UMUR
"Bloodline" is the debut full-length studio album by US, Florida based death metal act Tardy Brothers. The album was released through Candlelight Records in April 2009. "Bloodline" may be a debut album, but the Tardy Brothers are not new to the scene, being founding members of death metal act Obituary. One of the most prolific Florida based death metal acts since their inception in the mid-eighties (originally under the Xecutioner monicker). "Bloodline" was recorded in the gap between Obituary´s 7th and 8th full-length studio albums "Xecutioner's Return (2007)" and "Darkest Day (2009)". The latter was released only a few months after "Bloodline".
Donald Tardy handles drums, rhythm guitars, and bass and John Tardy handles vocals on the album. They are helped out by four different lead guitarists on the album. Among those, then Obituary guitarist Ralph Santolla.
Stylistically it´s no surprise that the music on "Bloodline" is pretty similar to the trademark sound of Obituary. With a distinct sounding growling vocalist like John Tardy that´s more or less inevitable. But it´s not only the vocals that give away the Obituary connection, the crushingly heavy and groove oriented riffing also point in that direction. There are differences too though. Especially the guitar tone is different (less dark and brutal) and there is even more focus on groove and melody on "Bloodline" than on your regular Obituary release. The tracks are also a bit more catchy and memorable. The inclusion of multible guitar solos on each track is also a great feature, that makes the tracks nicely varied. There are several highlights on the 9 track, 38:30 minutes long album, but I´d like to mention the irrestistable groove of the title track, the powerful "Deep Down" and the ultra melodic "Scream Descendent" (featuring some pretty busy acoustic guitar playing) as some of the standout tracks on the album. The instrumental "Wired", which features acoustic guitars with a lead guitar melody on top, is also quite a surprise considering what we are normally treated to on Obituary releases.
The sound production is professional and powerful, suiting the material well. Material that are generally of high quality. Sure the brothers could have composed something a bit more different from their usual gig, but on the other hand they´ve put just enough of a spin on this release to make it different from what Obituary usually have to offer. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.