3 INCHES OF BLOOD

3 INCHES OF BLOOD
FIRE UP THE BLADES (2007)
320 KBPS

With track names like "The Great Hall of Feasting" and "Rejoice in the Fires of Man's Demise"--coupled with the Iron Maiden-esque cartoons in their liner notes--there is no downplaying of the fact that 3 Inches of Blood's third CD, Fire Up the Blades, furthers the group's agenda to bring old metal into the new world. Seconds into their first vocal track, unfamiliar listeners will discover a rarity in the heavy music tradition: this is truly a two-vocalist band. Cam Pipes brings forth the Iron Maiden/Bruce Dickensen-affected vocals--complete with high-register melodies--while co-frontman Jamie Hooper pulls out some of the most guttural growls on record today. (FYI, Jamie, the king of darkness called: he wants his voice back.) Fire Up the Blades is the debut of the group's new backing band and the change--especially the bionic Lamb of God-style power drumming of Alexei Rodriguez--ups the energy ante considerably. Moving furiously through 13 different old-school-meets-speed-metal tunes, the CD never really strays from the themes of medieval battle takedowns and hellfire, but tracks such as "Forest King" and "The Hydra's Teeth" show what might be considered more of a melodic side to the six-piece. You'll never hear them on mainstream radio, but Vancouver's 3 Inches of Blood has the ability to appeal to a broad spectrum of metal fans as well as to bring new ones into the fold.

1. Through The Horned Gate
2. Night Marauders
3. The Goatriders Horde
4. Trial Of Champions
5. God Of The Cold White Silence
6. Forest King
7. Demon's Blade
8. The Great Hall Of Feasting
9. Infinite Legions
10. Assassins Of The Light
11. Black Spire
12. The Hydra's Teeth
13. Rejoice In The Fire Of Man's Demise