Aligning with pack, redeeming an image in order to acquire further acceptance, and I don't have anything against it, yet it matters how one does that. I was fortunate to get to know this band from Russia, a country that produced one of the most fame Heavy Metal bands in the local Russian history, ARIA and Co., as the Slavic version of IRON MAIDEN. Furthermore there were others like MASTER, CORROSION METALA and SHAH the fulfilled the Thrash Metal void. On the other hand, this band, named GRENOUER, is a different kind of crew. Started as an extreme Metal act and over the years has been undergoing alterations into something uncanny, diverting between Rock and Metal, yet altogether commercialized, leaning on the MTV cliché, Gothic and contemporary in its musical direction. "Blood On The Face", hailing through the gates of Mausoleum Records, draws the band's current Metal scenario, revealing hints of strengths but also a fair share of faintness and a dossier of utter desperation.

Don't get me wrong, nothing here is crappy or shamefully deterring, yet over time it took a lot from me to actually enjoy the mundane course of the release, as it seemed to me that nothing flinched for a certain measure of spice to kick in. So you probably ask yourself what is the fun in that? Well, "Blood On The Face" virtually began as a promising Nu Metal meets Gothic Rock / Metal, think of an elusive connation of H.I.M., late era TYPE O NEGATIVE, "Host" era of PARADISE LOST, ENTWINE (minus the melodic edge) and DEFTONES (minus the screamos and sort of growls). On paper, this consonance seems interesting enough to feast upon a few pleasing tracks full of grey and emotional unevenness. It happened really, but only a few samples rose to the occasion of being a little over responsive and forthright with their doctrine. Undoubtedly that the Russians wished to maintain a certain catchiness for each song in order to capture the listener in the finer moments of choruses, just like on MTV, as marketable as it can be. Of course that music can be easily vendible and reachable in other genres, but nonetheless, I assume that they forget that this is Metal music with an extent of accordance to different varieties of Rock thus most of their releases sounded empty, hollow, lacking substantial content, and needless to say a little variety in riffing, rhythms and beats that remained constant and wearisome after reappearing without end. Their vocalist might have an edge as a fairly fine performer with his frost voice starring the choruses, but it is not abundant. In simple words, GRENOUER's music sounded dull in most cases, and there were the failed experiments of "Midday Show" that issued a few Rap and what the Russians call "Chanson" that clearly seemed out of place and horrid, and "Golden Years" that sounded like something that KINGS OF LEON would compose.

Sure that GRENOUER's "Last Stop" and "Sands Of Silence" that were displayed as a potential chip for the next thing in line from this band. I could even add "Blood On The Face" and "Fix Your Life / A Few Miles from Paradise", which appeared slightly curious in terms of music in contrast to the "could have been" examples. I believe that even though GRENOUER have their thing with modern Metal / Rock, it should feel dull or overly monotone. The grey pool of "Blood On The Face" isn't moving nowhere, it lures flies, it is digging its own grave. It shares a few distinctive songs of value that could be ascertain as the band's hits, but the music is the opposite of creative or stimulating, sometimes cheap even with the grand engineering. Even with their potential to create something with vigor, a few reforms within the material could be the cure for the next release wouldn't hurt.