I recently bought a big batch of 7"s from the same seller on Discogs and threw this EP in on a whim for a mere $4. I had no recollection of having ever heard of New Blood before, I just had a feeling that this was a hidden gem. I mean, come on: a straight edge band from Reno, NV circa 1994 that thanks Bludgeon? I'm in.
Holy shit, was I right!
The moment that ridiculously hard-hitting bass intro from "When Will it End" kicked in, I started slipping into total freakout mode, wondering why the hell people haven't been screaming about the brilliance of this impeccable two-song EP—the band's only recorded output, from what I gather—for the past 20+ years!? And that was before I discovered that New Blood featured future Fall Silent vocalist Levi Watson and future Unconquered members Glenn Lemon and Mike Schmidt. Why the fuck is this 7" so obscure!?
Watson has stated that New Blood "wasn't good at all," but I completely and totally disagree. This is eight minutes of pure and simple hard as fuck metalcore loaded with badass grooves, just the right amount of darkness, and one of the most slammin' bass presences I've ever heard from the genre. It borders on Crowbar-level heaviness at times, with comparably in your face lyrics to boot.
Fuck yeah, I'm all over this...
This dude is still selling near-mint, unplayed copies of this 7" for just $4, so grab one now before people realize what they've been missing!
