“Of Blood and Nobility” is not my first encounter with this American black metal outfit, as a matter of fact I first got a chance to listen to them back in 2005 when “Minions Engage” was released; my impression of that album was quite mediocre, just as the music I heard back then, so was “Of Blood…” a vindication for the band? HELL YEAH top 22 album of 2007 to be more precise!
A Gruesome Find delivers a fine tune melodic black metal that encloses huge traces of death metal and a vocal style that goes back and forth between the previously mention genres. The album has a unique sound, a dark and aggressive mind-set that survives between the raw black guitars and the melodic compositions that are constantly morphing and growing, making every second of the production and interesting one.
The structure of the songs in “Of Blood…” display the ability of these guys to blend catchy rhythms, repetitive and aggressive riffs, and complex changes of tempo; a perfect example of this “Into the Realm of Darkness” a well timed, well executed song, that contains different speeds, and different riffs, providing expectation and a constant motivation to the listener.
The album contains some accelerating songs; others more mid pace performances and a couple of instrumental tracks that display a beautiful piano appearance (check Piercing Divinity's Armor and Ominous Illusions, both great inclusions). Every aspect and every element that these guys add to the album has a specific idea and goal; they are not just adding instruments and sounds to make this a “progg” record; they are adding them to enrich the songs and the experience; there are even some moments in which songs like “Of Blood and Nobility” may sound a bit Viking influenced, and that may not be too far from the truth, but they never really fall into an obvious “trend” and therefore maintain a well balanced sound.
One of the few bad things about “Of Blood and Nobility” is the drum sound, sometimes and just sometimes, it sounds way to dirty and raw, a little thin also, but it doesn’t really affect the whole production which is not the best but it accomplishes the objective of showing what’s best on A Gruesome Find.