Author: Rok Klemše
Artist: 3 Inches Of Blood
Label: Century Media
Release: 2009
Length: 51:28
Rating: 4.5/5
3 Inches of Blood are a killer heavy/power metal outfit from a country that might not strike you at first glance as the most musically rich – but looks can be deceiving, because Canada has given us musical giants like Rush, Exciter, Annihilator, Quo Vadis, Anvil, Devin Townsend with all his projects, and the list goes on. 3 Inches of Blood hold an important spot among them, with a colorful ten-year history that took a major turn after the release of their previous record Fire Up the Blades (2007). The harsh vocalist Jamie Hooper, whose hardcore-style growling was often a stumbling block, sat out the album’s promo tour, and soon after, Jaime quietly left the band without any fanfare. Another problem that probably held the band back from fully blossoming even more was their previous label Roadrunner, which didn’t pay 3 Inches of Blood much attention at all. They didn’t even bother to get the guys a proper production, and it seems Roadrunner was exactly what kept the band from reaching their peak. Well, the winds of change have blown in for 3 Inches of Blood too – they found Jaime’s replacement in their own ranks, with guitarist Justin Hagberg taking over his role, and the guys found a new home at Century Media, who obviously gave them a free hand in making the new album. The result is the excellent Here Waits Thy Doom!
The very first track, a wrecking-ball metal anthem in the punchy style of the Motorhead classic Overkill, kicks you in the nuts so hard you’re left gasping for air while Cam Pipes screams at you about metalheads sticking together in the context of war. But despite the cliché message of the song, 3 Inches of Blood are miles away from the pathos of the oiled-up, fur-clad Manowar, helped along greatly by seriously heavy riffs and brilliantly dynamic songwriting, which they prove superbly already in the opener with its closing instrumental outro, announced by Pipes with a screaming “Ataaaaaack!”. If Cam’s shrieking starts to edge toward monotony in places, Justin fixes that with more aggressive growling, which doesn’t take up as much space as Hooper’s did, but is actually better: it just complements Pipes and sounds like an aggressive, raw echo of his screaming, right where it’s needed. With Rock in Hell, 3 Inches of Blood show their other half, firmly rooted in the hard rock of the seventies and eighties, as the track sounds like something Deep Purple would have written if they’d played classic heavy metal. The real stars of Here Waits Thy Doom are the mighty riffs, which are written with remarkable care, act as the towering foundations of the individual songs, and have the added virtue of being unique in every track. Across the whole record there isn’t a single riff you could say you’ve already heard before. Silent Killer takes us into the dark world of silent assassins, and 3 Inches of Blood translate its atmosphere into the song brilliantly – you just wait for the silent killer to creep up behind you and plunge yet another blade-sharp riff into your back. In one of the album’s best moments, Fierce Defender, 3 Inches of Blood remember another of their influences and, with a gallop built on the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, put us in the shoes of a survivor fending off hordes of zombies. Crazy vocal lines, great guitar melodies and a seriously dynamic track with an epic solo section easily transport us into a devastated world ruled by the undead, who we have to shake off with whatever we can get our hands on. Metal and zombies – can it possibly get any cooler!? Preacher’s Daughter is probably the biggest departure from classic 3 Inches of Blood to date, as it’s soaked in the deep ambience of Rainbow, especially Richie Blackmore’s guitar lines. The almost bluesy, boogie rock guitar lines carry us off to a devout little southern town where the preacher’s daughter does everything her father preaches against. Keyboards that sound like a seventies Hammond conjure up the atmosphere of the Mississippi delta superbly, while the dirty solo captures the preacher’s daughter’s dirty nature absolutely perfectly. Call of the Hammer is probably the most destructive track on the album, simple but at the same time hard-hitting as hell. The dynamic drumming captures the story of Thor perfectly, and it’s easy to picture his hammer smashing down on the “pussy” gods. Cam and Justin deliver the aggressive and falsetto vocals superbly, while Shane Clark pays a nice tribute to one of his biggest influences, the late Piggy (Voivod), since the lead guitar part is lifted straight from the Voivod classic Psychic Vacuum. In the phenomenal Snake Fighter, another epic in the truest sense of the word awaits us. The song boasts a fantastic atmosphere built mostly on rising tension, while its variety and dynamics come from interconnected yet completely different sections, which make it the most progressive moment on the album. If the instrumental part alone is already pompous, epic and dynamic, what could be even more grandiose and epic than Conan, whose clash with the Temple of Set and Thulsa Doom is what the song is about. At the Foot of the Great Glacier continues in a similar vein, probably the fastest track on the album, capturing the atmosphere of climbing a treacherous glacier full of lurking dangers with heavy, pounding rhythms and a chaotic solo section. With All of Them Witches we get one of the album’s most epic moments, from the first moments of the ominous intro to the last second of the song. The title is taken from Polanski’s cult masterpiece Rosemary’s Baby, in which the Satanists have a book of that name. Phenomenal riffing, constant dynamic movement that swells and recedes, and an unforgettable chorus (of which Here Waits Thy Doom is full anyway) put the song among the highlights of the 3IoB discography. With a breathtaking middle section full of guitar duels, the song can be compared to the best Iron Maiden epics, and the outstanding twin guitars have become an indispensable part of 3IoB! With 12:34, the guys present something 3IoB have never done before. The acoustic track, or intro, works like Orchid before Lord of This World on Black Sabbath’s Master of Reality, but here it feels like the calm before the storm a la Led Zeppelin and leads into the last track on the album. And Execution Tank is the perfect finale to the epic Here Waits Thy Doom, which 3 Inches of Blood close out fantastically with the longest song of their career. Execution Tank boasts above all insanely good rhythm guitars, while the brutality and speed of the track absolutely nail Execution Tank itself – the secret, unstoppable weapon of an unnamed army that sows death across the battlefield. Just like the album’s ending!
Here Waits Thy Doom is definitely one of last year’s best releases. 3 Inches of Blood have united everything that makes them unique on it and only built up their trademark sound further. The screeching vocals, helped in all the right spots by more aggressive half-growls, the wrecking drumming, the brilliant riffing and soloing, and above all an exceptional feel for writing dynamic, varied songs put Here Waits Thy Doom in first place in the 3 Inches of Blood discography. From start to finish, the album is packed with material for unbridled headbanging, and the beefy atmosphere of merciless power/heavy metal doesn’t let up until the very last moment!
Line-up
Cam Pipes – vocals
Justin Hagberg – guitar, vocals, bass, organ, piano
Shane Clark – guitar, bass
Ash Pearson – drums
Production
Jack Endino
Track list
1. Battles and Brotherhood
2. Rock In Hell
3. Silent Killer
4. Fierce Defender
5. Preachers Daughter
6. Call of the Hammer
7. Snake Fighter
8. At the Foot of the Great Glacier
9. All of them Witches
10. 12:34
11. Execution Tank
