Blood Command – Return Of The Arsonist

By RingMaster Review on May 9, 2019 • ( 0 )

It is fair to say that we did not know too much about Norway’s Blood Command; certainly their name had cropped up but their death pop had never quite exploded on our radars here. That is until now and the release of new EP Return Of The Arsonist. Uncaging six tracks bred in the band’s voracious fusion of raging hardcore, rapacious metal, irritable punk and virulent pop, the new release simply demanded attention and as we found a lustful one at that.

With plaudit luring shows alongside the likes of Refused, Tragedy, Comeback Kid, and Gallows to name a few under their belt and following a successful tour supporting Rolo Tomassi at the end of 2018, Blood Command are certainly no strangers to real and eager praise and they can expect plenty more through their new offering too.

A conceptual successor to 2011 EP, Hand Us The Alphamale and specifically its opening track, Summon the Arsonists, the quickly inflamed Return Of The Arsonist roars and stomps like an entanglement of Animal Alpha, Deathcrush, and Mannequin Death Squad yet is defiantly unique within its own rapacious skin. The Bergen quartet kick it off with Don’t Strike A Match, Use The Lighter, the song rising up through dark atmospheric mists until settling into its contagious instincts and tenacious incitement. Karina Ljone’s tones quickly challenge and brawl with ears but soon cast their harmonic glamour over the senses too as sounds storm with similar hues. Hungrily brief, too much so in our mind, the track is a seriously rousing punk squall loaded with pop soaked catchiness and simply irresistible.

The EP’s title track follows, seducing with its volatile first breath before chaining attention with appetite feeding hooks and loaded rock ‘n’ roll. The rhythmic trespass of bassist Simon Oliver Økland and drummer Sigurd Haakaas is as infectious as it is punishingly incisive with the guitar of Yngve Andersen equally as animated and mercurial within the caress of keys. A fiery slice of temptation it craftily backs up the potency of its predecessor and the dextrous antics of next up No Thank You, I’m More In To Fake Grindcore. It too aligns instinctive rock boisterousness with its punk instincts, imagination lining every rabid twist and provocative turn.

Live Right Or Go Straight To Hell prowls and stalks the listener across its two minutes of unapologetically catchy punk ‘n’ roll, the track another aggressively manipulative proposal before which resistance is never a thought, while the fifty odd seconds of Ritual Knife is pure agitational contagion and just delicious.

The EP departs on the anthemic exploits of Afraid Of Water, again a proposition which from its throbbing bassline and swinging beats to flavoursome sonic trespass and skilled vocal commotion just hit the spot.

With their rescheduled our alongside Skindred ahead, 2019 is looking a major attention busting year for Blood Command with the rather superb Return Of The Arsonist leading the way.

Skindred/Blood Command European Tour Dates are:

November

29th Amsterdam Melkweg

30th Cologne Kantine

December

1st Karlsrue Substage

2nd Bremen Schlachtof

3rd Frankfurt Batschkapp

5th Berlin Binuu

6th Erfurt HSD

7th Dresden Beatpol

8th Prague Lucerna Music Bar