Consisting
of Bird, the vocalist/lyricist, and James Henriques, who does pretty much
everything else, southern California based band Blood of Roses reminds me
of 80s band Missing Persons, in a bad way. The vocals are weak, the music
is cheesy ersatz-medieval sounding and the subject matter is
mind-bogglingly moronic. They even have a song (Projections) about
a one night stand, comparing it to the Greek myth of Psyche. The sound is
very LA in the sense that these people would be kicked to death in New
York. However, it's not all bad; the music is rhythmically tight, for
medievalesque synthpop trying to be goth and totally failing. It might
have some minor appeal to the Dead Can Dance crowd. I was amused by this
disc, as until now I haven't really reviewed an album that truly sucks
yet.
Always You - Oh, this is just really bad. Horrible synthpop, with whining, off-key vocals, almost a bad parody of Switchblade Symphony. It was probably supposed to be some sort of ballad, but they fucked it up.
Projections - This one's not quite as nasal as the first track, and softer. However, it's still rot. This is the one night stand one. The music is off key, and it almost sounds like the vocalist is slightly drunk, or has a cold.
Code & Idea - A waltz, this one is total Legend of Zelda soundtrack. The lyrics are rubbish.
Deep Freeze - For once on this disc, Deep Freeze is mostly bass and guitar. This one sounds like Blood of Roses is trying to be sinister and failing.
Summation: a mediocre band with an openly bad vocalist, and an album that was almost physically painful to listen to. Don't quit your day jobs, kids.
Contact Information:
Post: Electronic Services, Unit 16, 11245 183rd St., Ste.
223, Cerritos, CA, 90703-5417
Phone: 562-865-1699
Web:
http://home.sprynet.com/sprynet/esunit16
