Blood Freak "Sleaze Merchants" CD
[Razorback]
So, it's been said that this record was allegedly recorded in 1990, and contains a few bonus tracks from the band's alleged 1988 demo, but it's pretty clear that that's not the case judging by the sound quality. This sounds very similar to some of the other bands on Razorback, namely Ghoul and Frightmare, but sans the thrash and more towards the straight early Carcass sound with a bit more innovation than most gore grind bands who play in that general style. Expect a multi vocal attack with all sorts of nasty low growls to varying degrees of sick texture and enunciation, chunky rhythms with blasting drum patterns and the occasion lead break (some compete with wah), a good amount of tempo changes... the usual. It's not really anything new, and I must confess that the songwriting doesn't really catch me all that much, but it's not bad. For what it is, it's average... nothing stunning, but nothing particularly weak or anything. They stick to the formula of introducing every track with a sample from a horror movie and all that, which gets tedious after about 10 minutes and sort of harms the flow of the record, but once they tear through the actual songs, especially those that stick to running less than a minute-and-a-half, they get the job done. As mentioned, the sound quality is really quite good. It's got that rough bite to it, but the mix is pretty even, and the only thing that barely starts to get on my nerves after awhile is that the vocals are a bit dominant against the music. I think the drums sound okay, but I'd like to hear more bass and louder guitars to hold the vocals back in with the music, but that's not a big deal here. It's a fairly common problem with these types of bands for the vocals to lean out front as a result of their over the top nature, so... Visually things look pretty busy and crammed together, but aside from some fonts that aren't that hot I like the artwork, which is of course all styled after (or likely lifted from) old horror movie posters and such. No lyrics are included, but I think song titles like "Blood, Blood, and More Blood!" should get the point across. I gotta say, I think a 7" from this band would've been more effective, because 30+ minutes of this is unnecessary. I was bored after about 15 minutes, and there are only a handful of songs here that are distinctly good. I think if they didn't use so many damn samples it would flow a hell of a lot better and make for a more enjoyable listen, but... unless you're a diehard fan of this style, I can't say Blood Feast is a mandatory experience. I must commend them, though... because the "1988 demo" is a lot rawer and more stripped down... a nice, humorous touch. Those songs are by far the best herein. (6/10)
Running time - 36:55, Tracks: 22
[Notable tracks: Flesheaters From Outerspace, I Rip Your Flesh, Insane for Gore, I Said... Murder, Dr. Cannibal]
Razorback Records - http://www.razorbackrecords.com

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