Let me tell you a story...
Somewhere upon this land in a place that man has no right to reside, a lonely bell tower chimes out to no one in particular, the only familiar regularity: the town's metronome to the people's heartbeat. And it is amongst this quaint uncertainty that four cynical troubadours, devour our romantic notions with dark musical meanderings albeit with entertainment and aplomb.
The Blood Choir, have an old school Rock ethos; one that takes an idea and surrounds it with a back story and musical integrity. The songs draw on many musical influences, not least the likes of Led Zepplin, and a touch of Brand New, with epic tracks filled with breaks and progressive changes and a need to keep listening to the tracks over and over in order to fully take it all in. Each listen providing you a little something that was missed before.
First track on the band's debut album is, Wellwisher easing you in at just over seven minutes, the band are never in a rush to jump into the lyrics, and here it is a minute and a half before we hear any. The vague story within the song only leaves you intrigued, and the band have a skill at telling a tale without giving too much information away. It is a slow plod of a song giving you time to think about what you are hearing. Then we have the Trance-like Rock of Horror Head that is slightly Janes Addiction in the chilled-out vocals and melodic guitars.
The Blood Choir are not afraid to try something a little different, mixing up genres and subjects. Night School is a truly remarkable song. It starts off with the poetic vocals that could well come from the lips of a vicar as he sings out a sermon for his wanting congregation, however the lyrical content is dark and morbid, and a fine example of paradoxical Oxymora, describing someone summoned from the dead committing unpleasant acts. Then with marching band drums and trance-like vocals we have the lucid dream influenced Rock of Tape 6, then things speed up a little with the slightly disturbing lyrical content of Dark Eyes journey Through Dark Fire, taking our mundane life and ripping away all that is comfortable leaving us fully exposed to the horrors before us...
Even through the dark and burdened lyrics, there is something beautiful about the song, The Devil's Found My House, on another more upbeat subject this is a well-conceived song, but for me the lyrics of frantic desperation that calls out for help is far more powerful than a soppy love-song could ever be. Lyrics include, "I bought myself a gun today // Of cold polished steel // I bought the gun for fun // The gun is real // Now wherever I may roam // I'll keep it at my heel...". Brilliant. From The Deep Waters floats on by like a gentle breeze, whereas in the last song No Windows To The Old World there is a haunting quality that calls out to be heard and makes you listen carefully to the lyrics.
The Blood Choir give us eight songs that have been crafted; thought up, moulded, cultivated and nurtured into mini-epics of literary excellence to music that compliments and reinforces each story. This isn't something for a party, as you cannot get up and shake your thang to anything here. Nor will any song here bother the music singles charts, however that is not what this is all about. This is about having these songs as a full package, something that you can experience throughout a musical journey. It's good solid and honest: a thinking-man's music. Great stuff.