Category: news

Posted on June 12th 2026, 12:47pm

Formed in 2014 in the wake of the success of Arch Enemy, Spain’s Bloodhunter joined the ranks of melodeath bands featuring attractive leading ladies who snarl and growl rather than sing like Disney princesses. Lokasenna favorably reviewed their sophomore record, The End of Faith, writing that while it wasn’t particularly innovative, Bloodhunter sounded promising enough to give them a potentially bright future. The nine years since have sown significant changes, with a new bassist and drummer, as well as an additional guitarist; founding guitarist Dani Arcos and vocalist Diva Satanica serve as the only common links between these two albums. Sons of the Abandoned, their fourth, seeks to live up to the bright future Lokasenna prophesied.

Sons of the Abandoned proves a highly energetic affair, having a melodic bent in the vein of At the Gates or In Flames. Tracks waver between high octane (“The Devils Own,” “Human Insecticide”) and mid-tempo (“The Outspoken,” “Ephemeral Youth”). While plenty heavy, Bloodhunter fall just shy of brutal, with a much lighter intensity than the comps listed above, though they do occasionally ramp things up. “The Devils Own” gets the album off to a nice start, with its gentle melodic lead jumping into some of the record’s most brutal cuts. It’s a really good song that reveals a melodic side underneath that tough exterior. From there, tunes largely shed the brutality and drop to a slightly slower tempo before ending on another fast and brutal high note on the thrashy Annihilator cover, “Human Insecticide.” The mid-tempo stuff allows Bloodhunter to dive more deeply into their melodic side, though with mixed results.

Lokasenna’s critique about a lack of innovation still applies, as Bloodhunter stick to pretty standard riffs, but they do flash some impressive melodies here and there. Bloodhunter save their most memorable melodies for the choruses. The best comes from “Sons of the Abandoned,” transforming a pretty standard song into something more rewarding thanks to a lead I find myself frequently whistling. Not all leads successfully push the bar, however. “Ephemeral Youth” similarly features a pretty good lead, but the tune ultimately grows a bit tiresome thanks to too much repetition. Sadly, the mid-album tracks lack the hooks to stir any interest. Even a rather elaborate solo on “No One Beats Death” does very little to resuscitate the record’s earlier vitality. Bloodhunter invite Laura Guldemond (Burning Witches) to handle cleans for a rather disappointing chorus on “The Path that Never Ends” in yet another unsuccessful bid to spruce up this stretch of songs.

Sons of the Abandoned sounds really good, thanks to some great production values and solid performances. While the guitar parts don’t always wow, the addition of guitarist Guillermo Starless opens up space for a heftier, more interesting guitar presence. It’s true that Arcos and Starless could inject a little more creativity into their riffs, but they still have plenty of really good stuff. There’s a lead on “Masters of Deceive” that has a smooth jazz vibe that displays their ability to get creative, and an instrumental interlude has some lovely arpeggios that I can’t help but think could have gone to more use throughout Sons of the Abandoned. The mix also allows Fabian Tejeda’s bass to breathe, with some gentleness on the quieter interlude and then some hectic noodling on “Human Insecticide.” Finally, Diva Satanica serves the record well as frontwoman. She has some capable growls, switching to Trevor Strnad-like snarls now and then, even if she lacks the brutality of some of her contemporaries.

While Sons of the Abandoned does scratch that melodic itch here and there, it also gives me a better appreciation of the creative riffs that At the Gates recently displayed. I’m a sucker for a good melodic lead, so I’m willing to overlook some shortcomings if the record has enough of them. Bloodhunter meet this criteria a little more than half the time. There are plenty of songs I’d be happy to put into a playlist, but unfortunately, too many are forgettable. While LP number four hasn’t yet delivered on Lokasenna’s hope for a bright future, Bloodhunter certainly has it in them to deliver a killer record.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 10 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: ROAR! Rock of Angels Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Site
Releases Worldwide: June 12th, 2026

The post Bloodhunter – Sons of the Abandoned Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

With hindsight, the collaboration between Des Rocs and the Borderlands franchise feels so obvious. Both the artist and the looter-shooter game series channel a renegade energy, whether you’re fighting off maniacs on an alien planet or singing about New York bikers with a heavy old-school rock influence. Both draw you into another world and leave an unforgettable impression in their wake. Maybe the first exposure a lot of us had to Des Rocs was via ‘This Land’ being included in Borderlands 4, or maybe it’s via his high profile tour support slots with Muse and The Rolling Stones. Either way, he’s here to stomp his footprint in the rock landscape with an outlaw sound that’s original and compelling with ‘To Hell And Back’, his third full-length in five years.

Let’s start with the big single; ‘This Land’ is a huge slab of riffs that explodes with strutting menace on the western instrumentals and chucks in eminently flammable choruses. It’s only half the story of the album though. While there’s atmospheric, Led Zep flair throughout, especially on single ‘The Juice’ which practically pours out the spirit of Jimmy Page in every chord, there’s a lot more lurking round every corner. Des Rocs prides himself on originality, and there’s a mercurial melting-pot of influences which he’s blended together on this record. ‘The Riders of Red Hook (Legends Never Die)’ is one piano fantasy away from being a Muse hit, and the fuzz of ‘The King’ combined with Rocs’ falsetto makes for a Courtney Barnes meets Freddie Mercury moment. If it’s stadium filling and bombastic, you can bet that Rocs has been filling his stereo with it. 

That said, there’s more than a few personal moments where Rocs pulls back the rock star veil for a second and exposes something raw. While ‘The More She Wants’ does tread the well-worn power ballad path, Rocs’ trembling voice and delicacy on the gentle guitar makes it a window into the man behind the rock star image. Similarly, ‘Supernaturalize’ feels genuinely hopeful and optimistic; its a song for getting ready to face your day with a spring in your step, and that’s not be underestimated. It’s the closer, ‘The Way’, that really kicks you in between the riffs as it blasts with self-confidence and promise of success to come. There’s a lot of style on ‘To Hell And Back’, but there’s also the substance to support it.

For sheer entertainment value on a record, ‘To Hell And Back’ is up there, especially if you want a classic rock sound with a modern update and you want your riffs turned up to eleven. There’s a few moments of soul-searching, and of course we love to see our rock stars baring their innermost pain for our entertainment, but that’s not what we’re here for. Des Rocs is making massive, exciting, stadium-busting rock music with ambitions that reach to the sky, and we’re into it. Whether it’s on the planet Kairos or here on Earth, there’s always going to be room for a sound that’s this exciting.

KATE ALLVEY