Review Summary: Sing; M-E-T-A-L, for metal!
Bloodbound are energetic, fun and a little lucid.
In The Name Of Metal highlights that having a certain degree of cheese in the power metal scene doesn’t mean a ruined record. In roughly the same vein as Helloween, Bloodbound have fun with their 2012 release. It’s really as simple as that; bounce - enjoy it, these guys sure are. The self-titled opener is as much of an indicator as the comical album artwork of what is to come. This mid-tempo album should be received as a jovially affair, good for drinking to and far from being taken seriously. Taking inspiration from the likes of Judas Priest and a hint or two of Iron Maiden (that is once you get past the almost ridiculous amount of cheesy context) add your typical glam metal themes and Bloodbound’s sense of good fun comes shining through. These Swedes are here to rock your socks off.
If you have heard of the terminology of ‘metal’ being a religion; it’s easy to say that Bloodbound are the preachers. Tracks like ‘Metalheads Unite’ and ‘In the Name of Metal’ where lines of “Raise your fist to the music we love”, “My hair’s so long I don’t give a fuc
k” and “Metalheads unite, come and join the fight/we bring them down” display a stereotype of fans with ease, thankfully Bloodbound has a serious side too. ‘Son of Babylon’ has a slightly darker theme to the rest of the album, a better thought out lyric sheet and frankly the track sounds better because of it. It’s good to know that these guys don’t just build of stereotypes of the metal genre but can actually create catchy and memorable tracks, reinforcing their take on the power metal scene. Keep in mind however that the cheese doesn’t go away and basically - why would it? If the round wheel works there’s no need to replace it with a triangle to see if it works any better.
With music reminiscent to the glory days of the 80’s metal scene
In The Name Of Metal there is something for listeners’ both young and old. With tracks like ‘Metalheads Unite’ and ‘Bounded By Blood’ which both have a rather obvious contextual themes there is something that listeners’ can enjoy provided that they don’t take anything to seriously. Sure, purists are probably turning over in their graves now but for those looking for some fun cheese, crack open a cold one and let Bloodbound take you away with a catchy release. It’s strange that a band formed in the early 00’s can pull off a sound most 80’s bands would crave. Aided by a crystal clear production and a strong instrumental effort
In The Name Of Metal promotes the cheese of the power/glam metal strongly.
