Bludgeon are the first band to release a record on Manowar`s label Magic Circle Music and also the first to be produced by Manowar bassplayer Joey DeMaio. But rest assure, Bludgeon are nothing like those silly American biker vikings. Their thrash influenced death metal is pretty convincing. They remind me of a couple of bands. Deicide and Fear Factory (first album) come to mind. And if Bolt Thrower ever needs another singer Mark Duca could do the job. Slayer riffs in Tortured Through Lies and I wouldn`t be surprised if they have a couple of God Dethroned albums in their record collections. So, do they just copy other bands? I don`t think so actually. It`s not too original but it is a good mixture of extreme forms of metal.

Good songs, not too long, about three to four minutes. Good musicians and singer too. The link with Manowar is not the only special thing about these guys. They live together in one house and turned it into a recording studio and practice room. Now that is commitment. This debut album has been recorded there. Everything, except the vocals and guitar solo`s, were recorded live. More bands should do that. It makes a band sound organic. You need to play thight though. And a good engineer/producer. On this record both are in check. If Metal Blade gives Bludgeon the chance to grow and develop their own sound all you extreme metal heads can add a band to your must have list. But check this record out anyway.