blessings-blodstrangen-review (@blessings-blodstrangen-review@www.angrymetalguy.com)
Blessings – Blodsträngen Review
By Owlswald
Originating from the same vibrant scene that has spawned acts ranging from At the Gates to Ace of Base, Gothenburg experimental noise quartet Blessings have been forging their own path within the borders of Sweden’s olde harbor city for thirteen years. Comprised of long-standing veterans of the Swedish scene, Blessings have been worshipping at the altar of turmoil since its 2012 debut, Bittervaten came out waving a Black Flag of loud, Unsanely harsh, in-your-face noise rock. Subsequent years of relentless touring and creative experimentation culminated in the follow-up, Biskopskniven1 which leaned more heavily into rhythmic anchoring, trance-inducing moods, and riffing. With Blodsträngen,2 Blessings is poised to take listeners on an intense, genre-bending journey, venturing into increasingly experimental and unconventional sonic territory.
Blodsträngen blends the grit of punk, the expansiveness of post-rock, and hardcore’s raw aggression into an intensely juxtaposed sound that is dark, abrasive, and dramatic. Guitarist Johan G Winther lays down chunky Mastodon-style motifs (“Copper + Dirt,” “Raised on Graves”), shoegaze melodies (“No Good Things,” “Strings of Red”) and bursts of dissonant chords (“Clean”). Mattias Rasmusson’s booming rock grooves drive moments of Old Man Gloom-like explosiveness, while Erik Skytt’s percussive accents and expressive modular tones—featuring everything from organs, cowbells, and woodblocks to a xylophone—strategically guide listeners through Blodsträngen. Fredrik Karlsson’s powerful voice commands excellent projection, especially during Blodsträngen’s darker verses, alternating between spoken-sung punk vocals reminiscent of The Jesus Lizard or early Killing Joke (“No Good Things,” “Clean”) and throaty, abrasive howls (“Allt Vi Kan Ge Är Upp,” “Strings of Red”). Overall, Blodsträngen sounds massive and confrontational, the instrumentation hitting well above its weight, piercing a bright master that belies its DR score.
Blodsträngen is best experienced as an immersive, uninterrupted ride. Its seven tracks flow seamlessly, shifting moods and textures while progressively intensifying. The record immediately kicks off with its strongest material, showcasing Blessings’ dynamic songwriting and unique sound. “Raised on Graves” quickly establishes its edgy, ominous feel, creating foreboding through Winther’s haunting notes, Karlsson’s growling bass, and Skytt’s tribal accents. Eschewing a predictable crescendo, it cleverly loops back to another verse before diving headfirst into full-blown punk with an insistent tambourine. An isolated cowbell punctuates the track, serving as a stark prelude to “Strings of Red,” which explodes into a hardcore frenzy after spells of tense breaths. Skytt’s suspenseful synth leads and Winther’s aggressive riffing drive the song, which serves as a definitive statement of Blessings’ ability to produce hard-hitting material with intriguing textural elements, despite its meandering finish. Rounding out the album’s robust first third is the ambitious and lengthy “Clean,” one of Blodsträngen’s longest tracks. Highlighted by what might be one of the gnarliest bass tones I’ve heard in ages, Karlsson’s hefty bass line and somber vocal delivery channels a Filter-esque vibe before a devastating breakdown tears through the mix. The song works beautifully once it gains momentum, though its dragging intro and overlong build partially weigh it down.
Blodsträngen starts with incredible momentum and promise, making Blessings’ subsequent struggles to maintain its energy all the more disappointing. While “Allt Vi Kan Ge Är Upp” injects much-needed vigor back into Blodsträngen with its dominant rhythms and exhilarating crescendo, “No Good Things” marks a noticeable dip in energy. The track lacks the compositional ambition of the album’s earlier material, consequently feeling plain as it relies too much on Skytt’s quirky samples and Karlsson’s vocals. “Copper + Dirt” is a short burst of aggressive, riff-driven material that abruptly ends after less than two minutes, a confusing result that feels wholly out of place. Finally, the terrific, harmonized melodies from Winther and Skytt within the first half of “Through Veils of Glass and Silica” suffer, unfortunately, from its excessive length and meandering post-rock sections, which leave Blodsträngen ending on a drawn-out note.
Blessings is a good band, but Blodsträngen is a front-loaded album that left me wishing these Swedes had maintained their peak energy for the entire forty-one minutes. When they’re firing on all cylinders, Blessings crafts unique, powerful, and atmospherically heavy music. Their future success hinges on maintaining their intensity and sharpening their songwriting, steering clear of unnecessary repetition or padding. A great album is potentially waiting in the wings, and Blessings certainly has the talent to deliver. The question is, will they?
Rating: Mixed
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Pelagic Records
Websites: blessingsgbg.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/Blessingsgbg
Releases Worldwide: August 1st, 2025
#25 #2025 #Aug25 #BlackFlag #Blessings #Blodsträngen #ExperimentalMetal #Filter #KillingJoke #Mastodon #Noise #NoiseRock #OldManGloom #PelagicRecords #PostRock #postPunk #Review #Reviews #SwedishMetal #TheJesusLizard #Unsane
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whitecold (@whitecold@mstdn.social)
Using #pwa on #Android for social media is actually a very solid experience.
I've been using webapps for #mastodon, #lemmy, #pixelfed, #bookwyrm (well, there is no app for it afaik) and #tilvids.
That is, until you realize you are forced to use a #chromium browser if you want notifications - #Firefox still only has "bookmark icons".
To be fair though, I start to think that could be a positive for those (me) who would like to pick up their phones less often 🤔
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starrybubble (@starrybubble@piaille.fr)
L'édito du lundi est disponible !
N'hésitez pas à vous abo à la newsletter pour suivre toute l'actu des contenus et projets militants que je bidouille avec mes petites mains.
@fedisee #mastodon #MastoArt #news
Lien 👇
https://buttondown.com/Lukya/archive/demenagement-de-contenus/
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oraultima (@oraultima@mastodon.social)
🔥 Antitrust: Multa a #Shein per le Dichiarazioni Ambientali? 🚨 Scopri i dettagli della decisione su ORA ULTIMA: https://www.oraultima.com/multa-shein/
#4agosto #OraUltima #mastodon #news #business #finance #economy #italy #italia #notizie
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Roentare (@Roentare@mastodon.social)
Good evening, #mastoart #mastodon
This is #Fotomontag #photomonday #fotografie #photography
Forest Cave Phillip #Island #victoria #australia
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https://Roentare.zenfolio.com/p745299394/e9e29dc07
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oraultima (@oraultima@mastodon.social)
🔥 Pace Fiscale 🔥 La tua cartella può sparire DAVVERO? Non crederai a cosa sta per succedere! 🚨 Scopri come saldare o rateizzare il tuo debito su ORA ULTIMA: https://www.oraultima.com/pace-fiscale-rottamazione-quinquies/
#4agosto #OraUltima #mastodon #news #business #finance #economy #italy #italia #notizie
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oraultima (@oraultima@mastodon.social)
😱 Pagamenti #AssegnoUnico: l'ansia cresce per agosto 2025! 🚨 Scopri le date cruciali su ORA ULTIMA: https://www.oraultima.com/assegno-unico-agosto/
#4agosto #OraUltima #mastodon #news #business #finance #economy #italy #italia #notizie
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saigengohan (@saigengohan@fedibird.com)
🎙️寝落ち歓迎のゆる声で語る、映画とごはんのサブカルバラエティ
今夜22時〜は【万博トーク① 熱中症になりかけた話と万博グルメ】
東京からの日帰りで挑んだ、弾丸・大阪万博ツアーをリポート！
第1回目の今夜は、現地で食べたグルメや買ってきたちょっと珍しいお土産フードの話を中心にお届けします✈️
さすがに昨日の今日なので、今夜は短めに1時間ほど配信予定
万博行く人も、行かない人も、熱中症にはほんとお気をつけを…！
ちびっこ茶トラ🐈びおくんもたまに登場しますので、猫好きさんもぜひ！
📎配信アプリのリンクはプロフィールからどうぞ〜
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BlumeEvolution (@BlumeEvolution@sueden.social)
Auch hier auf #Mastodon würden manche gerne verdrängen, wer den #Gaza - Krieg am 7. Oktober 2023 mit einem Terrormassaker eröffnet, #Geiseln genommen hat & die eigene Bevölkerung als Schutzschilde missbraucht: Die #Hamas.
Die #Welt braucht nicht noch mehr Oberlehrer, sondern endlich einen Stopp der fossilen Finanzierung von #Ressourcenfluch - Regimen, #Krieg, #Terror & #Antisemitismus. Wer wirklich #Frieden will, fängt bei sich selbst an. Das gilt i.Ü. auch ggü. #Putin. https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/internationale-kritik-an-geisel-videos-der-hamas-merz-entsetzt-100.html
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strk (@strk@floss.social)
Is there any #Mastodon client that avoids showing replies as top-level items, giving a threaded view of conversations instead of a big mess ?
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markhburton (@markhburton@mstdn.social)
@randahl
The very short char allowance on #bsky is a problem even for bridged #Mastodon instances with sensibly low char limits.
Your posts get chopped off.
Maybe that's good if people then view the original on masto but most won't.
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tovi (@tovi@nerdculture.de)
Olkhon Island. Siberia
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