Reviewed by Greg Sammons

Despite it seeming like Bloodwork have been around for years and years (it is in fact just three years), no doubt due to the previous incarnation of Paradox, this really is their first serious release. I could be wrong but as far as I know, this band is the only British Christian death metal band in existence (although there are members from North America and South Africa) and as such there is little to compare them to, apart from the much larger Scandinavian scene with which they have many connections and have played at many of their festivals. Last year they released a two-track limited edition sampler; both songs are on this EP and are a subtle improvement on the original. The other three tracks also seem to be an improvement in artistry and innovation, if not in listenability, which can be put down to some fairly good quality production. A good move was to include dual vocals, providing the complementing growls and screams, which nicely follows current trends. Lyrically, this is strong and purposeful stuff; with topics ranging from purity and absolution to the eternity and love of Christ. This is pretty good quality mid-paced death metal with influences coming in from neighbouring genres (doom, black, thrash, etc) that leaves me eagerly awaiting their full-length album but not yet fully impressed or satisfied.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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