Review: 05.2006

BY BLOOD ALONE - Eternally (4 songs)

Hailing from Maine, By Blood Alone’s sound is a mixture of metal, classic rock, and goth. In other words, it’s pretty dark. Nonetheless, there’s a pretty full and warm sound coming from these tunes due to the harmonies buzzing of the organ. The melodies have in interesting way of weaving back and forth between mystic Zepplin inspired moments and ballads. Although their sound is a far cry from trip hop, By Blood Alone’s slow tempos and vocalist Cruella’s icey delivery remind me of Portishead. It’s hard to say where this band would fit; it’s a little too slow and melodic to be metal and a little too goth to be rock. I guess anyone who cares little for such dilemmas has faced this same problem. My only criticism to this EP is the song length. Clocking in at an average of six minutes, these journeys require serious luggage. And cheer up, kids! You’re EP’s got some potential!

(Fillmore Slim)