Brand Of Sacrifice - Lifeblood

 

Key Facts

Country: 🇨🇦

Genre: Deathcore

Release Date: 5th March 2021

Record Label(s):  Independent/Blood Blast Distribution 

Band Members

Kyle Anderson - Vocals

Dallas Bricker - Bass

Liam Beeson - Guitar

Michael Leo Valeri - Guitars

Rob Zalischi - Drums

Featured Artists

Frankie Palmeri (Emmure) - Vocals on Prophecy Of The Falcon

Ben Deurr (Shadow Of Intent/Hollow Prophet) - Vocals on Mortal Vessel

Eric Vanlerberghe (I Prevail) - Vocals on Foe Of The Inhuman

Jamie Graham (Heart Of A Coward) - Vocals on Vengeance

Tyler Shelton (Traitors) - Vocals on Ruin

Brand Of Sacrifice - Animal 

Review

Rating (out of 5🤘): 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘

Favourite Track(s): Demon King, Animal, Mortal Vessel, Prophecy Of The Falcon, Vengeance, Lifeblood

Canada's Brand Of Sacrifice (BOS) have been a unique force within deathcore. Absolute devastating the world with debut album God Hand, BOS leave nothing but destruction and annihilation in their wake. Now they have once again returned to do just that again, with crushing new album Lifeblood. This disgustingly heavy and brutal album combines a plethora of earth shattering riffs and industrial elements that give the album an expansive and intriguing sound. Alongside this, the album boasts a whole host of featured artists including the likes of veterans Frankie Palmeri and Jamie Graham. Lifeblood feels like a gigantic step forward for BOS, building on and finely crafting their sound to become on of the more unique bands in an otherwise crowded genre. The album sees the band evolve into an even bigger metal monster that takes no prisoners. 

BOS have always added elements to deathcore that you'd never expect, including traditional instruments and in the case of Lifeblood, some symphonic and operatic vocals. There is something ridiculously cinematic on Lifeblood, and builds on what God Hand started. The band have come out all guns blazing, with bigger, better and more mind bending, industrially fused riffs. The album is intense and visceral from art to finish, each song becoming more diabolical and vile as the album goes on. One thing that will blow you away is the sheer virtuosity of everyone in the band, from the brilliantly crafted riffs to the crazy processing whammy/harmonic effects. With the choral and synth hits, deftly deployed in Animal, gives the album an overarching doom that makes you become the Ralph Wiggum meme, and for those that have been in a cave, you will chuckle and be in danger. The blistering pace of the album is something to be admired as the album retains all its original momentum and maintains it throughout without becoming stale. A new boundary is tested and pushed in every song, Prophecy Of The Falcon is an example of the band's innovation and evolution. Whilst operatic singing in metal isn't a new thing, there is something so resonating with the way BOS have used it in Prophecy Of The Falcon. The interludes A Perfect World and Corridor Of Dream demonstrate the cinematic brilliance of the album, with sorrowful melodies in a grand soundscape. An uneasy moment of peace before bringing it back to ball busting riffs that will make you want to screw your face up (you know the face I mean). This is best demonstrated with the transition from Corridor Of Dreams into Lifeblood, one solitary snare hit to snap you back into the chaos. The title track is an exemplary closing song, completing this cycle that the album seems to take on of being birthed into a chaotic world, taking its beatings and then rising up to take your vengeance on all the wrongdoers. The consolidates every aspect you hear in the album and brings them all into one monolithic, multilayered beast of a song. The complexities and subtleties in the album make it a gift that keeps on giving, as you hear new elements with each listen through that change how you perceive the nuances of the music, and that is a rarity in this genre. Overall, the album is a gut busting, bruising listening experience that isn't afraid to innovate in highly creative ways within a fairly closed genre. 

The production is nothing short of phenomenal, to contain so much perpetuating chaos without losing a shred of energy is incredible to say the least. The drums are so tight and heavy it feels like your skull has been through ten rounds with demon. The kick has a perfectly balanced thump and click so you can feel every pounding hit and the snare just snaps through the mix. The distorted bass, is so heavy it forms a sub bass gravitational pull with the drums. The guitar tones are brilliantly balanced with the mids and low end, but the real breathtaking element is all the crazy, video game sound design effect sounds they get out of their instruments. The sound design and arrangement deserves a special mention, layering all the synths to help envelope and immerse the listener in the album without being overpowering is a skill, as it can be easy to get caught up in synth layers that make the main instruments lose their edge. Either way the production is incredible and really showcases the band's musicianship and songwriting prowess in the best way possible. 

It's probably a bold statement so early in the year, but this is making an early claim to be an AOTY candidate. So, if you fancy listening to some devastating Canadian deathcore, get listing to BOS and Lifeblood. 

Brand Of Sacrifice - Lifeblood