Fire Up the Blades
I am really torn when it comes to Fire Up the Blades by 3 Inches of Blood, because I really want to like it. The reason? Because the music is fucking kick ass. I love the guitars and the drums. The music is pretty much fast-paced throughout and is always rocking. The whole theme of the album seems to be very much inspired by the medieval ages , judging from the cover artwork, illustrations and even lyrics. There are mentions of kings, minions, battles, swords and so on.
Add all of this into the mix, and it sounds like you have a pretty promising album, right? Sure, not everybody is going to dig the medieval themed content, but you can’t deny the creativity behind it all. So why am I torn?
It’s simple. The vocals. There are two singers in the band and one of them tries to go for a very high pitched Axl Rose or Rob Halford delivery. It sucks because the song will start with some very sweet guitar riffs and I start digging the tune. Then, as soon as the vocals kick in, I’m out of the moment. That kind of singing doesn’t appeal to me. I will give credit where credit is due, though. Deciding to sing like that is very risky because you know in the end there will be people who don’t end up liking it all too much. I’m sure the band decided to go that direction on Fire Up the Blades because it fits the musical content. All I’m saying is that I didn’t like the vocals, and because of that I wasn’t able to enjoy the album as much as I would’ve hoped for.
To say 3 Inches of Blood is untalented would be dishonest. There are god awful bands out there, yes, but I don’t think these guys are one of them. Not by a long shot. Again, it was the vocals that made me punch out, but that’s not to say that other people won’t enjoy or appreciate the vocals on Fire Up the Blades. If you’re curious to check them out, I say go for it. It’s never been easier to preview the bands that you’re interested in like it is now with the Myspace band pages, official band websites and even I-Tunes.
I respect the hell out of the musical talent when it comes to the guitars and drums, and I even like a lot of the lyrics in some of the songs. Fire Up the Blades just wasn’t for me in the end, but I do believe that 3 Inches of Blood will appeal to others.
