Blood Freak: Mindscraper (2011)

Review

Blood Freak is a deathgrind band from Oregon, currently signed to Willowtip. Mindscraper is their fourth full-length.

Their style is as close to death metal as you can be and still get the "grind" tag. They're extremely heavy and brutal, with death growl vocals, death metal length songs, and death metal solos. But there are just enough of those grinding riffs, that frenetic grind urgency, and silly samples to call it grind.


Death metal fans should love this. Many of the riffs are incredibly catchy and get your body moving to the song. "Scared Stiff" and the title track are perfect examples. The attitude is clearly humorous, as the art, song titles, and lyrics show a love of bad horror movies, and the few samples in the opening track are both gross and ridiculous. It's something I could definitely get into.

Grindcore fans might find themselves bored, though. The songs are extremely long for grind, averaging about 3:30, and they don't go for the constant whirlwind changeups, instead opting for songs you can follow. In total, the album runs nearly 45 minutes, and I found myself losing interest after about 33. Still, for that first half hour, the riffs are mindscraping.



The Verdict: In short, this would be perfect for fans of brutal death metal who are just a bit interested in grind. It's heavy and brutal, with just a hint of chaos, even if it does go on a bit too long. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.