BY BLOOD ALONE — Thunderbirds (review)

BY BLOOD ALONE — Thunderbirds album cover Album · 2011 · Gothic Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
2.5/5 ·
J-Man
Since the release of 2007's Seas of Blood, By Blood Alone has been on quite an emotional journey. Lead vocalist Cruella survived her battle with breast cancer since then, and (according to the band's website) this has brought forward "her most personal writing yet". Thunderbirds, the band's second full-length album, may contain her most personal writing so far, but I find it to be an severely flawed release. I really wish that the final product would've ended up a bit stronger, because it's clear that the band put their heart and soul into this album. Though this certainly isn't a terrible album, Thunderbirds is passable at best and far from the top of the heap of female-fronted gothic metal acts. If the band fixes a few of the crippling flaws on this effort, maybe their next effort will warrant some more praise from my direction.

By Blood Alone plays a style of gothic metal with influence from doom metal and progressive metal. The atmosphere here is much more raw and unpolished than your average female-fronted gothic metal band, though. The keyboards don't consist of synths, but instead use piano and (far too often) a cheesy organ tone. I really wish the band would spice up their arrangements a bit more; Thunderbirds really sounds very bland thanks to the uninspired arrangements. "Misfit" is probably the highlight track here, and much of the remaining duration of the album is fairly unremarkable. By Blood Alone is clearly a talented act, but the production and arrangements are so bland that Thunderbirds sounds almost a tad amateurish. The compositions themselves aren't (for the most part) spectacular either, but I could see them being greatly improved by a better production.

I wasn't very impressed by Thunderbirds, but fans of female-fronted gothic metal that's different from the norm may want to check it out. The raw, doomy atmosphere immediately sets them aside from your average Within Temptation clone. By Blood Alone has their own distinct sound, but they'll need to make a more convincing effort before I'm too impressed. 2.5 stars is the most I can give here.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

Antibeauty Hardcore Punk
SNOWING IN PERU
Buy this album from MMA partners
Mana Earth Hardcore Punk
SNOWING IN PERU
Buy this album from MMA partners
Intimate Isolation Hardcore Punk
GOOD FALL
Buy this album from MMA partners
Dark Future Sludge Metal
PAIN CHEMISTRY
Buy this album from MMA partners
Violent Delights Hardcore Punk
GALLEONS
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

Galleons - Electric Emotions
GALLEONS
Bosh66· 19 hours ago
Galleons - Elsewhere (Official Lyric Video)
GALLEONS
Bosh66· 19 hours ago
Galleons - Neon Dreams (Official Lyric Video)
GALLEONS
Bosh66· 19 hours ago
Galleons - I Travel East As Fievel Goes West Pt. 1 - Official Lyric Video
GALLEONS
Bosh66· 19 hours ago
FREEHOWLING - SCARS FT. AARON MATTS (TEN56.) [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]
FREEHOWLING
Bosh66· 19 hours ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed