Blindfolded And Led To The Woods

If the name alone is a blow to your neck: Bei Blindfolded And Led To The Woods you know what you’re getting. At least that’s what people think until the New Zealanders get started. What began in brutal extremes with a clear grind side became noticeably more complex and darker over the years. Today, the quintet feels comfortable in various technically adept to brute death metal realms, while a constant aura of darkness threatens to overwhelm them. „Rejecting Obliteration“ takes this approach to the extreme.

The ominous “Methlehem” not only has a fantastic title, but also perfectly sums up the unwieldy appearance of the New Zealanders. Here the quintet lives out its technically brutal side, which likes to flirt with grind intensity without daring to jump into completely brutal abysses. Nevertheless, the constant, unstoppable escalation with blackened undertones comes very well and is further broken down by “Hallucinative Terror”. The frontal in-your-face approach is fun, while at the same time allowing smaller openings for the finest glimmer of putrid hope.

There is no catchiness, but there may be quieter moments from time to time. In the lengthy finale “Caustic Burns”, Blindfolded And Led To The Woods spin threads of suspense in XXL format, shaped by grueling darkness and fishing in emotional barren land. Shadowy glimmers of hope counteract this. In “Cicada”, too, anxiety is in high season, and it is expressed above all in the instrumental middle section, which anticipates the catastrophe of human existence. When a hellish descent immediately follows and the gas pedal goes down and technical adeptness crosses with progressive oddness, everything is in vain.

Instead of throwing everything out of the proverbial heap, Blindfolded And Led To The Woods continue their insane evolution in a focused manner. Sudden rough eruptions and gruff brutality are reminiscent of the early days, accompanied by a constant sense of the inevitable end of being. In addition, “Rejecting Obliteration” strives for fresh arcs of suspense, fretboard witchcraft and instrumental demands – another form of extremity that suits the New Zealanders well. The mindfuck succeeds.

Rating: 8/10

Available from: 05/19/2023
Available through: Prosthetic Records (Cargo Records)

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Tags: blindfolded and led to the woods, deathgrind, progressive death metal, rejecting obliteration, review, technical death metal

Category: Magazin, Reviews