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| Cover art by Alicia |
Did I mention that I’m a sucker for some really raw, filthy grimy sludge with hard hitting brutal riffs that wallow in low-end frequencies, blessed with a production that takes care not to clean all the dirt and mud out of it, but instead helps it ooze through my speakers or headphones to creep through my ears into my brain?
I did not? Well then let me tell you I’m a sucker for... Blood Red Water.
Just once in a while I get to know a band that meets all the needs of my sludgy heart perfectly. Five piece band Blood Red Water from Venice/Italy already made my heart jump with their first effort Tales of Addiction and Despair from 2012. And just once in a while it happens that this rawness and grittiness I love so much is not “smoothed out” in further releases. and that’s what Blood Red Water managed to do with All the Ills of Mankind. Of course the EP is different from its predecessor and in many ways a huge step forward, but thankfully it keeps the raw dirt and brutal intensity.
While the first album has some more HC influences and is more volatile and edgy as a whole, on All the Ills of Mankind the focus is more on the groovy and melodic side. Don't get me wrong, it’s still heavy as fuck with a sinister, menacing and slightly insane atmosphere.
The opener invites you to "A Ride in the Funhouse", drags you into a fair scene - the horror version - with creepy and weird laughter, distortion and feedback sounds, before the heavy riffs and dark throaty menacing vocals (to die for) crush you. This sense of menacing insanity is carried further through the whole album, increasing the groove and methodical rhythms with each track. The middle and low paced rhythms are entrancing, not really going into psychedelic areas, but keep you captured to make you an easy victim for the looming venomous danger.
All the Ills of Mankind includes five songs and has an overall runtime of about 28 minutes - 28 minutes of pure muddy sludge joy, intense and highly addictive.
[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]
Note: Originally posted on the defunct Temple of Perdition blog.