Bad Blood is the debut effort from Swedish hardcore outfit Dead Vows. This release is my first exposure to the band, though I am familiar with one member's other group - Anchor. Dead Vows serve up eleven tracks that whip by in just about a half-hour's time.
"We're All Judas" leads the album off with a fast-paced hardcore sound reminiscent of the early Bridge Nine catalog. The band does slow the pace down toward the end with a bridge section that is followed by toned down breakdown. "Strep Throat" follows and completely rages though; it's twice as fast as the preceding track and totally makes me want to get up and dance - I definitely got an American Nightmare vibe form this track.
Dead Vows continues to churn out circa two-minute tracks for the bulk of the album, each song has that slight rock and roll meets modern hardcore sound that the Boston scene is known for perfecting. The band does mix in a few different sounds here and there though. "Out of Steel" scales the pace back and takes a more building structure akin to artists like Pelican and Isis, but slightly more direct. It's a plodding number that gives the album a nice contrast and some much needed personality; it could have used a bit more of a dramatic climax though. "Carved into Hearts" is centered around a sweet riff with a nice rock and roll swagger to it; it kind of sounds like a hardcore band playing a Queens of the Stone Age song. It sounds like an odd fit, but it works. They use this approach again on the following track "Grunting and Squealing."
Lyrically, vocalist Henrick touches on topics such as death, betrayal, and situations beyond ones control, amongst others. He often makes use of metaphors to reveal his thoughts and feelings. "Dark Red Water" contains the following set of lines I found striking:
Too much blood is on our hands / In the water we are going down / Bad blood, under the bridges / It's what we share / It's what we have
Refoundation continues to find and release some of the best-kept secrets of the European hardcore scene. Dead Vows is the latest nugget that they've harvested and put forth all to hear. As with all releases from the label, proceeds from the sales from this release will be donated to those groups and people who fight in the name of animal, human and earth liberation.
