ALBUM REVIEW: Souls – Bloodclot

If some supergroups surprise their listeners by sounding nothing like the regular gigs of their various members, BLOODCLOT are the complete opposite. Led by ex-CRO-MAGS vocalist John Joseph and today counting among their line-up current and former members of SICK OF IT ALL, MADBALL and BEYOND, the New York hardcore/crossover four-piece stick pretty close to what they know for their third full-length album Souls. Of course, it’s hard to fault them for it when you consider that most of them had a hand in inventing the thrashy metallic style they deliver here.

Perhaps the only real evolution for BLOODCLOT on Souls is that they seem to have really dialled up the thrash this time around. Again, it’s hardly a shock from the man who played on a record like Alpha Omega, but at least in comparison to this album’s 2017 predecessor Up In Arms there is more of an obvious metallic influence at play. It’s clear from the outset, with the opening title track launching towards its listeners as though in some kind of 100m sprint with 80s SLAYER and KREATOR as competitors. It’s a fierce, incendiary opener, full of all the usual calls to “stand the fuck up and fight for your life” alongside plenty of sharp riffing and squealing leads from guitarist Tom Capone.

There’s plenty more where that came from in the tracks which follow, and while that will be more than enough for some, it’s hard not to notice that Souls doesn’t really do all that much within its admittedly scant runtime of just 21 minutes. Fifth track Infectious stands out instantly for its groovier tempo and more melodic vocals, but other than that it does feel a bit like BLOODCLOT show listeners all that they can do best in the opener and then spend most of the rest of the record repeating themselves to marginally diminishing returns. 

Then again, none of it’s terrible. Save The Robots and Relentless pull through more obvious hardcore influences, the latter elevated by a nice little reference to MOTÖRHEAD’s Ace Of Spades while also somewhat let down by the lyrical cheese of “Got fucked up demons all up in your mind”, and the band close the record with a cover of the BAD BRAINS classic How Low Can A Punk Get?. It’s played more or less exactly as you’d expect – faithful to the structure of the original but with a beefy modern production doing all it can to make up for the absence of the inimitable H.R.. Some might argue that it’s best to leave tracks like these well enough alone, but given the band’s origins as roadies for the D.C. legends this does feel more tribute than rip-off.

And that’s it really. Souls may struggle to hold up to the best work of the individuals involved in its creation, but no-one can really begrudge this group of hardcore legends for getting together and having a good old-fashioned thrash fest. As long as you don’t expect it to blow your mind, this record is short enough and goes hard enough to justify at least a couple of listens.

Rating: 6/10

Souls is set for release on December 16th via Upstate Records.

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