By Matt Lewis
Where do I begin with this kiddie roller coaster of an album ? The debut release from London, Ontario homeboys Baptized In Blood on Roadrunner Records, self-titled of course, comes with some cool highs but they are short lived and the thrill dissipates quickly enough. BIB took four old songs from their indie release and put them spaced out on the new record with all new material in between. Listening to the old record and comparing it to this isn’t apples and oranges either – it is more like tangerines and oranges. One is tastier and sweeter than the other. I have no idea why they didn’t just put out the old record in mass release first, it was great and showed a ton of potential. However, I guess we know they couldn’t follow it up.
The influences of glam and thrash that made the first record great and set it apart from the hundreds of other bands doing it are here, they are just watered down. The new songs have a more modern take on their sound, sure you might hear an old school thrash solo in there but it is not nearly as inspired as their previous works. Going through song by song I think the listener will be able to tell the old recycled songs from the newly recorded ones. There’s an aura of fun missing on some of these. The first record gave me a lot of reasons to listen to it time and again. This new record gives me reason to let it collect dust. The best songs here are from the indie release, so there’s no need to spin the new one if you own the first album, and if you don’t I suggest you track it down and buy it. That is if you can find a copy.
http://www.myspace.com/baptizedinblood
(Roadrunner)
Rating: 6
