BLADE OF THE RIPPER – Taste The Blade

Stories about murders are a common thing in Metal. When Blade Of The Ripper plays their stuff they are not presenting or discussing only on Jack The Ripper, they walk through the general world of murders while specializing in murders that were committed by a sharp blade. Their presentation style is pretty raw and dirty, kinda like Venom’s old material along with a twist from the early till mid-era Motorhead, also there are some hints of the old wave of Punk. The result is Heavy / Thrash Metal with certain dark figures and Punkish remnants. In addition to the band’s focus on Murder and Death, they seem to be obsessed with matters regarding the dark lord Satan and Evil in general. All of you know that Venom aren’t satanic worshipers but regarding Blade Of The Ripper it’s unknown. Yet the band’s unknown beliefs don’t change the fact that their latest offering is a smooth ride through a black bloody world.

Adam Neal, from the notorious dirty Hard Rock group Nashville Pussy, is behind Blade Of The Ripper, who began their journey not too long ago. In 2006, the band released their debut, self-titled, under Devil Doll Records. Two years later, Taste The Blade arrived and continued the band’s same ideas. The production made on Taste The Blade is a bit raw and you can see that Blade Of The Ripper tried to keep it as Old School as they could and so they did. Yet the production seems to maintain a high level of gain to almost all the instruments, even the vocals are involved with this gain high-octane fest.

As a band that draws its influence from Venom, which is itself a multi influential band, Blade Of The Ripper, with their simple musical composition shows sides of mysterious Heavy Metal that in various places on the album sounds like the old melodic NWOBHM on steroids and the first wave of Thrash / Speed Metal. The dirty sound makes it more interesting and provides a competent reminder of the years 1983-1985, when Venom and Slayer produced their Dark Thrash Metal records.

The music made on Taste The Blade is the one of the heaviest, but it still maintains a high degree of power. The band members demonstrate versatile ability in their instruments, especially in the lead guitar section and the performance on the solos. While the screaming singer is above them, directing them to raise hell to your ears. Adam Neal, as a vocalist, is a rare mixture of Cronos and Mille Petrozza. This mixture of voice patterns has created an attacking tone of devilish chants.

Highlights from this release: “Submit To Satan”, you can take it as you may. If you have trouble with the lyrics you can enjoy the music. “Black Wizard Spell” a great rhythmic tune with a catchy chorus on speed, Kreator fans will find this one compelling. “Blade = Death” a slow tempo track of true genius, a great Venom / Kreator track. The music is crushing and flowing with simple yet catchy riffs engulfed with tiny melodic verses. “Here Comes The Knife” for all you sadists out there, a catchy story of a murder followed by great speedy music. “Cold Flesh”, another great catchy tune in the vein of the previous song. “Nightmare In A Damaged Brain” is a well done NWOBHM with an awesome chorus.