10th March 2021

Review: “F*** Everything” by Death Blooms

“It’s about being completely lost and disillusioned; and being fucking angry about it. We’re constantly force-fed lies and hatred by everything around us. Our elected politicians do not give a f*** about us, we’re overworked to survive, our friends and family lie to us and we lie to ourselves. This song is about fighting back and learning to trust yourself and how you feel. This EP seems like the right amount of spit and bile to sum up everyone’s current frustrations in musical form at this present moment” ~ Paul Barrow, Death Blooms

We’ve followed the career of vocalist Paul Barrow, guitarist Jack Ormond-Prout, bassist Lewis Smith and drummer Dean Marshall otherwise known as Death Blooms since they released a single entitled “Sick“. The Liverpool quartet named after a Mudvayne song have been lucky enough to share stages with a variety of their heroes in the likes of Loathe, King 810, KoRn’s Jonathan Davis, Ded and Skindred and we were lucky enough to witness their performances on a few of those occasions, the King 810 show at London’s Camden Underworld particularly sticking in the memory as the band were on fire and adorned in American Head Charge tees. A pair of strong singles in 2020 in “Life is Pain” and “Anger” via Adventure Cat Records suggested an album would be on the way, but a third EP is what we have so embrace that fans no doubt will.

There is a certain amount of Nu-Metal within Death Blooms sound and the cathartic vent of “Life Is Pain” is a prime example of that with a bouncy chantable chorus and catchy yet heavy riffs. Barrow is the enigmatic frontman with hints at some of the stylings of Edsel Dope of Dope in the mix. The American accenting on the vocals is probably down to the bands inspirations and influences than anything else and it will certainly see them well when they crack the US. “Gore” is something of a lyrical surprise package, a homage to horror films littered with blood and guts. A fist pumping anthem of adrenaline fueled energy, it has that charge to the pit ethos dripping from it, the variety of vocal stylings showcasing there is more to Barrow than meets the eye. “Anger” is the second track unleashed in 2020, a rampaging rager of a track that slows down for a big sing-a-long chorus but fortunately doesn’t manage to lose any of its energy. This modernisation of the Nu-Metal sound with punchy chugging razor sharp riffs is the kind of lift that the genre needs and puts Death Blooms ahead of the pack as the cream of the crop of talent from these shores who could do incredibly well internationally. It’s not that you haven’t heard similar things before, but that Death Blooms do this style of music to perfection. The full on rant of “Fueled by Hate” accompanied by riffs to open up the floor and get a Mosh pit going is music to the ears as the unrelenting quality leaves no room for any doubt about the bands talent. Last but not least, the title track “F*** Everything” has an air of familiarity to it during the introduction before changing things up. Barrow is a man possessed as he is throughout the release, fired up by furious rage and delivers a vocal stand out performance while the buried electronics offer a little ear candy over repeated listens [8.5/10]