thrashy Death Metal █
█ that are fairly good tracks in their own right, █
█ but sadly don't stand out that much in comparison █
█ with some of the other amazing tracks on here. The █
█ final track, "Symbolic Sculptures", is a more █
█ mid-paced song than the rest of the album, and has █
█ a lot of great guitars, drums and vocals on it. █
█ It's a good end to a good album. █
█ This is a great first album for this band. They █
█ clearly have a strong idea of what they want to █
█ sound like, and they have the musicianship and █
█ talent to bring that to life. I seriously hope █
█ that their next album is as good, or hopefully █
█ even better, than this one. If you like Thrash █
█ infused Death Metal, then "Shepherd of Souls" will █
█ definitely turn you into a part of this bands █
█ ever-growing flock. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Abyss of the World 4:24 ░
░ 2. Into the Depth of Misery 3:26 ░
░ 3. Shepherd of Souls 4:06 ░
░ 4. Rise from Ashes 3:36 ░
░ 5. IxmucanΘ (I) 2:59 ░
░ 6. The Lords of Xibalbß (II) 5:19 ░
░ 7. Glorious Relentless Destiny 4:06 ░
░ 8. Empire of the Immortals 3:49 ░
░ 9. Human Weakness 4:28 ░
░ 10. Symbolic Sculptures 5:01 ░
░ 41:14 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
■ █▄ ░ ██
▀█▄░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ▓ ░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ░▄██░ ░
▀████▓█▄▄█████████▓░ ███ ███▓░ █████████▄▄██████▀ ▓
▓▀▓ ▒███████▀▀ ▀████████▒ ░████████▀ ▀▀███████░▓▀▓ ■
░ ▄█░█▀▀▄████▄▓ ▀█▀ █▓░ ▒▓█ ▀█▀ ▄████▄ ▀███▄░
▄█▀░ ░███▀▀▀███▄ ▀█▒ ██▓ ██ ▓█▀ ▄███▀▀▀███░ ▀█░
█▀ ▓██▓ ▄███ ▀█▓ ████ ▒█▀ ▓███▄ ▓██▓ ▀█▓
█▀ ▓██░ ▒██████▓ ▀█ █▓ █▀ ▓██████▒ ░██▓ ▀█
▒ ▄██ ░███ ▓███▓ ▀░██░▀ ▓███░ ███ ██▄ ▒
░█▀ ███ ▄▀ ███▄ ▓████▒ ▄███▀▄ ███ ▀█░
▓█▀ ▄██▄█▀ ░ ██████████████ ▀█▄ ██▄ ▀█▓
█▀ ████▀█▄▓░▄█ ▀██████▀ █▄▓░▄█▀█▄██ ▀█▓
░ ▄ ██▀ ▀████▀ ▀█▓▀██ ▀████▀ ▀███ ▄ ▒
█░█▓ ██░ █░ █ ░██ ▀██▒█
███░ ▒█░ ▄ ▓ ▒ ░█▒ ▓███ ░
▓██ ░ ██▓
██░ ░██
█▒ ░ ░█
▀█ █▀
▓ ░
░