When you name your debut full-length by the same name with one of the most astonishing debuts in the entire Metal history, is this some kind of tribute, clone-ism or both (or none)? BONDED BY BLOOD has just released their self-financed Extinguish The Weak EP in 2007 when I came along their spark and started wondering for something now - partially? - confirmed.
Retro? Yes. Powerful? Fuck yes. Bay-Area-ish? Would say so. Good, overall? If you're into 80s US Thrash, you bet you'll shake some neck along tunes like Immortal Life, Feed The Beast, Psychotic Pulse and...I guess the whole CD fits in the same taste. Earache's point of entry into new bands paying homage to the old Thrash sound has scored good goals till now, huh? Speed meets 'retro' anger, raw rhythm section, 'spiting fire' guitars, furious vocals the US way and the picture's again unveiled.
If you tend to see BONDED BY BLOOD and Feed The Beast as a 'copycat' thing, do so. Who cares? I banged my head and stiffed upper lip to the remembrance of early EXODUS (of course!), enough of ATROPHY or SACRED REICH, sinful parts may bring SLAYER to mind, team-playing songparts expose a TESTAMENT reek and...THRAAAAAAAASSSSHHHHHH!!!! may candid lunatics sriek in between tracks, the vocals of Jose Aladdin Barrales are screaming and if you do not tend to get suspicious enough, just think you'll heed Paul Baloff's ghoul, too.
The work done by the Lee/Boogie duo is immense! The riffing is outrageous, the integration of the ideas unveils some wonderful lust for pure Thrash Metal music, the leads denote both skills and drills and - beyond all recognition? - you'll not even get a clue if this is 2008 or 1986-1987. As for the love it! mid-tempo breaks...yeap, it's all here, too!
Among newly recruited Thrash it all novel bands, I see BONDED BY BLOOD bearing the most balanced mix of  ability and insanity. If last year's Extinguish The Weak EP was the first bomb, then this year's Feed The Beast takes  no prisoners (even the 'upgraded' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme, xaxa!). All these, having in mind we're talking bout Thrash Metal songwriting crafted in the 80s, to avoid any misunderstanding with followers of bands like e.g. THE HAUNTED or MACHINE HEAD (feel sorry both 'parties' - unfortunately - 'have' to use the same term to describe two quite different formats of vice in music)...
P.S.: A limited edition the album comes with a bonus 3 CD featuring two killer tracks (Severe Violation can as well be my favorite one off the band's so far career)! Choose this one, if you can.