Bonehunter – Dark Blood Reincarnation System

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The world is one fucked up place as of late. The cure? How about a gut-ripping, overly-endowed werebear heralding the onslaught of exquisite Blackened Speed Metal, aka BONEHUNTER. This Finnish trio formed in 2011 and have been churning out constant carnage with four EPs, three splits, three live albums, and four full-lengths albums. Their latest album, “Dark Blood Reincarnation System,” was released on August 20, 2021, via Hells Headbangers Records.

“Dark Blood Reincarnation System” comprises eight tracks and spans over 41 minutes. Their version of Speed Metal verges on Punk, but all things considered they reside more on the metal side of the spectrum than not. Production-wise, there is a definite analog vibe, hearkening back to an older age of Thrash. I should say, however, the album never veers into the lo-fi realm. There’s clear separation throughout and while the db is consistently high, it never reaches the oversaturation point.

Thematically, it’s all over the top, irreverent shenanigans—from the cover art by Shagrat to the video game references to the romp through various styles of metal, you can tell these guys don’t take themselves too seriously. Lyrically there are no environmental lectures or socio-political rants and musically there aren’t any self-indulgent Technical or Prog interludes either. This is just good ole nasty metal.

As I hinted earlier, there’s a fair amount of variation throughout the album. By variation I mean there are essentially three settings: Speed, Melodic, and Doom(ish). The Speed dynamic is prevalent throughout except “Gasshadokuro,” which has some slower-tempo Doom tendencies. The Melodic aspects feature prominently as well. Even when the band is at their Thrashiest there’s an underlying rhythm that Penetrator and Satanarchist maintain, and that Witch Rider surfs like a master. I think this is inherent in a lot of trios but is strengthened here by the fact that both Penetrator and Satanarchist have each had a time at bass and guitar duties which might drive some internal consistency.

Standout tracks will, of course, vary by taste, but my favorites are “Black Magic M16,” “Parasite Eve,” “Gasshadokuro,” “Virgin Devil Princess,” and title track, “Dark Blood Reincarnation System.” Altogether, this album is an adrenaline chainsaw that’ll put a smile on your face and hemorrhage your brain all at the same time.

Songwriting: 7
Musicianship: 8
Memorability: 7
Production: 8