CD Review: With Blood Comes Cleansing - Horror

I have to say that I have not come across that many bands who say they are Christian yet are put under the banner of death-core; however, that is exactly how With Blood Comes Cleansing is labeled. Sounds like the two labels are essentially headed in opposite directions. I have heard a few Christian rock and metal bands, from Stryper and Petra to Tourniquet and Sacrament. Granted, I do not have great exposure to metal from the Christian perspective, as they do not tend to get a lot of mainstream press or promotion. Being Christian it is an area of music that I would like to explore a little more, if only there was more time to get to everything I wanted, right? As for With Blood Comes Cleansing, here is a band that has found a way to reconcile their faith with a style of music that has long been the haven of darker themes and bands, and always seems to be associated with Satan, even when that is the furthest thing from the truth. Perhaps bands like this will help show another use of extreme music.

With Blood Comes Cleansing hails from Atlanta, Georgia, and with Horror are set to make their Victory Records debut, a move that will definitely give them an exposure boost and help spread their message. Horror is their second full-length album, following Golgotha, released on Blood and Ink Records in 2006. I have not heard that previous album, but I hear it is along similar lines to this, almost to a fault as it would seem.

I was not quite sure what to expect with the music, I was half-expecting each song to be a sermon, which seems to be the case with some Christian music I have been exposed to (like Stryper, although I have to admit to liking them back in the say). Fortunately, the vocals are firmly in the demonic (sic) growl/high pitched scream school, thereby making the lyrics more or less unintelligible. To that end, I cannot truly say how sermony or preachy they are. Not that there is anything wrong with having an overt message, we all know how in your face secular music can be and no one generally complains about that.

The music is catchy and very easy to slip into. The riffs are initially very death metal in style and speed, with incessant drums to match, before slipping into some seriously heavy hardcore-style breakdowns that got my head rocking before I could even tell what was happening. The vocals are just as brutal as the instrumental performances, literally pummeling your head, driving ever deeper in and taking hold until you have no control in the face of their brutality.

All is not great with Horror. As catchy, heavy, and brutal as it is, the song structure is strikingly similar throughout. There is nothing to truly surprise musically. Each song opens with the standard death metal trappings before introducing the breakdown. Lather, rinse, repeat. None of the songs are all that long, but if you listen to the album straight through, you are not likely to be able to tell one song from another. This produces quite the conundrum.

I would be lying if I said I did not like the album. It felt like a well-worn glove. You press play and are greeted with something that is familiar and doesn't immediately suck like so many bands tend to do. You take it in with a warm embrace, letting the heaviness wash over you. However, after the initial honeymoon reaction, you take a step back and think about what is being played and you realize it is nothing that you haven't heard before and better. It is not particularly original, and seems to trade on said familiarity to gain entry.

To its credit, the guitars from Jeremy Sims and Scott Erickson produce some really heavy riffs that could crush cement while vocalist Dean Atkinson sounds like his near ripping his throat to complete shreds. There is no doubt they are putting their heart into the music, and from the sound of it, will likely have much more to share as they grow as a band.

Bottomline. In short, listen to this. It is fun, it is heavy, and you may gain something from the positive message buried in the lyrics. With Blood Comes Cleansing is a band with clear and definite talent. As they develop they are sure to produce something that is a stronger than what is displayed here. In the meantime, I will just let the heavy music take control for a while.

Recommended.