BLOODY TIMES – On A Mission

Bloody Times is a solo project of bassist Simon Pfundstein. He is inspired by classic Heavy Metal bands like Manowar, Iron Maiden, Running Wild and Savatage. Pfundstein primarily wrote the songs with songwriting and instrumental contributions from five guitarists.

“Alliance” opens with a repetitive riff and vocals akin to military cadence. The jody will either leave you saluting smartly and marching off to battle or baffled by how an artist can milk over eight minutes out of a scrap riff and lyric. This template is followed again at the midpoint with “Future Secret” slogging along for over seven minutes. The tempo and complexity of the remaining tracks increase at times but never stray far from an old school Heavy Metal style which would easily fit on a Manowar album. The up-tempo “Fort Sumter’ and “Die In A Hole” stand out for robust guitar solos but the vocals are yelled rather than sung and the song structures are pedestrian. “The Revenge (Until Blood Boils pt. 2)” attempts to infuse adrenaline late by featuring machine gun riffing, frantic drumming, and an active bass line. Unfortunately, the song simply pummels the listener from start to finish with no effort to surprise or generate tension.

While it’s nice to hear new Traditional Metal material, the overly simplistic songwriting fails to incorporate the best elements from the past with the technology and techniques of the present. The use of different guitarists results in a tangible inconsistency across tracks. It is recommended only for fans who find Judas Priest and Iron Maiden too complicated to enjoy.

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TRACKLIST (Highlights: 2, 3)

1. Alliance 8:16
2. Fort Sumter 3:42
3. Die In A Hole 5:09
4. Curse of Genevieve (reworked) 6:01
5. Future Secret 6:55
6. Operation Focus 4:54
7. The Warning (Until Blood Boils, Pt.I) 2:14
8. The Revenge (Until Blood Boils, Pt.II) 3:22
9. Day of Collapse 5:17

LINEUP

John Greely – Lead and backing vocals (ex-Iced Earth)
Ross the Boss – Rhythm and solo guitar (Ross The Boss, ex-Manowar)
Raphael Saini – Drums (ex-Iced Earth)
Simon Pfundstein – bass and backing vocals
Rüdiger Weiß – Keyboards
Judas – Rhythm guitar
Kikidakis S. Nickolas – Solo guitar
Balasz Fleischhauer – Rhythm and solo guitar
Marco Cossu – Rhythm and solo guitar (INEXIHIBIT)
Rainer Pfundstein – Rhythm and solo guitar (Big Mama)