It’s been awhile since Vanyaland has been this excited about some new metal. Too much of the genre today is cookie-cutter junk — vacuous because it follows whatever the latest semi-trend might be. Or, worst of all, there’s some amazing riffage but complete shit for vocals; like, hasn’t anyone learned a thing from Megadeth about this misstep?
That’s precisely why it’s so arresting when something like Bloody Hammers comes along. With a moniker taken from a song by psych-rock legend Roky Erickson, the music is doom without being dumb and retro without being repetitive. The Charlotte-based outfit come out swinging like Oh Dae-su in the original Oldboy, with longtime Goth staple Anders Manga leading Sabbath-esque overtones that too many try but few are able to actually pull off – especially with this sort of aplomb.
October 1 will see the release of the second Bloody Hammers full-length, Spiritual Relics. Until then, check out the video for the first single, “What’s Haunting You.”
And for those who hate visuals…
