BLOODIEST — Descent (review)

BLOODIEST — Descent album cover Album · 2011 · Atmospheric Sludge Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
UMUR
"Descent" is the debut full-length studio album by US post metal act Bloodiest. The album was released through Relapse Records in March 2011. Bloodiest consists of members and ex-members of acts such as Yakuza, 90 Day Men, Follows, Atombombpocketknife and Sweep The Leg Johnny. besides Yakuza I can´t say I´m terribly familiar with any of those mentioned acts, so I actually didn´t know what to expect from "Descent". As it turns out I was more than pleasantly surprised.

Bloodiest play a kind of repetitive, slow building and almost ritualistic sounding post metal. The vocals are pre-dominantly clean (a few more raw type vocals pop up from time to time) and are delivered in a kinda chanting psychadelic fashion. "Descent" is generally not a very heavy or distorted album, but the atmosphere is dense and bleak with moments of stunning beauty. The 11:10 minutes long "Dead Inside", which is the centerpiece of the album and the 9:01 minutes long "Slave Rule" are maybe the best examples of how well Bloodiest pull off playing very few riffs, but still manage to create intricate songs which build towards moments of pure bliss. The band are really successful at playing subdued and atmospheric parts and keep them interesting for the listener. It´s like they manage to keep me on my toes at all times even when they are most mellow.

There are only 6 tracks on the 38:46 minutes long album, but "Descent" is a perfect example of quality over quantity. There´s not a single wasted or bad moment on the album, no filler material, and no unnecessary technical wankery. The album is all about atmosphere and those driving ritualistic beats. Overall I´m very impressed with everything from the excellent production, to the solid musicianship, to the intriguing songwriting. A 4 - 4.5 star (85%) rating is deserved.
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