Is this the Italian answer to Type O Negative? On its debut, Bloody Mary, formed around the turn of the millennium, certainly stands out for a rather imposing sound, though one undeniably close to Type O Negative. This five-piece is presented as a goth rock band, but all in all we find Bloody Mary closer to melodic goth metal than to goth rock. Singer Aldebran sounds like a cross between Peter Steele (Type O Negative) and Yorck Eysel (Love Like Blood). They like to cite Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cult and HIM as their main influences. From the last of these they have mostly taken the image, if you ask me. If you get off on the sound of bands like Type O Negative, Seraphim Shock, Eisheilig, The 69 Eyes, or the later, doom-metal-tinged Love Like Blood, this may well be something for you! Because the least one can say is that the 10-track, (only) 39-minute "Blood'n'Roll" holds a set of rock-solid songs. To start with, just listen to the delightful opener "Icy Blue" and let yourself be carried off into the world of these (delete as appropriate) hard-hitting goth rockers / melodic goth metalheads. Finally, we want to tell you that we are impressed by the near-perfect production. Recommended! [HV]
First published in Dutch; in English here. Where it appeared ↗