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September 7, 2008 |
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3 INCHES OF BLOOD - Advance And Vanquish
Roadrunner (2004) |
8/10 |
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01. Fear On The Bridge (Upon The Boiling Sea I)
02. Deadly Sinners
03. Revenge Is A Vulture
04. Dominion Of Deceit
05. Premonition Of Pain
06. Lord Of The Storm (Upon The Boiling Sea II)
07. Wykydtron
08. Swordmaster
09. Axes Of Evil
10. Crazy Nights
11. Destroy The Orcs
12. The Phantom Of The Crimson Cloak
13. Isle Of Eternal Despair (Upon The Boiling Sea III)
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I heard about 3 INCHES OF BLOOD from a classmate back in 2002. I was impressed by his description of their sound, and the absurdity of their band name (measuring blood in inches?). Seeing them live for the first time was perhaps the best ten bucks I ever spent. I bought their debut album after the show, also for $10 and also a great value.
If you're not familiar with the band, 3 INCHES OF BLOOD play a classic, NWOBHM, "denim and leather" style, a style that shifts the emphasis back to lead guitars and melody (where it belongs). The band features two vocalists - Cam Pipes sings in a HALFORD-meets-KING DIAMOND falsetto. While Cam's style is typical for the style of music, the second vocalist, Jamie Hooper, screams in a harsh pterodactyl voice that's more akin to hardcore than black metal. I can't understand the words he shrieks, and although his vocals are hard to get used to, they're a necessary element of the band. Because there is no variety in either vocalist's performance, the band needs two singers to keep things interesting. When their voices are combined, I'm reminded of Brian Johnson or Udo Dirkschneider, and the harsh vocals add some much needed balls to the castrated falsettos.
If you're already familiar with the band's debut, "Battlecry Under A Winter Sun," let me bring you up to date. Since "Battlecry", the band have replaced their drummer, their bassist and both guitarists. The rhythm section was replaced prior to the band recording its sophomore effort, "Advance And Vanquish", and thankfully, the guitarists stuck around long enough to play on the album. They also had a large hand in the songwriting, with Sunny Dhak in particular, being listed first in the writing credits. It's surprising that everyone left around the release of their first album on Roadrunner...yes, you read that right, Roadrunner. After stockpiling cash made from crappy bands like SLIPKNOT and NICKELBACK, it seems like Roadrunner is finally ready to gamble on quality. It's ironic that SLIPKNOT dress like garbage men, because their CDs desperately need to be taken to the dump, where not even the seagulls would touch them.
As expected, the production of "Advance And Vanquish" is much clearer and cleaner than that of the debut. This album has riffs aplenty and great leadwork. MAIDEN is the first band that comes to mind when I hear the gallops of "Destroy The Orcs" and "Fear On The Bridge (Upon The Boiling Sea I)", but the band's NWOBHM knowledge extends deeper that MAIDEN. For example, the song title "Crazy Nights" is a clear reference to the TYGERS OF PAN TANG album of the same name. The vocals are lead guitars are given priority in the mix. On my Discman, I found the production to be lacking in bottom-end, and I couldn't really hear the bass. I didn't have as much of a problem on my computer, but most CD players and Discmans have bass boosts, which corrects the problem nicely. The drumming is tighter than Calista Flockhart's clothes on Rosie O'Donnell, and the bass playing reminds me of a young, hungry Steve Harris.
New producer Neil Kernon uses Jamie Hooper much differently on this album. On "Battlecry", both singers were given equal priority, which made the vocals more raspy and raw; on "Advance And Vanquish," Jamie's vocals are lower in the mix. Although Jamie gets a few moments in the spotlight, most of the tracks are driven by Cam's falsetto. The lack of variety in Cam's voice makes the songs sound the same at first, and there aren't as many hooks compared to IRON MAIDEN. It takes a few listens for the melodies to stick but they eventually do. Musically, the album is like junk food, with tasty leads and solos that you'll savor on the spot, but might not remember after listening.
The differences between "Advance And Vanquish" and the debut are illustrated in "Advance"'s version of "Destroy The Orcs", a track that appears on both albums. The production is a billion times cleaner, and Kernon made Cam's vocals a priority. Compared to the debut, a lot more songs have catchy choruses, with Jamie adding the necessary beef. At 13 tracks in length, the album is about two songs too long, considering that there is little variety in the band's attack. You won't find any ballads on this album, though "Crazy Nights" sounds like it wants to be and has a rather wimpy chorus. With song titles like "Swordmaster" and "Axes Of Evil", you can't go wrong. Just don't expect deep, introspective lyrics, because all you'll get is swords, steel and tongue-in-cheek humor, which is fine by me.
Although I prefer METALUCIFER at the end of the day, you'd be hard pressed to find a better band than 3 INCHES OF BLOOD signed to Roadrunner. If you want NWOBHM-inspired fury more than you want variety, buy this album NOW!
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