Track Listing

1. Age Of Apocalypse
2. Prion
3. Greetings From The Gallows
4. She Speaks To Me
5. Rain Man
6. Utah
7. Then House Of Fists
8. Beatnik
9. Beginner's Luck
10. Technicolor Jackets
11. Weeping Willow
12. Call Waiting
13. Six Twelve
14. Cortisone

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #51720 in Music
• Released on: 2003-07-01
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

Real hardcore
2003 so far has been a very dissappointing year for hardcore or more specifically the so called labeled "emocore". Poison the Well failed again to produce another "Opposite of December", and From Autumn To Ashes got rid of everything heavy and great about them on "The Fiction We LIve". Well, Blood Has Been Shed does not dissappoint from start to end.

Some people were a little weary about Howard joining Killswitch Engage simply because everyone thought that he wouldn't perform quite as well for BHBS. Howard quickly and powerfully puts all doubts to shame. His vocals have more emotion, anger, and just amazing through and through. "She Speaks to Me" seems as Howard complete vocals from high pitched screams to low dark growls. To cap it off he finishes the song with a great sense of melody. His singing is nicely arranged so that the melodies don't get overused. On "Utah" melody is the key as Howard sings primarily the whole time.

Musically, the band got heavier, nastier, more complex, and much more techinical. A comparision a lot of people are seeming to link towards metalcore kings Meshuggah. There are a lot of polyrhythems and great breakdowns for those hardcore fans. The drummer Justin Foley's really showcases his psychotic talent on "She Speaks to Me" with a stop and go onslaught on the skins.

As Derek from Hitthepit said, "When a band can jump from tapping triangles and smacking bongo drums, to belting out death licks and roaring with anger, you know they have talent. Intelligent yet deadly! Furious yet controlled! Beautifully ugly! These are all description of "Spirals". Spin it and love it!" Simply put this so far is the best cd of the year by far and really sets the bar high for Howard's next release with Killswitch Engage.

wow
i was a little edgy picking this one up since ive only heard the 30 second samples off of amazon, but man was i glad i picked it up. one of the best cds to be released so far this year. insane time changes and guitar riffs that feel like a dropkick to the skull. the disc is only about 30 minutes long, but its well worth every penny you pay for it. while blood has been shed will probably never reach a major label, they still knock every nu-metal crap band dead. get this, no questions asked, you will NOT regret it!!!

Crushingly Heavy, 4 and a 1/2 stars
Before THE Howard Jones became the singer of Killswitch Engage, this band was his baby. Their latest release, Spirals, is the very definition of heavy. Look up skull crushingly heavy in the dictionary and you'll find Howard Jones and Blood Has Been Shed.

This record further cements the case that they are the Meshuggah of hardcore metal. Very complex, mind twisting time changes, unpredictable bursts of blast, and crushing and crunching guitars pummel you into the ground with sonic waves of destruction. Backed by Jones' brutal vocals, this really is one of the heavier records ever released. Like a previous reviewer said, it only comes in at 30 mins, but its 30 mins of such punishment that it feels like 3 hours... and that's not a bad thing.

Scattered around are a few tribal-like drum interlude tracks and there's even a few moments of clean vocals and beautiful melody that proves this band is as dynamic as it is heavy. There is even one song, Utah, that has melodic clean vocals througout the entire song. However, 95% of the time, this band will be shoving unadulterated violence down your throat.

Killswitch Engage remains Howard Jones' #1 priority, which means we won't be lucky enough to see this band tour anytime soon, if ever. Even so, this band has left a mark in heavy music.

Need proof? Just check out first song off of this record, "Age of Apocalype", and recognize that these boys don't play.