Sleaze Merchants

Had there been a Razorback-like record imprint in the late 80s, and had Blood Freak 'actually existed' during that time period, then I've little doubt they'd be one of grindcore's beloved cult acts on a tier just below the greats like Carcass or Repulsion. Alas, despite the retrofit 'demo' recordings tacked onto the end of their debut, this was just not to be, and they're more or less just a low-rent alternative to other Razorback artists like Splatterhouse or Ghoul, only far simpler in execution. Granted, I can't exactly hold this sort of misdirection against the Oregonians, as it fits their retro flavored modus operandi for horror and exploitation films quite well, but even though the dirty laundry is out in the open, I think this is not exactly a ploy that many avid underground maniacs might appreciate.

Sleaze Merchants is, in fact, the band's first album, recorded and released pretty soon after the band's 21st century formation, and it bears a lot of the typical calling cards of its label and aesthetic niche. Lighthearted splatter, gore and chills delivered through brief, concise tunes clocking rarely beyond 2-2 1/2 minutes, with a handful of riffs splayed out in 'fun' progressions heavily reminiscent of English forebears like Bolt Thrower, Carcass and Napalm Death. There's a bit of a D-beat influence also, generally written in to set-up or counterbalance a faster, Floridian tremolo palm mute riff circa Death or maybe Autopsy. Another curious characteristic are the bolder, rock & roll grooves sparsely strewn through the record, which remind me of Australians Blood Duster, in terms of how they contrast against the grind elements. The lead licks are admittedly superlative, a lot of fun, though they also channel more of a hard rock style than the frenetic and randomness generally applied to solos in extreme, grinding death.

As usual, the band implement loads of samples to introduce just about every track, but in Blood Freak's defense a lot of these are somewhat mortifying and well-selected from appropriate cult works like Night of the Creeps, Blood Diner and Blood Demon. Just the first few seconds of most of the songs here had my girlfriend screaming at me to shut the disc off, so mission accomplished. Vocals are a meaty guttural bark interspersed with both Carcass-esque snarls and even more ominous, toilet-boil flush gurgles which are outright hilarious where they appear; it's also pretty funny that the 'demo' tracks only incorporate the first two of these timbres, basically dating them to the late 80s when only a few bands like Carcass and Deicide were spewing them forth. The drums are solid but perhaps a bit too tin beneath the bulk of the guitar tone, which is repulsively swollen through both the slower, grooving movements (like the bridge of "Awakening the Beast") or the intensified, uptempo sequences. The bass, while audible, does little more than ape the guitar.

If you're not averse to the themes typical to the Razorback lineup, and admire the cheesy gore and terror that multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Maniac Neil himself worships, then Sleaze Merchants is certainly a decent means with which to kill 30 or so minutes. But be warned that the song structures are exceedingly simple, with only about 1-2 riffs each that hardly feel fresh more than they feel juxtaposed from acts like Carcass, Impaled or Exhumed. As a grind record, it's not that intense, more like a Halloween party with enough rock in the guitar patterns to render it somewhat accessible to your guests. My main issue with the album is that, while Blood Freak is quite adept at snatching samples, the riffs are never as volatile and impressive as other acts with the same gimmick, and ultimately it's no deeper than the cover artwork. If you find it fun to look at, then you'll probably also enjoy listening, but it hardly leaves behind a smoking, cannibal infested crater.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

I know at this point dishing out a perfect score seems contrived and a product of my unwillingness to break the streak of positive accounts on this fine metal review site, but fuck me if it doesn't deserve every point.

Blood Freak is third in an ever expanding line of Razorback Records-signed gore/death/thrash bands whose gimmick won them a spotlight in the underground forum communities, netwide. Fortunately, unlike The County Medical Examiners and Ghoul, Blood Freak needs not a ploy to garner attention from metallers of virtually every genre, as the music actually delivers and then some.

On this release, Maniac Neil, guitar wizard behind acts like Frightmare, Lord Gore, and Whore channels his talent into a whole new vein, playing a fairly even, and bizarrely original mix of catchy old school death/grind and smoked out psychedelic sludge. It has been far too long since I've heard an album built around riffs over all else, and I'm happy to say this is amongst the finest the label has ever offered. While future releases would ditch the gimmick, the murky production, and shift to a more ubeat, higher velocity, Sleaze Merchants is nothing but downtuned gloom with eerie, wacked out soloing and the multifaceted vocal stylings of "jerry-rig" Neil. Prehaps what suprised me most is how solid the drumming comes across, despite it being the point of weakness for the majority of one man bands.

While this album is initially less infectious than the works that would proceed it, given time, it became my absolute favorite. If you've got a raging hardon for all that Neil lays his gnarled hands on, or you just love old school flavour, you'll probably go apeshit over Blood Freak.

I've been a Blood Freak fan for sometime and let me say one thing ; Maniac Neil is a fucking genius. This being his first album is filled with non stop gore worship. It is right up any slasher zombie cannibal gore flick fans alley. Most fans of gore grind or just plain twisted brilliant stuff take note.

When listening to the sampling taken from your favorite 1970 and 80's gore and exploitation films and laughing as you did when you were a little kid ; it is a foreboding warning as to whats to come. Total Carcass , General Surgery sounding vocals , evil twisted malevolent rhythm changes and drums to shred your putrid piles of flesh up to. This shit is no joke.

When listening to the masterful craftsmanship of a true gore grind technician like Maniac Neil you almost feel as if he's dumbing it down as not to show off his insane talent. Do not deny this sick-o has almost unmatched talent in this genre. Fans of newer grind bands that use every technical trick as to try and make themselves sound more brutal should definitely give this a try. Those bands , to most purists of this genre should go back to practicing smoke on the fucking water in their mommy's basement and leave the real shit to master craftsman like this. This guy could put out forty more albums and it will be just as perfect as this insane gem.

The guitar riffs are just insane never ever getting boring ; the solos have a total Bill Steer feel and you wish Neil would have named them like Bill did with early Carcass. The drumming is a masterpiece in itself with non-stop sick little fills thrown in. This guy is the fucking man! The vocals would give any old school death grind or doom band singer a run for their money with Neil's high range reminding you of Jeff from carcass or Autopsy's Chris Reifert when he sang high, ; brilliant! The mid range and low gut wrenching belches this guy spews make you wanna go out and carve up your ice cream man on a beautiful summer evening just because it would be funny. A perfect tribute to the true masters of the exploitation and horror film genre. Buy the movie Cannibal Holocaust and listen to this. Grandma will run the fuck away trust me!

If this album came out in 89 or 90 it would have been a classic by now up there with the likes of Carcass's reek of putrefaction and symphonies of sickness , General Surgery's necrology. A total face crushing brutal sick evil and often times hilarious masterpiece of macabre twisted decay. If you don't love this well then i feel for you because Neil is coming to "gobble up your guts". Perfect in every way nothing really else to say about it! As twisted as Macabre and as brutal as Carcass. Like i said prefect!