Exclusive Track Premiere: Blood Command New Single, New Line-Up!
In April, we at MetalSucks reported that Blood Command, authors of one of 2012’s best albums, had entered the studio to work on its follow-up. It was weird at the time to feel both excitement and really mild dread about it, not to mention surprise and worry that it’s kinda overdue. Maybe the members of BC sensed this, and spared fans (until now) the shocking news that a few months earlier the band had undergone a significant line-up change. To hear that, we could have been overwhelmed.
But let’s back up: That instant 2012 classic album is Funeral Beach, a post-Refused poppy hardcore juggernaut. Think of it as one of those addictive albums that you play for every type of music fan in your life. It’s a bit avant as songs go wherever they want, but their destinations are exhilarating and traceable on a map. It bears no cosmetic resemblance to dance music, but it pumps the same blood; any of us could blow up a party of heavy-phobic normals with only its A side.
And it’s an album that a fan sings along with a lot, and as such, its awesome songs share the marquee with the performances of their singer, Silje Tombre. With these jams, it would’ve been enough for Tombre to merely keep up, instead she dominates. She rages, she’s wry, she marches, she’s vulnerable. Hers is a shimmery tone, an effortless regard for pitch. She’s a five-tool MVP vocalist. You believe everything she says.
MetalSucks can now report that Tombre is no longer a part of Blood Command. A statement sent to us by the band:
Dear friends and foes. We have a big announcement to make: In November 2014, our singer Silje decided to part ways with the Bloods. Six years of touring, sweating late hours in the studio isn’t for everyone. Nothing dramatic about it as we had seen this coming for some years. We wish Silje all the best in the future. Thank you for six years of service, and may you be delighted in whatever you will do. All good things must end.
… But from the ashes, rises the phoenix, and five days later our new companion stood in our rehearsal room, screaming her lungs out like her life depended on it. We knew instantly; this is the one, and this train cannot be stopped. Please welcome the very talented, very raw, very blood command: Karina Ljone!
As stated above, the Bloods have a knack for timing: This news that could cause a small outbreak of worry in a fan arrives with its antidote: a new song (below) with Ljone from BC’s upcoming album. Guitarist Yngve Andersen told me that there’s no release date yet, but “the plan is singles this year” then the album in early 2016. For now, we present to you “Rothschild.” Crank it up!
The live debut of Blood Command’s new line-up is Saturday in Bergen, Norway. Details here. Get Funeral Beach here.
