Death Blooms, You Are Filth - EP review

This is what Liverpudlians Death Blooms offer up on this four-track EP that officially announces their potential to the British metal scene.

They pack enough of a punch to leave an impression on our eardrums and brains in opener Crosses. Thundering percussion refuses to let up throughout as Dani Partridge lays siege to our consciousness. While dark and viscious on the outside, there seems to be an element of fun from the four-piece at its centre.

While they want to establish themselves as serious mainstays at the likes of Download Festival - where they have already appeared by the way - there is a feeling throughout this track that they want to enjoy the party too.

Things get gritty for Filth - a track that will be right at home in the vocabulary of our very own Wolves correspondent Tim Spiers. A favourite adjective of his to describe the team's play this season, this song could easily be used as the backdrop to a montage of the most crunching tackles.

This is due to its pillared guitars from Ad Lucas that sound as aggressive as the screeched vocals of Paul Barrow pushing them along. There is a militaristic feel to the percussion accompanying, and this is where they really give us a taste of how ferocious their instrumentals can be.

The third track - Believe - is where things lighten up and Barrow sounds most like the late Chester Bennington. Considering the doom and gloom of its predecessor, there is something cutely hopeful about the melodies here despite the lyrical content. That is until the head-banging breakdown mid-track that holds as much pain in its delivery as any emo offering.

The final track is Rotting Away. More disjointed than the others it is perhaps the least gripping of the four, but there are some terrific walls of sound created to lift the choruses up, powered by Lee 'Giz' Gibbs on bass.

Rating: 6/10

Death Blooms finish their three-date EP promotional tour at Birmingham's The Victoria on May 12