Creatures of the Dark Realm

Once upon a time Bloodbound used to be the greatest Swedish power metal export, delivering darkly lit anthems accompanied by bombastic elements to light up arena fueled riffage. Then dragons happened. And with them came a Sabaton fueled get rich quick scheme that while big, bombastic and catchy never got near to the inspired early to mid material. Creatures of the Dark Realm is the ninth album, aiming to reclaim some of that dark power metal glory while still holding true to the catchy, accessible feel of the later few albums. And… it kinda works. To an extent.

Thing is, it’s been seven years since their last actual good album - Stormborn (2014) and obviously, things are still far from the NWOBHM fueled origins, the Judas Priest inspired twin riffage of Nosferatu (2005) and Book of the Dead (2007) a thing of the past. The album was heralded before its release by two singles; the title track and When Fate is Calling. These two then proceed to open up the album itself on a strong high note. Hearkening back to the Unholy Cross (2011) sound, slapping dark melodies and riffs atop the bombastic foundation, while still holding fairly true to the newer style in build and structure; the two singles bridge the styles in a sweet way.

It’s a bit of a shame then that these two are the best songs on the album and that the remainder simply rehash the same ideas without delving deeper or exploring new directions. The chorus they say is the most important part of any power metal song, and that might certainly be true. A good chorus alone can’t reasonably expected however to carry an otherwise boring and forgettable song. That is certainly the case with Creatures of the Dark Realm.

The choruses, and Patrik Selleby’s delivery of them, are bombastic, catchy and written for easy sing along value. Most of them are surrounded however by utterly forgettable music that seem more like filler or leftovers than anything else. Eyes Come Alive attempts for some of those high pitched shouts from Selleby, accompanied by Judas Priest inspired riffage in the choruses; unfortunately, the chorus just devolves to the same sing-along nonsense that covers the rest of the album, losing any attitude and momentum the otherwise sweet beginning of the song had going for it. That’s the situation with most of the stuff here; a good idea here or there, something nice to set it off, but then losing it and falling.

All the griping’s not to say it’s necessarily a bad album per se; the album is a definite step up from its two predecessors which seemed to just plod along about dragons while trying to clam in on a musical style that never fit them just right. Creatures of the Dark Realm takes some cues from Bloodbound’s older stuff, but it’s by far not enough. Fredrik Bergh seems busier slapping cheeky keyboard leads than the Olsson brothers do building massive riffs and swirling leads.

Things are though undeniably catchy, and when coupled with the darker setting Bloodbound prove they do know their shit. Upbeat and hyper catchy stuff like Ever Burning Flame and Kill or be Killed don’t work quite as well, but those darker intonations of The Gargoyle’s Gate and March Into War, slapped near the end of the album, rounds the playtime off on a couple more high notes. Creatures of the Dark Realm is many things. Perhaps mostly it is proof that Bloodbound are still in the game, and an end to the age of dragons.

Standout tracks: Creatures of the Dark Realm, When Fate is Calling, The Gargoyle’s Gate

Popular fascination tends to follow bands that match a consistent yet novel style with a common lyrical trope. However, every now and then a band comes along that seems to spend a good deal of time discovering themselves before hitting the aforementioned sweet spot between originality and accessibility, and this has been the modus operandi of Sweden’s own Bloodbound since its 2004 inception. Originally billing themselves as a darker answer to fellow Swedish old school metal trustees Hammerfall and Dream Evil, sporting a getup more readily associated with a black metal band, the second half of the 2000s and the first of the decade that would follow saw them shifting their stylistic focus on every album, and often also their lead vocalist. It would be with a rather auspicious pivot in lyrical direction towards the popular television Game Of Thrones combined with a more bombastic yet streamlined melodic approach comparable to Sabaton on 2014’s Stormborn that a consistent formula would emerge for this now veteran fold.

The close of the 2010s would see this approach culminate in two more LPs of a similar stylistic bent, forming a sword and sorcery-based trilogy of sorts that has seen this sextet go from a fringe player to one of the more prominent adherents of the current power metal scene. Continuing in this newfound tradition of sticking to what works, their first full length studio offering of the 2020s in Creatures Of The Dark Realm reaffirms the swift, occasionally folksy and consistently triumphant musical air that typified War Of Dragons and Rise Of The Dragon Empire, albeit with a somewhat darker lyrical tone. Taking a page out of the playbook that the band was using on 2011’s Unholy Cross when current vocalist Patrik J. Selleby first joined the group, the words accompanying the infectious hooks and driving riffs still falls into a fantasy context, but with a greater emphasis on the evil side of the struggle as original heard on such noted anthems as “Moria”, “Reflections Of Evil” and “Message From Hell”.

But whatever the subject being covered by this band’s satyr-like narrator, the obligatory mixture of symphonic pomp, fast-paced drumming, tuneful and folk-tinged melodic hooks and old school heavy metal sensibilities that has served them well in the past is on full display here. Following a brief acoustic guitar prelude that looms like the shadow of an oncoming foe, things hit a sudden and immediate fever pitch with the banger of a title anthem “Creature Of The Dark Realm”, combining a bombastic principle keyboard theme right after the spirit of Sabaton and Civil War, but contained within a more guitar heavy and fast-paced package that would not be mistaken for either band. Alongside similarly bombastic yet straightforward anthems such as “When Fate Is Calling”, “Gathering Of Souls” and “March Into War”, this is the sort of mixture of fist-pumping metal with a sing-along feel that has caused Bloodbound to be compared to the two aforementioned bands, though a needed contrast point emerges between a more aggressive drumming approach, Selleby’s moderately gritty yet soaring vocals and Tomas Olsson’s more involved riff and guitar solo work.

For what this album showcases in familiar odes for those who enjoyed the previous three albums, there are also a few moments to be found here the at least suggest that Bloodbound is capable of wandering about the stylistic borders of their sound in a manner similar to their earlier days. The high octane speed ride after the spirit of Helloween with some folksy melodic elements dubbed “Ever Burning Flame” hearkens a bit closer to the early 2000s mode of European power metal exuberance that was only occasionally hinted at previously, ditto the similarly speed-infused romp “The Gargoyles Gate” and the almost Human Fortress-inspired medieval themed mixed with modern Sabaton pomp of a closer “The Wicked And The Weak”. But arguably the biggest curveball of the bunch is the Judas Priest-infused pile-driver of an anthem “Eyes Come Alive”, which alternates between sounding like a homage to Painkiller and a massive tribute to the massive symphonic bluster of Avantasia when the chorus chimes in, which is topped off with a solo that could pass for early 90s Glenn Tipton, no small feat for a song that barely over three and a half minutes in length.

In a sense, one could argue that an album such as this is an exercise in playing it safe given how similar it is to its immediate predecessors, but the degree of refinement and potency on display here cuts against the idea that this is a band that is simply going through the motions. Though in their early years Bloodbound was a band that saw fit to switch their stylistic template with each passing album, here the same template that had defined their sound for the past seven years has been ornamented with a few echoes of their more distant past, and also the past of power metal going back at least to the days when Hammerfall, Blind Guardian and even the likes of Primal Fear were setting the tone of the scene. The structure of each song is highly compact and predictable, but the sheer power of what is contained within compensates for any lack in technical intrigue or formal progression. It’s not quite on the same level as their debut masterwork Nosferatu or the riveting display that was War Of Dragons, but this is sure to play well to existing fans of both the band and the power metal audience at large.

Originally written for Sonic Perspectives (www.sonicperspectives.com)

Sweden’s power metal sextet Bloodbound disappointed me in 2019. After the excellent Stormborn and War of Dragons they seemingly ran out of interesting hooks and riffs, as the keyboards played annoying, childish tunes that couldn’t convince me one bit. Rise of the Dragon Empire in short very much sucked and felt completely uninspired. Of course, you can’t expect a band that usually writes, records and releases a new album every two years to come up with revolutionary ideas, but ROTDE really hit rock bottom. Thankfully, Bloodbound are back with another great album that easily allows you to forget about its predecessor.

Creatures of the Dark Realm, as opposed to ROTDE, feels like a collection of new songs instead of leftovers from the previous albums. From the beginning until the end this is Bloodbound in optima forma, with happy-sounding choruses and a lot of double-bass drumming. War of Dragons already showed Bloodbound’s capability of writing relatively short yet action-packed tracks, but the band takes that kind of songwriting one step further here. “Ever Burning Flame”, for instance, has a perfect build-up with all the classic power metal elements you can think of. Major chords throughout the chorus, Patrik Selleby’s high-pitched vocals and the insane speed that power metal fans seem to love to death. I’ll admit, the intro is very cheesy but that’s another thing that has made Bloodbound big since In the Name of Metal (or maybe Unholy Cross, pretty much since Selleby joined). In fact, that cheesiness is what once made me fall in love with power metal.

Repetitiveness and cheesiness, however, are a dangerous combination and Bloodbound most probably know that too. “Eyes Come Alive” could’ve easily been another victim to said elements, but thanks to the powerful and exciting main riff and the perfectly timed solo it’s become an excellent power metal hymn. It’s exactly the kind of song the Bloodbound fan wants to hear from the band. The same goes for the up-tempo “Death Will Lead the Way”, with again a very clever chorus that stuck with me after only one listen. The song is another piece of evidence that Bloodbound is best at writing fast songs with choruses almost as happy as Freedom Call’s. The keyboard leads throughout several songs (“When Fate Is Calling” and “Face of Evil”) try to contribute to that positive tone but do quickly become bothersome. However, in general it feels like the band put a bit more time and effort into this new album and avoided the problems ROTDE faced. In other words, the lame keyboard intros have disappeared and the power has returned. Good!

COTDR is a pleasant ride, but definitely isn’t without its weaknesses. Eleven songs with the same kind of unadventurous power metal aren’t that easy to listen to repeatedly. I’d wish the band would once write a ballad of some sort to provide us as listeners with a moment of peace that might make the album slightly easier on the ears. The same perhaps goes for an epic closing track, which I’d love to hear once. However, just like Powerwolf and fellow-countrymen Sabaton, Bloodbound’s strength lies in compact and catchy tunes. The mention of Sabaton brings me to another problem of COTDR, because a large part of the material on here could’ve easily been found on a Sabaton record, although Bloodbound has always stuck with the classic power metal formula more than Sabaton. “March into War”, however, is a stomping Joakim Brodén song that should’ve been written by Sabaton. In fact, it has, in the shape of “The Royal Guard”.

In conclusion, Bloodbound’s latest offering shows that they’ve still got what it takes to write enjoyable and accessible happy power metal. Creatures of the Dark Realm is Bloodbound at their best and I can only imagine the fans of the band will enjoy this CD very, very much. I can include myself, as I’ve caught myself smiling at all the power metal cliches more than once. Let’s raise our swords, fight some goblins and dragons and leave our problems behind with one of the best power metal albums released in 2021 this far.

Highlights: “When Fate Is Calling”, “Death Will Lead the Way”, “Face of Evil”