Detonation

Description

Detonation is the sophomore album by the American hard rock/metal band Bloodgood, released on Frontline Records in 1987, distributed by The Benson Company. The album was recorded by Doug Doyle at Rocshire Records in Anaheim and 3-D Studios in Costa Mesa, California; with band members Michael Bloodgood, David Zaffiro, and Les Carlsen producing and arranging. Mixed by Doyle, Bloodgood, Zaffiro, and Carlsen. The band features Les Carlsen on lead vocals, David Zaffiro on guitar, and a rhythm section consisting of Michael Bloodgood on bass and Mark Welling on drums.

‘Detonation’ is a 10-song piece of dynamite that explodes with both musical force and the power of God’s love. You want it? It’s got it: superb playing, excellent production, solid writing, and a crystal-clear presentation of the Christian message without all the tried-and-found-wanting Christian metal cliches.

Personal favorites are «Crucify», «Battle of the Flesh», «Eat the Flesh» (which takes the listener through a vivid enactment of the sacrament of communion), and «Alone in Suicide» which proclaims to metalheads that life is better than death and that “salvation calls for the lonely.”

With this album and one-on-one work in Southern California’s Sanctuary churches, Bloodgood is emerging as an important force in metal ministry. [Devlin Donaldson and Steve Rabey, CCM, May 1987]

Girder Music Promo, 2020

It’s been over 30 years since Bloodgood dropped their sophomore album and arguably on of the greatest Christian Metal albums of all time and nearly every best of list agrees. Heaven’s Metal ranked it at #8. It is completely remastered by Rob Colwell of Bombworks sound, mastered specifically for vinyl. It comes in a gatefold jacket that opens up to iconic band pictures and includes a large 24″ x 24″ band poster with full color 2-sided inner lyric sleeve with lyrics and credits. It’s also available in 2 colors. 100 units in translucent blue and 100 units in lava-fire-orange.

Bloodgood vocalist Les Carlsen recently stated “This is the album where we went to the record company and said let us (the band) produce this album and we will deliver you a great metal album. We were the writers, the arrangers and the producers. Yes, we had an engineer (Doug Dole), but we (the band) wrote all the songs and oversaw the entire mix. We locked ourselves into a warehouse and worked all day long, every day until it was complete.”

Dave Mustaine (Megadeth) did a review of Detonation in Circus Magazine which discussed the relevance of a Christian Metal album and how Bloodgood did everything correct.

What really surprising is how well this record still holds up. So many bands back in the day used reverb on everything and listening to some of those now, sounds a bit outdated and hokey, yet Bloodgoods’ Detonation still sounds fresh and new. Les’s voice is at it’s peak which thankfully also stands up to todays’ rock vocals.

It’s amazing what 30+ years can do to ones perspective and what 30+ years can do to cement your name as one of the greatest Christian Rock albums of all time. Detonation does just that.

> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/detonation-special-edition/1460857465)

LP tracklist:

Side One
A1. “Battle Of The Flesh” – 2:45
A2. “Vagrant People” – 3:26
A3. “Self-Destruction” – 3:29
A4. “Alone In Suicide” – 4:04
A5. “Heartbeat (Of The City)” – 3:25

Side Two
B1. “Eat The Flesh” – 4:25
B2. “Holy Fire” – 3:10
B3. “Crucify” – 3:05
B4. “The Messiah” – 4:25
B5. “Live Wire” – 2:35

Note: Simultaneously released on cassette, 12-inch vinyl LP, and CD by Frontline Records. A remastered version was re-issued on CD by Intense Millennium Records ‎in 2010 featuring “Crucify” and “The Messiah” as bonus tracks, recorded live at Metal Mardi Gras Carson, CA 09/12/1987, as well as a limited edition 2nd disc featuring Live @ Metal Mardi Gras, Carson, CA 1987. Comes with new artwork (though you can display the new one or the original). Re-issued once again by Roxx Records in 2019 as a Limited Edition CD, remastered and expanded to include three previously unreleased bonus tracks recorded live in Sacramento from their 1987 tour. Remastered by Rob Colwell of Bombworks Sound and re-issued by Girder Music (through Limited Run Music/Limited Run Vinyl) in April 2020 on both CD and 12-inch vinyl LP featuring Gatefold Jacket (100 units pressed on Translucent Blue Vinyl and 100 units pressed on Lava-Fire-Orange Vinyl).