Blame Zeus
Laudanum
Out: October 4th, 2023
Playing time: 44:13
Blame Zeus have been around for thirteen years, founded in 2010 by drummer Ricardo Silveira and singer Sandra Oliveira. These are also the two remaining members of the original line-up. But that’s the way it is in the music business, no matter if it’s a small or a big band. The first years were marked by songwriting, for a demo with three songs. In 2013, the band also started with live activities. It took until 2014, then the debut album “Identity” was released. Two more albums followed. Most recently “Seethe” (2019). Thus, the current work “Laudanum” is the fourth release of the Portuguese.
Blame Zeus start the album without a preface, i.e., without an intro. The opener “Stitch” is a really powerful song. And you can hear that the band is Female Fronted, but with Sandra Oliveira, they have a real Rock belter at the microphone. The rhythm section fires heavy riffs at our ears. “Left For Dead” starts a bit calmer. But this is only the calm before the storm. Although midtempo, there is a lot of elemental force in the song, which is dominated by rhythmic drumming. With “Lust”, the Portuguese go up a notch again in terms of tempo. This is then surpassed by “Penitent”. “For The Strong And The Faithful” is again a bit calmer with clean guitars at first. A mixture of Metal anthem and power ballad. And the real ballad follows on its heels. In “Asleep In The Stars” Sandra is accompanied by minimalistic guitars. At just under one and a half minutes, it is unfortunately a little too short. As if the musicians had briefly gathered new strength, they strike again with “The Void”, especially in terms of heaviness. Otherwise, the song hardly leaves the midtempo range. “Lethargy” is anything but lethargic. Here, Blame Zeus go up to a high tempo again. “Resuscitate” then sets another point of calm. Midtempo, close to the border of a power ballad. At the very end, “Burning Fields” is a real neck breaker with an excellent guitar solo. Here you are also encouraged to headbang.
“Laudanum” is a very good album. It is characterised by varied songwriting. Most of the songs really bang out of the speakers. Metal without frills, straightforward and raw. The musicians really understand their job. The icing on the cake is Sandra Oliveira’s powerful voice.
Blame Zeus – Left For Dead: https://youtu.be/S6H7RxfcbmM?si=s5Q6KjBtc1wsUyUX
Lineup:
Sandra Oliveira – Vocals
Paulo Silva – Guitar
Tiago Lascasas – Guitar
Bruno Branco – Bass
Ricardo Silveira – Drums
Track list:
- Stitch
- Left for Dead
- Lust
- Penitent
- Asleep in the Stars (Interlude)
- The Void
- Lethargy
- Resuscitate
- Burning Fields (Bonus Track)
Overall Rating : 9/10
