Album Review: Bloodshed Remains - 'Countdown'

Austrian hardcore quartet Bloodshed Remains second record, 'Countdown,' confirms the style that their debut 'What We Live For,' suggested the band might aim for. The reason why this would be important for fans of the group is due to the massive difference in sound and song-writing ability between the debut and the group's first EP 'Your Hymn To Annihilation.' Granted, the band are by no means pushing any boundaries in the hardcore community, but as both of their full length records now prove, the group are capable of writing solid hardcore tunes.

The thirty-two second opening track Back On Track sets the theme with blistering drums, hellish guitars and vocalist HCB's growling screams. This blends seamlessly into the record's title track which slows the pace down a little but amplifies the jump in maturity of the band's song-writing by offering plenty in a short time frame. The guitars and drums are locked in as they stab their way through fast punk bursts and drawn out verse sections.

Where many hardcore albums fall flat due to a lack of diversity between the songs, 'Countdown' offers tracks like Hope Dies Last, which moves from a boppy bass intro to fast paced verse and sprawling, gang vocal chorus lines. The bass lines steal the show again in tracks like Complain as the album hits its first snag due to the lack of deviation in the guitar tones, which after sixteen tracks, regardless of length, become a little draining. As mentioned before however, the record's saving grace in the diversity in the song structures, especially when you reach the blistering punk rock pace of Shit Won't Die and the groove heavy Face To Face.

One of the album stand outs is Time To Confess, possibly due to it being the most original sounding moment on the record. Kicking off with delayed vocals and a solid bass and drum pattern, the levels lift as guitars are introduced and the band members find their individual grooves, locking in with each other perfectly, with all parts complimenting one another extremely well. The record ends with one final punk rock stomp titled No Escape, one of the thickest, most aggressive moments on the record, closing the show with a powerhouse.

Bloodshed Remains have definitely found their feet and released their most solid record to date, granted this is just another brick in the world of hardcore that doesn't really improve on the genres design, but there really isn't anything here that fans of hardcore won't absolutely love.

1. Back On Track
2. Countdown
3. Break
4. Hope Dies Last
5. Hypocrite
6. Devil May Care
7. XXX
8. Complain
9. Honesty
10. Shit Won't Die
11. Face To Face
12. Time To Confess
13. Fuck Your Words
14. Game Of War
15. Blast
16. No Escape