Blood Oath is a technical Death Metal band based out of Chile, having put out two demos and an EP since their inception in 2015, ‘Lost in an Eternal Silence’ is the bands first full length release, and it is a very strong start. The band draws clear inspiration from the likes of Stargazer, Death and The Chasm, with its complex melodic and technical riffing style. However despite the technicality, the band doesn’t fall into the trap of feeling pretentious or wankerish, and doesn’t lose the edge or aggression you’d expect in a Death Metal band.
This whole album has a very strong sense of melody in its complexity, especially in tracks like ‘Sanctuary of Souls’, a track which has one of my favourite solos I’ve heard in Death Metal. These are memorable, catchy riffs being played which helps with the replay value of the album. I’ve returned to this album several times since hearing it, and every time I listen I hear new layers to the songs that I hadn’t noticed before. Despite not being in the same style of Death Metal, I hear a lot of similarities to Autopsy in the creepier guitar melodies and interludes which are found in the release. Almost as if Chris Reifert had stuck with Death when they released ‘Human’.
Another strong point of the album is the very audible bass work, the relatively clean production of the bass means you can hear every note being played underneath the thick, heavy guitar riffs and frenzied soloing, without ever dominating the mix. My favourite track was the 3rd, ‘Fateful Existence’ which features an incredibly catchy, almost galloping lead riff which just gets stuck in my head every time I listen.
Despite the influx of technical/progressive Death Metal which is being released at the moment, this is far superior to most of what I’ve heard in the style, a must listen in modern extreme music.
