Seeing an album described as “blackened death metal” almost always whets my appetite. The problem with that label, however, is that it can mean anything from a weird avant-garde blackened dissodeath to Christcrushing necronuclear Blasphemy-worshiping goat metal (hell yes!!).
But Bloodred are none of these. This German band is technically a duo, but in reality it looks more like the solo project of singer, guitarist and bassist Ron Merz, who enlists the talents of drummer Joris Nijenhuis (formerly of Atrocity, formerly of Leaves’ Eyes ) from the band’s early releases in the mid-2010s. Admittedly I hadn’t heard of these guys when I saw their name pop up in our promo bin, but I decided to dig a bit into their catalog when I saw that Amon Amarth had been tagged as a similar artist on Encyclopedia Metallum. It turns out the comparison isn’t entirely off, as the band’s three previous albums generally sound like a band exploiting Amon Amarth‘s most epic moments, while increasing the black metal influence and removing much of the melody.
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With their fourth album, Colours of Pain, Ron has once again stayed within the dark sphere of death, this time producing what is essentially a modern black metal album that still contains enough variety and heavier elements not to be trapped exclusively within that genre’s confines. About half the songs here are similar to the opening track, “Ashes,” which faintly recalls Satyricon in the way it moves at rock tempos that support the wretched, raspy growls and headbang-worthy riffs. The song is a decent piece with guitar work that’s clean and dynamic, if somewhat middling. Of the other songs in this style, “Mindvirus” and the closer, “Resist,” are the best of the bunch, with lively mid-tempo drums and catchy “riding to war” riffs that will surely earn them a spot on my future playlists. For much of the record’s second half, things move more into post-black metal territory, with tracks like “Death Machine” using slightly slower passages, flashes of melody and high-frequency guitars to create the melodrama of songs like Woods of Desolation.
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On paper, Colours of Pain looks like a fairly diverse set of songs. Yet somehow, it still feels strangely homogeneous. In part, this problem may be down to Joris’s drumming: While I like his rhythms, I wouldn’t call his performance particularly dynamic, with much of the album rolling along pleasantly at a similar tempo. As a result, many of the songs end up having a similar overall feel, even when the underlying riffs are quite different. The blame isn’t entirely his, however. While Ron uses some decent riffs here, he never delivers anything that truly sweeps you away, resulting in an album that requires a decent amount of undivided attention to reveal its charm. The production has a clean and balanced sound that reminds me of Art of Propaganda’s associates, like Harakiri for the Sky, which suits Bloodred‘s style, but slightly worsens the album’s homogeneity, seeming a bit too loud and clean for me.
Despite these weaknesses, Colours of Pain remains a pleasant release overall, and its highlights become increasingly apparent with repeated listens. The title track, for example, alternates between a nice tangled, mid-tempo riff and a more traditional black metal hammering, resulting in a nice song that sounds something like a socially conscious version of Belphegor. “Heretics” is another good turn, with a strange sidewinding riff and a particularly combative tremolo line. The second operatic vocals on “Winds of Oblivion” and the climax of “Ashes” are also a nice touch, with the former track also serving as one of the album’s only truly “slow” songs (making it a perfect prelude to the noisy closer, “Resist”).
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Colours of Pain is the kind of album any extreme metal lover can put on, and while they may not love it, they’ll almost certainly not hate it. Although first impressions suggest an album that’s too safe for its own good, repeated listens reveal a record with enough quality ideas and variety not to be just an extreme metal parachute record. Moreover, a browse of Bloodred‘s website shows that Ron seems quite passionate about the music he creates and the politically tinted lyrics that color these songs. Overall, if you’re looking for a modern extreme metal album that’s easy to accept, you could do a lot worse.
Rating : 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Massacre Records
Websites: bloodred.bandcamp.com | bloodredband.com | facebook.com/bloodredofficial
Worldwide release: February 13, 2026
The review was done by Angry metal guy.
https://www.angrymetalguy.com/bloodred-colours-of-pain-review/
