Wednesday 19 July 2017

Bloodnut - St. Ranga (Album Review)


Release date: August 1st 2017. Label: Self Released Music. Format: CD/DD

St Ranga – Tracklisting

Space Orangutan
Mark Of The Outcast
That Fire Inside
Burning Boosh
Red Dead Riders
Song Of Fire And Ice

Band Members

Doug McFarlane- Bass/Vox
Ty Boniface - Drums
Doug Robertson - Guitar

Review

New Zealand band of ginger ruffians - Bloodnut - return almost twelve months after their superb debut album with St. Ranga. Another cool take on a well-known Metal album. Though this time with Metallica's derided album - St. Anger. Last time they took a shot at Kyuss seminal classic album - Blues For The Red Sun. Bloodnut play a bombastic kind of Punk driven Sludge/Stoner Metal sound with the band having a subtle tongue and cheek approach to their music.

Nothing has much changed here with the band carrying on their modern sounding Sludge/Stoner riffs. Though this album does have a more spaced out feel especially with the opening track - Space Orangutan. It has a Kyuss/Red Fang approach but the distorted punk sounds make the band have a harder edge. The lyrics do have a very humorous feel but Bloodnut make it counts where it matters most and that's with the music. 

They have written some fantastic classic sounding heavy metal riffs merged with familiar psychedelic sounds. That's the longest track on the album clocking in at almost nine minutes. It's a good job that the song keeps you entertained throughout.

The next three songs Mark Of The Outcast, That Fire Inside and Burning Boosh are shorter songs that allow Bloodnut to get straight to the point in playing more direct sludge riffs. Mark Of The Outcast and Burning Boosh are perhaps some of the standout songs on the album as you can hear moments of vintage sounding sludge/stoner metal ringing through your speaks at a loud volume.

The production has improved immensely since their debut album. Everything is clearer and has more focus.

The final two songs on the album Red Dead Riders and Song Of Fire And Ice sees Bloodnut return to play familiar epic riffs first heard on the opening track. The songs can be quite deafening at times with the band excelling once again with the lyrics. Who knew that you can write such fantastical heavy songs about being "ginger"? I thought they were over-stretching the idea on their debut album. 

Nope. They've found more weird and wonderful tales to sing about being ginger. I'm not complaining as I'm a fellow ginger myself.

I applaud the guys for writing something so simple and dear to their hearts that they can create songs and album after album of the perils of being ginger. Sure it's all very tongue in cheek but I wouldn't tell these heavyweight sludge/stoner metal bruisers to stop. I would tell them to carry on as long as they can. The album is a violent powder-keg of Punk/Sludge/Stoner Metal fury that should enhance Bloodnut's appeal and popularity to the masses even more.

I still prefer their debut album compared to St. Ranga but that's not to say this is any less entertaining than their debut album. Far from it, St. Ranga has the power and intelligence to stand on its own merits and be classed as a brutally heavy and supremely entertaining album.

With Beastwars taking a sabbatical at the moment, Bloodnut have the potential to take over the position of New Zealand's premier Sludge/Stoner Metal band.

Words by Steve Howe
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