ALBUM REVIEW: Funeral Hymns – Bloodletter

It would be easy to expect an album entitled Funeral Hymns to be a dour, morbid affair. But in BLOODLETTER‘s case, that would be a mistake. While the second album from these Chicago-based thrashers definitely has its sinister leanings – look no further than the artwork and song titles for proof – there’s no denying that the whole thing makes for a seriously good time. From start to finish, Funeral Hymns is a vicious love-letter to blistering melodic thrash. Throw in the odd touch of crossover and melodeath for good measure, and it’s hard to imagine a metalhead who won’t love this.

One feature which instantly stands out on the record is the work of guitar duo Peter Carparelli and Pat Armamentos. Their performances on Funeral Hymns are nothing short of exceptional. Together, they cram the entire record full of harmonised leads and tonnes of Gothenburg-style riffs. All of this is done at consistently breakneck speeds, as are the record’s many wizard-like guitar solos. The band also bring in a fair few of their friends for some of these. Particularly noteworthy is the appearance of Jadran ‘Conan’ Gonzalez of EXMORTUS on sixth track Mark Of Justice. With squealing divebombs and ridiculously fast licks, Gonzalez may well lay claim to the best solo on the record, which is no mean feat considering the standard of these throughout.

As impressive as the guitar work on Funeral Hymns is, the record is still very much a group effort. Drummer Zach Sutton barely stops to breathe throughout the entire runtime, tearing along with double kicks, blast-beats, and quickfire fills. He’s accompanied by bassist Adam Payne, who adds a consistent solid low-end. Crucially, and unlike a few too many thrash records, one can actually hear Payne‘s bass throughout as well! On top of all this, guitarist Carparelli handles vocals on the record. His abrasive stylings slot in nicely over the band’s raucous thrash, and evoke the likes of IN FLAMES‘ Anders Fridén. The four of them also benefit from the record’s excellent production – handled by Justin Wilbanks of KNIGHT OF THE ROUND. Wilbanks, who also provides a guitar solo on eighth track Guillotine, does a great job of making Funeral Hymns sound consistently crisp, clear, and crushing.

‘Consistent’ is definitely one of the best ways to describe Funeral Hymns. Every track makes for a wild and visceral ride, with each band member firing on all cylinders pretty much all the time. That said, there are still a few songs which stand out as highlights. One is the opener, Absolution Denied, which features a grand, epic intro before the band kick into their sheer thrashing savagery. Another is the record’s fourth track, Burnt Beyond Recognition. This one’s as blistering as any other, but features guest vocals from Rae Amitay of IMMORTAL BIRD which add even more ferocity. Tenth track Hang – the shortest on the record – also features guest vocals, this time from Stephen Behrendt of TOXIC RUIN. Again, these add to the savagery of the band’s visceral and relentless thrash for another firm highlight.

Perhaps the strongest track of all though is the album’s closer, I Am The End. At four minutes 22 seconds, it’s the longest track on the record by a full minute, and it shows off everything BLOODLETTER do so well. After a brief quiet intro, the band kick in with massive harmonised leads before tearing into the usual straight-up thrash. From here, there’s a couple more minutes of the standard fare, before the band drop to a quiet break followed by a crushing bridge section. More galloping chugs and harmonised leads return at the end for a truly epic finale which makes for a great way to close both the song and the record.

An obvious criticism of Funeral Hymns is that it has next to no dynamic variation. I Am The End is the only song to feature any real moments of quiet, and even these are brief. Admittedly, it’s hard to have a problem with this when a band do their thing as well as BLOODLETTER do. Plus, they’re clearly aware enough of their potential limitations to keep the record to a lean 31 minutes. In doing so, they ensure Funeral Hymns never runs the risk of boring its listeners. Instead, it makes for a short sharp blast of pure raging thrash which is sure to leave fans pressing play over and over again.

Rating: 8/10

Funeral Hymns is set for release on January 22nd via Petrichor.

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