The Pitch: "Born from the bitter cold winds that howl throughout Chicago, Illinois, Bloodletter was formed to help spread melodic, heavy and fast thrash metal within the city. Starting with musical influences from bands like: Skeletonwitch, Revocation, Bloodbath, Iron Maiden and Slayer and combining them with a strong interest in: the occult, witchcraft, death, and the supernatural, they ended up with a furiously fast, catchy and menacing brand of metal music."
What I Like: Always feels good to review a band from the old stomping grounds. Furthermore, I believe this marks the first time I've covered a Chicago thrash band. Any band I listen to in this genre has two major hurdles to overcome: one right from the outset and the other generally around 30 seconds in. The first is really the foundation of any solid thrash band: the riffs. Bloodletter have these in spades. Siphoning the soul and energy of the acts listed above, perhaps with the heaviest emphasis on the frosty Skeletonwitch, Under The Dark Mark is ripe with headbanging hooks. They do an excellent job of paying tribute to the old gods of the scene while also taking on more modern aproaches. As for the second hurdle, it's the make-it-or-break-it arrival of the frontman. In this respect, Bloodletter still get a passing grade. The approach is similar to crossover groups like Power Trip. It works well enough, but it's also my primary area of critique...
Critiques: These vocals could definitely be a little stronger. They don't get cringey and off key as tends to be my primary complaint when it comes to thrash, but they could still use more presence. In short, they're not quite threatening enough.
The Verdict: Under The Dark Mark is a killer thrash metal album brimming with energetic drumming and righteous riffing. While I'm not in love with the vocals, they don't put me off at all either. Bloodletter have a bright future ahead of them and deserve a distinction not only as one of only a handful of bands in this genre that felt worth reviewing, but also the first noteworthy one of 2018.
Flight's Fav's: Beyond Belief, Under the Dark Mark, Beast in Black (especially strong Skeletonwitch vibes on this one)
-Review by FlightOfIcarus
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