Review Summary: Generic and engaging.
Metal bands feel the need to fill spaces with extras. The Raven Age is not that kind of band. They play true heavy metal, heartening back to the days of true rock and roll, when only guitars and drums and catchy songs were required for good music. Nonetheless, Blood Omen keep it modern with clean, auto-tuned vocals and smoothly paved choruses.
Blood Omen shares similarities with power metal, Metallica, and Halestorm. They get somewhat heavy, but their foot in the mainstream door is undeniable. Tight rhythms are swung round and round and simple, catchy hooks are given. Energetic riffs tickle toes, and lead vocals take charge. The riffs have nice energy, though the butt rock vocals are much more memorable. You’ll be left remembering how great the vocal performance was, while having ass your kicked only lightly.
Despite sounding like an older metal album due to utilizing the base, umbrella-genre of metal, the polished vocals and harmonized choruses are lovely desserts. It’s an album that realizes its mainstream potential, and taps into it without neglecting metallic substance. It doesn’t get too poppy or sound particularly derivative of other bands. The noodle guitar bits and solos are also quite glorious. The album has a hard vibe and vibes hard.
Let’s say you haven’t heard of this band. Blood Omen is a fine place to start. The singer is not amazeballs wowie, but his gruff/smooth tone is handled with passion, just as consistent as the previous album — the riffs likewise go hard. Blood Omen is a solid collection of tunes, though not jaw dropping. All in all a great effort.
