Bad Blood : “Jaw Shot” Digital 24 th October 2017 self release.

Bad Blood : “Jaw Shot” Digital 24 th October 2017 self release.

Written by: Matt Drummond 

This is my inaugural article here at The Metal Mag. Previously I was writing for Metal At The Gates, but unfortunately they decided to close up shop, and call it quits. I had an absolute blast working for them, and I want to continue spreading the word about metal so The Metal Mag will be my new home. As I tried to decide what to write about for my first article, only one band came to mind, and that band is Bad Blood.

A Hardcore syndicate, from Chicago, Bad Blood is a newborn band that doesn’t mess around. This band is a jagged pill of death, and their vision seems pretty simple. They strive to bleach the stain of contemporary music, and leave listeners completely mangled, and disfigured.

“Bad Blood is all about writing music people can relate to lyrically, and play music that people can destroy everything to.”

-Bad Blood

The band is stitched together with five members; Mikey Diaz (guitar), Damien Barbosa (drums), Nick Ayala (guitar, vocals), Dan Finnelly (bass), and Deserey “Des” Hidalgo (vocals).

On October 24, 2017, Bad Blood introduced themselves to the world, with their first five track EP; ‘Jaw Drop’. If you’re looking for weird, technical metal, beat it. If you’re looking for straightforward, undisguised hardcore, then you’re in the right place.

‘Jaw Drop’ opens with ‘Blur’, and it’s basically like five people you’ve never met, walking into your house and smashing your face with a cheese grater. It erupts in classic slam style, and that slam style cascades down throughout the entire EP. At 40 seconds into track one, Bad Blood injects a nasty vocal change that hits like a beast. When i listened to  ‘Jaw Drop’, that was the initial part that made me say, “oh man, this is no joke!”.

I never like to assume I know what bands are trying to convey through their music, so when I have the opportunity to ask them directly, I do just that.

“Mostly, I try to really hit what happens in real life, as well as Des. We try to hit topics that happen in real life, and use our music to show that others go through it too, and it’s ok. We wrote ‘Face the Day’, to show that even when life beats you down, you have to get up, and it’s up to you to do it.”

-Nick Ayala

One of the other things that stuck out to me while listening to ‘Jaw Drop’, was the vocals by Des Hidalgo. She pummels listeners with a rasping, raucous style of vocals that fits into the music perfectly. It’s easy to hear her passion through her vocals, and with Ayala backing her up with vocals of his own, the duo deliver constant punctures to the throat.

With Nick Feltes producing, and mastering the EP, it’s a jarring first offering from an incredibly young band. Although it may take a little while for Bad Blood to come to a city near you, they’re coming! Until that fateful meeting, I suggest checking these guys out! 87/100.