### 3 Inches Of Blood: Here comes thy doom

#### 29/10/09 || Euthanatos

I like these guys. They’re a fun bunch. I’ve seen them live, and the gig was quite entertaining. They’re certainly metal, through and through, and although Cam Pipes’s vocals are even more preposterous live, he’s also a cool frontman. It’s all part of the cheesy experience, really. It’s good that they, like Dragonforce, for instance, don’t take themselves too seriously. Except Dragonforce fucking sucks and 3 inches of blood is pretty neat.

True, a lot of the initial appeal has died down. I did enjoy the previous album and all, but “Advance and Vanquish” is truly their greatest moment. Some might even argue that their debut was even better, but I don’t share that enthusiasm for “Battlecry Under a Wintersun”. And fuck, there’s this elitist group of people (hello to you, black metal crowd) that will always say that.

Anyway, fortunately the band hasn’t become a parody of itself… yet. There’s still some strong material on “Here Comes Thy Doom” to warrant a few listens, especially after a few beers. One of the more appealing traits of this band is that they take some killer riffs that could have been stolen straight from the 80’s and put a little modern touch on that. Add that an underlying, yet effective aggressive backing vocal and Cam Pipes’ aforementioned Belial shrieks, and it’s pretty much guaranteed fun. Let it be noted that the previously “growler” left the band, and the guitar player now pulls a double shift. Any noticeable differences? Nope. None at all.

But, like I also said before, I think 3 inches of blood is a band that really thrives on the novelty factor. You’ll really have a laugh and bang your head maniacally the first couple of times you listen to them. Eventually, though, it starts to get awfully repetitive. No matter how great a joke is, it kinda dumbs down after you’ve heard it before.

“Battles and Brotherhood”, “Silent Killer” and “Call of the Hammer” have some great riffs in them, while “Preacher’s Daughter” does try to stretch the fold a little bit with something different. All very nice and commendable, but I can’t help feeling bored after a while, and slightly annoyed at the forced vocals. I really don’t know what solution there is for this band’s case. They’re not doing anything terribly wrong, but they’re in danger of becoming obsolete real fucking fast. Do something incredible quick, boys, or we’re going to have to write you off.

The cover: Looks like a scene from some shitty B-movie.

- Information
- Released: 2009
- Label: Century Media
- Website: www.3inchesofblood.com
- Band
- Cam Pipes: vocals
- Justin Hagberg: guitars
- Shane Clark: guitars
- Ash Pearson: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. Battles and Brotherhood
- 02. Rock In Hell
- 03. Silent Killer
- 04. Fierce Defender
- 05. Preachers Daughter
- 06. Call of the Hammer
- 07. Snake Fighter
- 08. At the Foot of the Great Glacier
- 09. All of them Witches
- 10. 12:34
- 11. Execution Tank