some reviews of 'Into Oblivion'.. not bad, eh..?!!
doom-alive.co.uk
BloodRose
Into Oblivion
Retribute Records
In spite of the double whammy of naffness for their name and their album cover, Blood Rose have got a serious amount to offer here. Like fellow Finns Nightwish and Sentenced, Blood Rose just don't seem to be able to help filling every free inch of space with layer upon layer of rich sound, mixing swirly keyboard bits with thrashing guitars, while bassist/vocalist Jari Haapasalo barks coldly over the top. It's this marriage of beauty and beast which makes "Into Oblivion" so compelling, opening new worlds of colour into it's black metal and goth rock core. They'll be hard pressed to better themselves on future albums, but that's for them to worry about another time. For now, we can all revel in the brutal majesty that we have here.
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live4metal.com
Bloodrose - Into Oblivion (Retribute Records)
Review By Steve
Retribute's releases are normally the dirtiest, filthiest sludge or the most brutal of death, it seems it's all about extremes. Thankfully (for my ears at least) they've gone for something infinitely more accessible with Finnish Black Metallers Bloodrose. Melody seems to be the order of the day, and you'll hear no complaints from me on that score. The opening onslaught of Prophecies Of Chaos To Come, spills from the speakers with all guns blazing. Although it doesn't take long for the majestic melodies to fight their way through the mix. The drums of Teemu Peltonen pound away like there's no tomorrow and the rasping vocals of Jari Haapasalo spew forth with hate, but the aggressive edge is taken away with the ever dominating keyboards. A comparison with Dimmu Borgir is obvious and is most definitely warranted. Nemesis Divina era Satyricon also comes to mind. The Dimmu Borgir sound is evident throughout and it's pretty difficult to describe their sound in any other way. But all credit to Bloodrose as they've enough of their own ideas to stop this becoming plagairistic. The acoustic guitars on In Death Lies my Destiny replicate the electric riffs and add warmth to the abrasive tones. Kun Kuoleman Harso Laskeutuu features a hypnotic keyboard passage which seems very familiar, my 1st thought was from someone like King Diamond, but I've a sneaking suspicion it's from a Classical piece. Either way, it totally absorbs you and the rich melody captures perfectly the mood of the album. Another plus point is the variation in pace. It's not all barbaric speed as atmospheric spoken word passages quell the storm. At other times more traditional sounds are added. Lead Guitars reminiscent of Iron Maiden appear during Forgotten Chapter of Time. From it's slow brooding beginning, through to it's thunderous crescendo the fret work of Smith and Murray can be clearly heard.
Having only formed in 2000, this debut is very self assured for a band so early on in their career, I can't begin to imagine how good they're going to be in a couple of years time. At present they're only on a one album deal, if I was the label I'd get that new contract written straight away.
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metalcentral.net
Band: BloodRose
>Title: Into Oblivion <2002>
>Label: Retribute Records
>Mark: 8/10
>Review: Peter Gustavsson
Finnish black metal is not considered as directly common to the genre. The fella countrymen of BloodRose are usually into some more melancholic content. Therefore it's reliefing to hear that Finns also can make high-class black metal. BloodRose is playing captivating black metal into an old Dark Funeral's school. At times, the Finnish inheritance comes out as melodies. The way BloodRose convey their songs, likewise some quick review of 'Into Oblivion', is elevating . High-class stuff! (translation of original swedish review))
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into-obscurity.com
« REVIEW »
Bloodrose - "Into Oblivion"
Retribute Records (2002)
Bloodrose
Genre: Black Metal
Similar bands: Carpathian Forest
Review:
This is progressive black metal from (where else?) Finland. Finland is one of the few countries that does everything better than most, especially if it's dark. "Into Oblivion" is the first full length from Bloodrose. They were recently born from the remains of the extreme metal band Hatework. The symphonic quality of Bloodrose, as well as those in other progressive black metal bands, can make the sound more sombre than extreme. This is obviously a downside to Bloodrose. On a better note, the sombre moments in "In Death Lies My Destiny," slowly gain momentum, turning the monotony into something of epic quality. This song is the most impressive on the disc and will appeal to the power metal listener's ear. The last track is extremely well done. It is an instrumental that shows off the impressive musical ability of the band. All in all, there isn't alot of other surprises. Fans of bands like Carpathian Forest will enjoy this band. Bloodrose is more proof that black metal can only be done well.
Grade:
77/100
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bushmado.com
BloodRose
Into Oblivion
Retribute Records
Reviewed by Josh Anxt
Yet another quality release from England's Retribute records. Bloodrose is a 5 piece black metal assault hailing from Finland. I know some of you are thinking, "oh no, another corpse painted cliche black metal band". But do not fool yourself. There is nothing cliche here. No corpse paint and no satanic imagery here folks. Just 5 guys in jeans and t-shirts playing some tunes that even Emperor could be proud of. The songs are aggressive yet atmospheric. Having keyboards flow in and out of the entire disc. Tempos go from the usual blasts to some mid tempo stuff and even some a little slower then mid tempo. Guitar work is solid. The drummer gets an A+. And even the singer is good. Once again not cliche. Most vocalists in the black metal scene have one pitch and thats it, high. Not old Jari Haapasalo, he gets those highs going, but also digs down into those deep lows. And he is a pretty decent bass player too. The production on 'Into Oblivion' is top notch as well. Clear separation of instruments not to mention the sounds put to tape are crisp and fresh sounding. Good effort by these guys. Gets my vote.
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swedishmetal.net
Bloodrose - Into Oblivion
Retribute Records - 2002
01. Prophecies of Chaos to come
02. Shattered Dreams
03. In Death Lies My Destiny
04. Black-Hearted From Within
05. Kun Kuoleman Harso Laskeutuu
06. Forgotton Chapter of Time
07. ...Final Darnkess Falls...
The first that I think of is some kind of mix of black and death metal when someone say Finnish black metal, especially when they say melodic black metal. But as soon as I have palyed this album from beginning to end for the first time I understand that this is different, and much better than I expected. This is good melodic black metal, and it is a excelent debut album. It sound sometimes like Dark Funeral, sometimes like Emperor I think. This is a very melodic album, with razorblade guitars, nice keyboard harmonies and lots of aggressivity. The vocals is screamy, quite "light" but not high pitched, really good actually. On some of the tracks on this albums I get some kind of chills during the aggressive, speeding but yet melodic refrains. One thing that I see as a bonus or a special thing on this album is the last track, "...Final Darnkess Falls...", wich is a almost seven minutes long instrumental song, quite unusual in this genre I think. I would have loved this album if the sound were more clear, but this is the bands debut album and I do think that they will deliver a even better album next time. This is something for fans of melodic black metal to check out.
7 of 10 Fredrik - November 2002
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