Russell HughesBlood Command – Cult Drugs (Fysisk Format)
Genre: Punk Rock
After far too long out of the game, Norwegian outfit Blood Command are back with a new lead singer and a new album but the same composed frenzy that characterised their previous record Funeral Beach.
Silje Tombre might have been replaced by Karina Ljone but very little has changed, musically or cosmetically. Both singers could have been molded out of every Scandinavian stereotype going but Ljone’s looks hide a raw centre that’s given full exposure on Cult Drugs.
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Blood Command have always been difficult to tie down musically and their sound has traditionally ranged from the more screamo punk end of the spectrum to more radio friendly, catchy and accessible – and very little has changed.
Quitters Don’t Smoke does for Cult Drugs what High Five For Life did on Funeral Beach and is easily one of the most memorable songs from the record, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best. That distinction can be easily awarded to the final track, (The World Covered In) Purple Shroud which does something the band have never tried before.
In fact, it throws out such a curveball that it takes a while to register that it’s a Blood Command song. There are trumpets. Delicious trumpets. The introduction sounds like a Cat Empire tune, until the rolling drums and unmissable punk spirit take over. They might only be involved for a couple of minutes out of the six on offer, but by then the game has already been changed beyond reproach.
Nervous Laughter brings in hints of the variation that is scheduled to come later on in the album, but it’s still more of a traditional song from the group, albeit one with a dancefloor groove.
Overall this is what was expected from the band, but that’s no band thing. Some bands downfall is their difficulty to pin down as their albums seem disjointed and lacking in direction.
Here, and as always, Blood Command don’t just survive, they thrive.
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