SNOWBLOOD Self-Titled 2 x LP (SuperFi, UK, 2011).  Brand new, unplayed condition, not sealed.

Finally released after years of delay, this is the third and final album from Glasgow's post-rock / doom outfit. Recorded in rural Scotland by the band themselves, this is at times beautiful, at others totally crushing. Beautiful art by Glyn of Scrawled.

Limited to 500 gatefold 2xLPs on black. Sleeves printed by Delga. 

Keep with your Bossk, Cult Of Luna, Isis, Jesu, Melvins, Neurosis and Pelican records.

2. Untitled - 16:27

3. Untitled - 10:16

4. Untitled - 17:29

Total - 01:02:42

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"...Snowblood are a cult hit amongst those who know of them. Born and bred in Scotland’s bustling city of Glasgow, Snowblood have evolved in front of my eyes from a band with potential, to one living up to my expectations. Their last album, ‘Being and Becoming’ was a hit. After that, the skies were the limit for the Scottish melodic doom/sludge band. However, reality came crashing down as the band announced they were going to split-up, but not before they released their third album, entitled ‘Snowblood’. This album had been in the works for a LONG time. I recall hearing about it not long after I discovered the band, so it was some years ago that it was announced to the public, but it took a very long time to eventually be issued to the public as a final swan song before they fell off the face of the planet. This self-titled album is everything that I was expecting and perhaps a little bit more.

All of the tracks are known as “untitled”, so reviewing this album could get a little tricky. I’m not sure why the band opted for untitled tracks. Perhaps leaving the entire thing being known simply as Snowblood was a way of going out in their own individualistic style. The band certainly have a lot of style and it is coherently and cohesively expressed on this mammoth album, one which includes four songs that all eclipse ten minutes, with the first almost hitting the twenty minute mark. With these aesthetic details in mind, it’s easy to understand why the band took so long between albums. It has been a hefty four years since ‘Being and Becoming’ signalled their intent, which was momentarily lost along the way through a lack of communication. Snowblood are difficult to find out about due to their relative obscurity, but very hard to forget. Like fellow British band Bossk, you might say, both bands have made a huge impact upon the British sludge scene, influencing a number of bands one with their Isis-esque style and the other with their very own unique sound.

This album is exactly that, very unique. It adheres to characteristics of a bunch of major genres without ever exclusively giving into one. Clean vocals, harsh vocals, clean instrumentation and harsh instrumentation make this album very hard to pin down. The first untitled song, for example, has all of these elements. From the lighter post-metal styled atmospherics, to the really heavy riffs at around the ten minute mark. This band can resemble acts like Corrupted, then change in an instant. The music has a very wide range and is eclectic. It doesn’t stick to the same pattern for too long, making it interesting and very intricate, despite the fact that the heavier sections may suggest this band is a little more formulaic than they actually are. I, for one, prefer the cleaner sections. The doomier parts are very daunting due to the heaviness and the screamed vocals, but they’re cohesively working into the structure of the album as it gradually builds. Given the fact that the song is eighteen minutes long, Snowblood have more than enough time to build and throw caution to the wind whenever they see fit. The song lengths are difficult to assess because each part of every song feels well worked and well written, but I do think they’re perhaps too long.

The longer the song, the heavier the track, the more daunting a prospect. The bass and guitars are competent enough to keep up with this for long periods... The percussion is suitably altered for each style, with great use of cymbals, snare and the hi hat for heavier parts. I’m disappointed the clean vocals don’t play as big a role as they did on the previous album because they offer more emotion and a better range than the screams, but this can be overlooked. They feature more at the beginning of songs, as opposed towards the middle and end, as shown on the second untitled song. This song also features gentle synths, which could possibly be formed by some sort of string instrument, like a cello, but this is unclear. This second song reminds me of Neurosis’ ‘The Eye of Every Storm’ as it is very gentle, with a definite brooding quality to it, as if the storm is approaching, which it soon does as the pace picks up and the instrumentation becomes fiercer after the tenth minute mark. The album becomes more evocative and thoughtful as it progresses... A good way to end a career..." - Perplexed_Sjel