All Stand Together

Description

All Stand Together is the fifth studio album by the American hard rock/metal band Bloodgood, released on Broken Records in 1991, distributed by Benson Music Group. The album was recorded and mixed by Charlie Watts at Front Page Recorders in Glendale, California; and was produced and arranged by Phillip Biff Vincent.

Beautiful, breathtaking, flowing – not the kind of words you’d expect to see in a Bloodgood review. Where are the more colorful adjectives like gnarly, chainsaw, ripping, and biting? Well, they’re not to be found on this excellent melodic album. Fans of Foreigner, Bon Jovi, and Bloodgood’s ‘Rock in a Hard Place‘ album will be the most prone to enjoy this album.

The first things one will notice about the latest Bloodgood release is the exceptional sonics. The drums are snapping (thanks in part to the prowess of Giant‘s David Huff), the guitars are strong and clear in the mix, and the vocals of Les Carlsen are cleaner than ever.

The band starts off on the wrong foot, song-wise, as the lead-off track, «S.O.S.» is the album’s weakest – a predictable, adolescent rock anthem, but the next tune, «All Stand Together», gets things rolling in the direction of the band’s last two albums. It’s loud and rockin’, but not at a speed metal pace. Lyrically, this song draws a parallel between the coalition forces assembled against Saddam Hussein, and the body of Christ coming together in unity.

The album includes three real ballads, which Bloodgood pulls of with passion (and some people thought Les Carlson could only scream!) The first one is a tear-jerker called «Say Goodbye», chronicling the loss of an elderly man missing his life-long mate, while «Help Me» is a mid-tempo weeper about the pain of divorce. Hardcore headbangers may wince at tunes like this, but Bloodgood really kicks butt in this clean, pop metal category. «I Want to Live in Your Heart», the third ballad, finds the band charting in adult contemporary waters for the first time. It carries a “feel good” vibe, similar to Foreigner’s «I Want to Know What Love Is» hit. The melody lives in one’s head long after the album is finished playing.

The hottest tune on the album would have to be «Lies in the Dark», which comes off like the Led Zeppelin classic «Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You». It even starts off with a pounting, “Babe,” alongside some very pretty guitar picking through two verses and then kicks into gear for a fast chorus of “Lies in the dark/ words of love, but they’re tearing us apart…”

While this album shows a further evolution of the band away from the monstrous speed of tunes like «Crucify» and «Black Snake», heavy music lovers can’t knock the band when it pulls off tunes of this quality. I still have a place in my heart for Bloodgood’s ‘Detonation‘ album, but this disc will get much more play on my stereo than anything else the band has done. [Doug Van Pelt, CCM, November 1991]

> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/all-stand-together/167250108)

CD tracklist:

01. S.O.S. – 3:52
02. All Stand Together – 4:19
03. Escape From The Fire – 5:27
04. Out Of Love – 2:39
05. Say Goodbye – 3:41
06. Kingdom Come – 4:12
07. Fear No Evil – 3:47
08. Help Me – 4:21
09. Rounded Are The Rocks – 4:09
10. Lies In The Dark – 4:50
11. Streetlight Dancer – 3:49
12. I Want To Live In Your Heart – 4:31

Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by Broken Records. Available at Bandcamp: https://bloodgood.bandcamp.com/album/all-stand-together