From the Gulf Coast of Texas come Bloodlines, a four-piece modern-core outfit taking cues from bands like For Today, Impending Doom and Convictions. The band’s 2019 debut LP Hostile | Minds, marries classic metal core with a distinctly progressive twist, was hailed as a “dark and violent record,”. Bloodlines’ mission statement is as clear as their sound is brutal. They plainly assert that their vision is very simple and that’s to spread the hope and love of Jesus Christ. The band released their EP “Hevel” on the November 12th of 2021 under the Facedown record label.
The band wrote HEVEL to address seasons of life, with the band taking inspiration from the biblical book of Ecclesiastes. The band quotes, “Ecclesiastes uses the word ‘meaningless’ a lot, which is translated to ‘hevel’ in Hebrew and has a different interpretation. The word ‘hevel’ in the context of the book means vanishing vapor or smoke. So in essence, Ecclesiastes wasn’t necessarily saying that the work and the seasons we go through in life are meaningless, but rather they are just fleeting, ever-changing. Like vapor, here one minute and gone the next.”
The EP opens up with a hard hitting “Lotus” which pounces off with a plethora of crafty breakdowns as the Vocals juggle between a mix of guttural and clean styles. Be it for the chugging guitars, melodious chorus, or the ambient electronic soundscapes, all gels well with the overall song delivery. Next up with “Devil” heavy ambient soundscapes open the track with an eclectic guitar paving way to a djent filled verse. The bass rumbles as the songs move to its breakdowns paired well with screeching and guttural vocals, at the same time adding bits of melodies through the course of the song. A good use of electronica interrupts at the interlude before the song’s final blow.
“Colder” starts off with a clean rhythm and builds up high energy as a djent influenced riff pushes the song to its verse. The drums just mashup really well with the guitars as the song hops between clean and guttural vocal delivery. Again, the song uses plenty of electronica which adds an edge to the song, giving it a unique place amongst other songs on the EP. “Ruah” implements rugged guitar riffs at the onset, with choppy guitar shreds sitting well on the crafty drum beats. The song layers on with a crunchy electronica to distort the output at random times during the song, which gives it a very dubstep colour to one’s ears.
The EP ends with self-titled “Hevel” which is off to a soft start, with a clean guitar and bass driving the verse, filled with beautiful melody but takes no time to get too heavy with the onset of the chorus. The song probably is the ballad of the EP, which is blessed with crunchy guitar chugs that resonates and takes the song to its end, with a soft outro (just how the song began).
Production – The EP is mixed, mastered and produced well.
Conclusion – This being my first listen to the band, I was pleasantly surprised with their sound and song delivery. Although this was a short EP, it was well written and the band shows immense promise for the future. Here’s hoping to hear more of them soon.
Rating: 7.5/10
Written by: Ankit Sood
Track List:
1. Lotus
2. Devil (ft. Brook Reeves)
3. Colder
4. Ruah
5. Hevel
Release Date: Nov. 12th. 2021
Record Label: Facedown Records
Band Members:
Alexis Rodriguez – Vocals
Daniel Camacho – Guitar
Aldo Mayorga – Bass
Matthew Benavides – Drums
Social Media: Facebook / Spotify / Apple Music / Merch
Video for ‘Colder’
Video for ‘Lotus’
Video for ‘Devil’
