Poison Blood – Poison Blood

Band – Poison Blood

Album – Poison Blood

Country of Origin – USA

Genre – Black Metal

Release Date – August 11th, 2017

Label – Relapse Records

Author – Hayduke X

So, I have to confess something. I’ve been a fan of Relapse Records for a long time, but lately their releases have seemed a little bit too soft, too clean. The edge just hasn’t been there. I have stopped automatically grabbing the Relapse releases to review. I say that to say this, though. Poison Blood has my full attention. This debut album by the North Carolina duo is raw like an open wound, dark like a moonless night, unclean like an American Civil War hospital, and vicious like a thirsty vampire.

Made up of Jenks Miller from Horseback, who does all the instrumentation, and Neill Jameson from Krieg, who handles lyrics and vocals, who came together to create something straightforward and aggressive. A shared love of Drawing Down the Moon by Beherit also played a role in the collaboration. If these are meant to be the ingredients of Poison Blood, I say mission accomplished. The self-titled LP is raw and full of dark, spoiled, musical meat. Elements of doom metal, symphonic black metal, and even dungeon synth find their way into the second wave maelstrom that is this album, made all the more engaging by the short, punchy, even punk rock, nature of the eight tracks.

Darkness reigns supreme. A cold fear creeps into your soul, causing your neck hairs to stand at attention. Something is there, but what? The answer is Poison Blood. I truly hope that this gets the attention it deserves so that the project will continue.

Recommendation:  What a start for this duo!

Rating:  3.5/5