For better or worse this IS Heavy Metal in its purest sense. Booming battle hymn riffs straight from the death to all but Metal crusader’s crimson covered fingers. Former Manowar and Dictators guitarist Ross The Boss unleashes his latest studio crumbling offering the unashamedly cliched ‘By Blood Sworn’. The album’s opener is also the title track ‘By Blood Sworn’ it’s dungeons and dragons, Dio decibel of crunching guitar marching through the Eighties. The album’s theme is tattooed proudly on its muscle-bound bare chest. Sex face solos, blood-hungry vocals and a motoring bass line all run through this, real men lift weights, release. ‘Among The Bones’ pounds and stomps with an unhinged testosterone fuelled anger before ‘This Is Vengeance’ breaks out some Halford screeches while a galloping trooper riff skips over steel fences of panther lined cliches.
There is always a campfire, pained expression, I’m human after all, I cry when I come ballad and ‘Faith Of The Fallen’ fills the corny hole with lyrics such as “name on the wind, to the other side of heaven”, the eighties have a lot to answer for. A punishing ‘Devil’s Day’ is followed by a seven-plus minute ‘Lilith’ which is sadly satanic. The foggy graveyard, motorbike videos just write themselves. ‘Play Among The Gods’ hoofs across blood sodden turf before closer ‘Fistful Of Hate’ punches 1981 full in the face. An album dedicated to fur covered drinking horns, torture, black magic, tales of ye olde spells and curses. Ear-splitting vocals that morph into growls with flesh curdling menace and the guitar solos are so close to macho masturbation that I’m sure they’re played wearing wet wipes. Virgins run, Vikings land and Metal is once more dragged kicking and screaming into 2018 with its painted fingernails snapping as they dig into a past that is no longer relevant.
‘By Blood Sworn’ is bold, brave and completely bypasses any irony it may be subject to which is why it’s such an enjoyable listen. Past glories are still gloriously celebrated with fists in the air, stitching band patches on to cut off denim jackets while drinking light ‘n’ bitter and listening to Tommy Vance. Heavy Metal, Heavy f**king Metal, how I’ve missed you.
ROSS THE BOSS
BY BLOOD SWORN
AFM Records
7/10