| CD REVIEW Poison My Blood |
 |
|
Band : Poison My Blood Influenced by the success of Circle, the biggest Hardcore band to come from their small rural village of Landen (situated some 6 kms frrom Leuven in the direction of Tienen, Belgium), Poison My Blood was formed in the year 2005 with a line-up including singer Wouter L’Homme, guitarists Stijn Borgers (rhythm) and Frederik De Roeck (lead), bassist Oskar Declippel, and drummer Arne Van Den Broucke…all friends of that same village. In that constellation as a band the quintet recorded their 4-track demo Harita, of which they sold 200 copies in less than a year at their not-so-frequent shows only! Not bad for a beginning. But the lead guitarist felt he needed to concentrate on other things in his life, so he left to make space for Koen DeLanghe, whom turned out to be an even better lead guitarist! This enabled the band to play and write songs for an even more interesting Metalcore than before, which got the re-modelled act some truly positive reactions form both music fans and small local fanzines alike…which in turn influenced the band to Rock out even more! Meanwhile, the line-up went through more changes: Tim Moens took over the drum stool during the Summer of 2008, and soon after Tom Verryken became the new bassist. After breaking in the new musicians, the quintet travelled all the way to Germany’s Rape Of Harmonies Studios to record the 9 tracks (with a duration of just under 36 minutes) on their debut full-length effort! Now I never heard PMB’s demo, so I cannot talk about the progress they’ve made over these few last years, but they dó bring a very nice and melodic Metalcore with slightly Progressive touch. Technical guitar riffs and heavy breakdowns get an “epic” atmosphere thanks to the omni-present lead guitar, and what with the brutal and aggressive vocals on top, it’s hardly surprising the band has gotten comparisons to the likes of Shai Hulud or Twelve Tribes, but mostly to Misery Signals! Check it out for yourselves at myspace.com/poisonmyblood, where the band posted the songs “Solitude” and “The Arsonist”.On the album the latter it is “ended” with some ambient sounds of waves breaking the sea shore, sounds which continue into the beautiful acoustic instrumental album closer “Echoes”. Another “calmer” moment on the album comes in the first part of the 98-second title track, where soft music is superimposed on some movie sample…at the end of which the band gives the track a more dramatic and really fitting explosive ending. Well, I hàd to mention those two passages on the album, didn’t I, or what the MySpace page offers might have you thinking that PMB is about (melodic) aggression only! Until now, PMB have played and “toured” in Belgium, Holland, France, Germany, and the UK…sharing the stage with such acts as Architects, Born From Pain, Cold As Life, For The Fallen Dreams, Machinemade God, Salt The Wound, The Banner, The Chariot, and The Warriors (to name but the most resounding), which has already given them the exposure and provided some of the contacts which will hopefully help the band along to further endeavours…because this quintet is an ambitious lot! They want to take their steaming and energetic shows everywhere the occasion may lead ‘em, as they see the band as a means to escape the drab and dullness of everyday life. No wonder they will put in their hearts and souls, as well as all of their energy, into their shows! So dó check ‘em out when they come in your neighborhood (a new batch of gigs starts from February on – check out the MySpace page for details on dates and places). 90/100 Tony. |