Bloodletter are a four piece thrash metal outfit from Chicago, Illinois and are here to assault your ears in the best possible way with their new album, A Different Kind Of Hell. Formed in 2012 and performing highly toned and proficient thrash/speed metal with melodic undertones and solo's to die for. A Different Kind Of Hell is their third full length album and is eleven tracks of smouldering super charged metal that is as epic as it is catchy.
Fans of Slayer, Kreator, Exodus and Children Of Bodom will revel in Bloodletters similar style with faultless drumming, thumping bass, raging guitar and the sonic edgy vocal line from Pete Carparelli. Whilst Bloodletters previous albums Under The Dark Mark (2018) and Funeral Hymns (2020) convey a more personal outlook, A Different Kind Of Hell has been devised as a concept album into a supernatural world and the fate of one man. Carparelli describes that "the album is based on the journey of a lone adventurer who eventually falls victim to a malevolent force. Each song relives a part of their nightmare and descent into Hell".
It's hard to not just write Wise Blood Records words describing this album verbatim as they do a really good job of detailing A Different Kind Of Hell as an album. I love the fact that they call it a "thrashterpiece" and that the guitar solos are "hotter than a burning church" because I feel like these are true statements! Whilst Bloodletter have some very similar traits to their sound and song structure I like to think they have a way about them that makes them stand out. The melodic death metal mingles effortlessly with the power and pace of speed/thrash but as well as this I get the hint of technical punk rock like Propagandhi executed perfectly with great skill from the whole band. Everything is well balanced with nothing overpowering each other. The thunderous backline is ever present and a driving force. The guitar sound is bright and clear without any hint of muddiness yet they still manage to convey a feeling of darkness and foreboding when needed. This may have something to do with Carparelli's piercing and evil sounding vocals. From the eleven tracks on A Different Kind Of Hell it is actually really quite hard to narrow the album down to stand out tracks as the whole album flows well altogether. If I were to pick of stand outs though, for me, they would be "Blood Is Life", "Bound & Ravaged", "The Last Tomb" and "What Lies Beneath", the latter for its haunting intro and classic sound.
A Different Kind Of Hell certainly makes you sit up and pay attention. Their appreciation for the bands that have gone before them and their talent means they have what it takes to continue the genre without the risk of ruining the structure which is something to be applauded and praised for a job well done. I have high hope for these guys. Bloodletter have been doing this for just over a decade now and have put out several EP's and now soon to be three full length albums to their names that are all insanely good and they show no sign of stopping.
If you haven't already, please check out their back catalogue whilst you are eagerly awaiting the release of A Different Kind Of Hell on July 21st. The best way to do this would be to visit their bandcamp page where their main releases are available. Don't miss the chance to check the hilariously titled single from Oct 2022 called "668: Neighbor Of The Beast" for an extra treat!
