Search - Bloody Sunday :: To Sentence the Dead

Very good addition to your hxc library

Keith H. Holguin | El Paso/San Antonio, TX | 06/02/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Throughout the last few years, Facedown Records has been home to some of the greatest hardcore bands of recent memory, from Overcome to Figure Four to Comeback Kid. Keeping the record streak alive comes the Virginian hardcore outfit Bloody Sunday. Forming in 2003, "To Sentence the Dead" is the band's sophomore effort and is an amazing entry to the ever-growing hardcore book. This is tough-guy at its core, with exploding beats, two-stepping goodness, and the almighty breakdown.



To be honest, I am always a sucker for a good, heavy break and Bloody Sunday does not fail to deliver. For those of you who have seen the Facedown Fest 2004 DVD trailer and ever wondered where that dirty breakdown came from, it is indeed from Bloody Sunday's debut album, "They Attack at Dawn." As compared to their debut album, "To Sentence the Dead", is a good step forward in terms of maturity in their song writing. The songs are structured better and are not just slapped together. Vocally is where some people may get turned off. The vocals sound as if they're coming out of a speaker, resulting in a muffled scream and not clear-cut as in most hardcore releases, making it tough to understand what he's saying -yes, you can understand the lyrics-. However, after a few listens, it's no longer a bother and is actually unique. The muffled vocals make the breakdown vocals seem even harsher and tougher.



The bottom line here is if you like your hardcore with a little more balls, then this is definitely the release you are looking for. Plenty of breakdowns to windmill too, plenty of two-stepping and sing-a-longs are to be enjoyed with Bloody Sunday's "To Sentence the Dead."

"

Junk, Junk, Junk

Chris Conlan (BreakingCustom.com) | Iowa | 07/22/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Review by Tyler Wagnon:



Bloody Sunday's To Sentence the Dead is a botched attempt at the Hatebreed/Cast Aside/Slayer-type moshcore so popular these days. Expect tons of mid-pace chugga chugga riffs, a harsh vocal delivery, gang vocals, and a few nods to the old school.



First off, Bloody Sunday is a Christian band, and they aren't trying to hide it, so if that sort of thing puts you off, stop reading. They don't really get overly preachy, but the lyrics are definitely in praise of the Lord.



Again, they play pretty standard moshcore, but there are a few variances here and there. Some songs, like "Old Friends and Dead Ends" lean more towards the punk spectrum while tracks like "There's Nothing Relative About Family" come off more metallic with thrashy picking patterns, etc. Nothing to get excited about.



Overall, this album is really boring. The vocals are pretty cool, but not cool enough to carry an album full of junk riffs and derivative breakdowns. They even steal a riff from Slipknot's "Eyeless" on the song "Dead Silent." Yes, I listened to Slipknot in middle school. I'm not proud of it, but that is beside the point. The point is this album is not good."