|
3 Inches of Blood
3 Inches of Blood is a Canadian heavy metal band formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 2000. Their musical style is chiefly traditional power metal, influenced by the NWOBHM bands of the late 1970s and early 1980s. There are also some minor influences to be heard from thrash metal.
The band has occasionally been mislabeled as a metalcore band. In fact, the band draws far more influence from pre-1985 heavy metal such as Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and other members of the NWOBHM. Furthermore, one of the main tenets of the band's philosophy is that of a reaction to the contemporary popularity of genres such as nu metal, metalcore, and screamo. It is ironic then, that the label to which they are signed is one of the biggest for these genres.
* Cam Pipes – clean vocals
* Jamie Hooper – screaming vocals
* Sunny Dhak – lead guitar
* Bobby Froese – rhythm guitar
* Rich Trawick – bass
* Geoff Trawick – drums
* Jesse Gander – producer
Battlecry Under A Winter Sun
1. "Ride Darkhorse, Ride" – 3:26
2. "Destroy the Orcs" – 2:13
3. "Headwaters of the River of Blood" – 3:03
4. "Heir to the Chaos Throne" – 3:42
5. "Skeletal Onslaught" – 3:48
6. "Journey to the Promiseland" - 2:26
7. "Lady Deathwish" – 3:44
8. "Curse of the Lighthouse Keeper" – 3:12
9. "Blazing Fires of Evermore" – 3:16
10. "Hall of Heroes" – 4:21
11. "Balls of Ice" – 3:44
Quote:
"Canada's Three Inches of Blood throw their lot into the "shameless heavy metal retread" sweepstakes with the suitably titled Battlecry Under a Winter Sun and a simple motto: "Let metal be your master!" With song titles like "Ride Darkhorse, Ride," "Destroy the Orcs," and "Heir to the Chaos Throne," there's no disguising the group's humongous debt to Ronnie James Dio's school of sword and sorcery lyrics. And with their piles and piles of galloping, staccato riffs, these and album highlights such as "Headwaters of the River Blood," "Curse of the Lighthouse Keeper," and the absolutely hysterical "Balls of Ice" also drink liberally from the fountain of Iron Maiden -- even if they avoid the metal legends' epic approach to songwriting in order to wrap up in two or three minutes. This, as it turns out, works to Three Inches of Blood's advantage, as the absence of excess clutter allows for a fresh feeling of renewal throughout. Conversely, the band's heartfelt dedication to this often maligned and ridiculed genre might rub some listeners as being facetious, requiring a very open mind to stomach the likes of "Journey to the Promisedland" -- a dramatic interlude composed of acoustic guitar and chanted "ooh"s and "aah"s. Speaking of vocals, if there's anything truly unique about Three Inches of Blood, it's their use of not one, but two vocalists -- one singing piercing semioperatic melodies à la Rob Halford, the other shrieking like a death metal demon. Duetting on virtually every track, they do become a little hard to distinguish at times, but the overall effect is quite a bonus in the end. Purely from a metal purist's respective, two key items still missing if the band's commitment is to be complete: long hair and more guitar solos. Indeed, the latter prove surprisingly scarce throughout the album. Finally, one can't help but wonder if Three Inches of Blood are aware of how much they sound like Canadian proto-thrashers Exciter, albeit with far better songs. Regardless, this is a bold and fearless update of a long forgotten era, and will leave fans of classic heavy metal screaming for more."
--- Ed Rivadavia, All Music |
