Reviewed by Graeme Crawford

Ukrainian death/folk metallers Holy Blood admit that this album is an experimental departure for them. Written in 2003 at the same time as their 'Waves Are Dancing' album, it was recorded in 2004/05 and released just last year. Describing the sound as a "bright mix of sympho black and folk-black metal," the band take a rather optimistic view of their work. The production is fairly muddied, with the drums often overpowering the guitars. The vocals are also quite low in the mix, although this is probably done deliberately for atmosphere. This makes the recording faintly reminiscent of early Emperor, especially on the opening combination of "In The Night Gloom" and "War For The Human Soul". Following this however, the album gravitates more towards the folk-metal aspects of the band and the songs get somewhat repetitive. There is a lack of imagination and variety within the tracks with the beats and structures being so similar that the tracks blend into each other. Also, the lyrics, being as they are in Russian, don't exactly help identify individual songs. With most of the members breaking away to form a new band, it remains to be seen what the future holds for Holy Blood. Vocalist Fedor Buzilevich plans to continue Holy Blood, with his keyboardist wife, who played on this release, rejoining. But whether 'The Patriot' is a stop-gap album or a final release, it is ultimately a disappointing record.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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