Frightmare Bringing Back The Bloodshed

Alongside their Razorback brethren Ghoul and Blood Freak, Frightmare are at the forefront of the new wave of horror-themed metal. No more tongue-in-cheek than the Misfits were in their day, these guys have successfully melded the worlds of horror imagery and extreme metal in an unprecedented way. On their sophomore effort however, Frightmare have fallen a bit short of the high expectations they set for themselves with the release of their debut Midnight Murder Mania. Everything from the artwork to the lyrics is just slightly less exciting than it could have been. The songs themselves as well as the production just feel as if they could have been better. That being said, Bringing Back The Bloodshed is still a solid thrash metal record with a strong death metal element. Frightmare is one of those bands that most listeners will either love or hate. Their extreme love of the 70's and80's is apparent in everything from their frequent campy movie samples to their musical influences. As such, if you aren't into the older style of metal that these guys pay homage to, you might not be able to get into it, despite their modern elements. Additionally, where most metal bands seem to have bought into their own generic images of evil and malice, Frightmare have at least given their audience something tangible to connect to in the iconic imagery of such films as "Sleepaway Camp" and "Friday The 13th Part 2." They've also created their own gory mythologies for fans to discover. Even the band's name itself is taken from an unintentionally cheesy 1974 horror classic. On most of the disc's tracks, Frightmare delivers their brand of death-thrash admirably, but at an average of nearly five minutes per track (one clocks in at nearly six minutes), most of these songs begin to wear out their welcomes well before they end. It's fifty minute length doesn't help either, as it just becomes a bit difficult to endure time and again in its entirety. That's unfortunate because the last third of the disc features some of its best material, including a cover of the obscure thrash classic "Leatherface" by Laaz Rockit. "The Blood Runs In Rivers" showcases the punk edge first introduced in the beginning of the earlier track "Barbecutioner," as well as featuring one of the disc's strongest riffs. The title track begins with a simple yet effective guitar line that would've made any of the old school thrash titans proud before leading into a few more complex riffs and a strong sprinkling of power metal. Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the song "Angela," an ode to the cult classic "Sleepaway Camp" that categorically describes the film's plot as well as each incidence of violence in detail. Not only is this song based on my personal favorite slasher film of all time, the deadpan bluntness of the song's lyrics is absolutely hysterical. It's not the disc's best track, but it is one of its high points. Bottom Line: Most of the disc's ten original tracks are fairly strong, but overall, this record didn't quite deliver on the promise of the band's debut. That's not to say that certain elements aren't better, such as the vocals and to a degree, the disc's production, but I had high hopes for Bringing Back The Bloodshed and I'd be lying if I didn't say I was at least a little disappointed. Regardless, this is a good thrash album that any fan of the genre would be glad to add to their collection. If you don't mind things a bit grimier, give their debut a shot as well.