Tabula Rasa

Bloodbound | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 21, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Blistering Records
• ASIN: B001UG6YDU
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #25,703 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Tabula Rosa is the 3rd album and the first official U.S. release for Sweden's Bloodbound, a band who have successfully positioned themselves to be the next rising star to emerge from the extremely fertile Scandinavian metal scene. For the past four years the band, who's cannon packed sound is as melodic as it is aggressive.YEAR: 2009

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No reviews yet!! Well the first will be GREAT ALBUM!, April 22, 2009

By 

W. freeman (fairmont, wv) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tabula Rasa (Audio CD)

I started listening to Bloodbound with there first effort Nosferatu which was a good combination of old school Iron Maiden merged with Helloween Keeper of the Seven Keys material. The good thing was they didnt sound like clones, sure some of the songs were reminiscent of Number of the Best and Eagle Fly Free but who cares, those bands dont even make good songs like that anymore. What turned me on the Bloodbound heavily though was that Urban Breed was at the helm ex(Tad Morose) singer who was(is) a definate mentor of mine when it comes to singing, being that i sing myself. Tabula Rasa abandons the old werewolf and dracula theme for a more mature and mainstream sounding album. Most of the material on this one cover life after death and reincarnation which is a pretty interesting topic if you make it so. Well they do, each song is its on entity and while they may sound a lot alike at first the more you listen(like a lot of cds) the more it will grow on you and you will love it. This record album shows the attributes of each individual member of BB by showing of what real musical talent they have. As opposed to Nosferatu with its galloping Maidenisc drums beats and harmony guitars this album goes a more techinical, progressive and at times polyrythmic direction, which works great. Urban Breeds vocals shine as usual which not just power but more emotion, songs like "Night Touches You" sees breed take an almost Alterna-ballad type route with his subtle yet power vocal delivery. Breed is best known for his work with Tad Morose which is where i first heard him and basically he carried the band the entire span of there career because as musicians collectivly they werent the best you can find. Well with bloodbound its good to see he found his niche. Key songs with brilliant choruses as usual, are Dominion 5, Night Touches You, Tabula Rasa pt 1 and 2 (especially 2), and All rights reserved. This isnt to say the other songs are sub par just not quite as catchy as the rest but still great no matter what. So if you have never heard of bloodbound definately pick this album up, its suprising that you dont have to start with there first album to really get what there all about. Just steer clear of Book Of the Dead with the singer i dont even know it was nothing like with Urban, hopefully this will be there moment to break open to the masses also. The amazon sales rank is around 2,354 which is good for a band on an indy label, especially powermetal which usually stays anywhere from 50 to 200 thousand. So i hope everyone enjoys this album, i know i do, its new its a breath of fresh air and definately my favorite album this year.

NOTE:The new heaven and hell album is pathetic, don't even bother with it. Buy this instead.:)

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid album, catchy and aggressive, May 5, 2009

By 

Shaye Breed "ladyspace" (Roswell, GA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tabula Rasa (Audio CD)

Much better than their previous two efforts, Tabula Rasa finds Bloodbound actually creating somewhat of an identity of their own: the songs are catchier, the rhythm section is greatly improved, and even the guitar and keyboards are better. The vocals (as Breed always is) are very good. Nosferatu was a bit too Maiden-esque for my taste, although it had some decent songs on it. There's still some Maiden influence here, but these guys are definitely no longer clones. Sweet Dreams of Madness, Night Touches You, and Tabula Rasa are my three favorites (at the moment). If you like happy European power metal a la gamma ray, this might not be the album for you, but if you prefer good, ballsy, melodic power-ish metal, well-played and well-sung, then you should definitely check this out.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Melodic power metal featuring Urban Breed, October 16, 2009

By 

Justin Gaines (Northern Virginia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tabula Rasa (Audio CD)

2009's Tabula Rasa is the third album from Swedish melodic power metal band Bloodbound. The band made a splash with their debut (Nosferatu), which featured former Tad Morose frontman Urban Breed, but by their second album (2007's Book of the Dead) Breed and the band parted ways. Now he's back in the band, and I can go back to hoping Bloodbound will fill the void left when Tad Morose split up.

Tabula Rasa is a tight, melodic, metal album with plenty of power and energy. Aside from the vocals, it sounds almost nothing like a Tad Morose album, though that's what I inevitably end up comparing it to. Bloodbound's sound is probably closer to Symphorce or the on-again, off-again Angel Dust. It's all thrashing riffs, soaring melodic vocals (and man, is Urban Breed ever great at those!), and tight, focused songs that are short on "filler" like lengthy, prog-style solos (the average Tabula Rasa track is less than 4 minutes long) but pack plenty of punch. Highlights are "Master of My Dreams", "Sweet Dreams of Madness" and the title track, but the whole album is pretty solid.

I'd absolutely recommend Tabula Rasa to just about any fan of melodic metal. It will be especially interesting to fans of Urban Breed's previous work in Tad Morose. It doesn't quite satisfy the way a Tad Morose album does (sorry, but those albums are phenomenal), but it's good to hear Urban Breed doing this kind of music. Word is, he has also joined Pyramaze. That should be interesting as well.