BLOOD PROMISE PROMISES ANOTHER PROMISE… AND BLOOD

We get handed dozens of CDs and flyers outside of shows by annoying street team brats here in NYC all the time, and as I rule I listen to everything once. 99% of it is utter shite, but every now and then there’s a gem that makes all the pain worth it. I must have been holding onto the Sinister Music Vol. 4 CD for at least six months before I finally gave it a spin yesterday, and boy oh boy was I surprised by the second track, “Strike Another Promise” by the band Blood Promise from Atlanta, GA.

This is metalcore the way it should be — less core, more metal, plenty of Swedish influence and artfully executed keyboards; it’s chock full of hooks without feeling overdone. The production and mixing are incredibly crisp courtesy of producer James Murphy, former member of Death, Testament and Obituary. Murphy has also produced Exhumed, Rick Derringer, and Daath. All the musicians here are top notch, and vocalist Henry Derek Bonner stands out among them. Donner’s rich voice has the eerie sneer and vibrato of vintage Mike Patton, the high reaches of Coheed and Cambria’s Claudio Sanchez, and the death metal growl and clear diction of Soilwork’s Speed Strid. The guitars are big, meaty, deep and delicious, played in perfect time with the punishing drums.

Unfortunately “Strike Another Promise” isn’t on the band’s MySpace page, but the four songs that are posted are equally as good.

-VN

[Visit Blood Promise on MySpace]