Dangerously Close

Description

Dangerously Close is the sixth studio album by the American hard rock/metal band Bloodgood, self-released on B. Goode Records in November 2013. The album was recorded and mixed by Mark Simmons at Pacific Studios in Tacoma California; and was produced by Paul Jackson with band members Michael Bloodgood and Les Carlsen co-producing.

Bloodgood features Les Carlsen on lead vocals, Oz Fox (of Stryper fame) and Paul Jackson on guitars, Michael Bloodgood on bass, and Kevin Whisler on drums. Also featuring guest musicians Eric Robert on Hammond organ (tracks 7 and 9) with Kraig Omen providing additional keyboards.

It has been more than 20 years since the last Bloodgood album, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from it. Would it be fast and powerful like the earlier Detonation metal era, or more like the later and (more) commercial All Stand Together hard rock era? What would Oz Fox bring to the mix – will it have any hints of the Stryper sound? The questions bounced through my mind. Well, I would describe it as very much full-on Bloodgood, mixing in some of the best of all previous releases. Metal lovers should be happier that, overall, this album would fall on the heavier side, but not so much on the faster-paced side of some older tracks. Production is top notch, making every instrument shine (and no, it does not hint of Stryper at all). The sound is not at all thin like some of the older albums tended to feel; it packs a low-end punch, giving it a massive feel in comparison. Les still has the pipes to pull this off, and the band has lost nothing in the skills department. I feel this may be one of their heavier offerings, mainly because of the ultra-chunky riffs layered with the mega-heavy bottom end of the bass. [HM Magazine]

I’m old enough but I’ve never been a musical nostalgist, forever harking back to the music of my youth and telling everyone who’d listen that the music back then was from a golden age and that today’s music doesn’t compare. But then neither am I a musical snob who insists that music should be continuously evolving and that musicians who today insist in performing in styles which emerged in earlier eras are to be patronised or rubbished as musical museum keepers. So I hope I approached this, the first album in 22 years by ’80s metal heroes Bloodgood, with neither of those disturbing perspectives. I have to say that this is a superb album. The lineup of Les Carlson (vocals), Paul Jackson (guitars), Michael Bloodgood (bass) and Kevin Whisler (drums) with the addition of Stryper man Oz Fox makes for a richer, heavier sound than most of their old albums. The group deliver some aggressive guitar rhythms with bluesy slide guitar on «In The Trenches» while «Man In The Middle» has a bottom-heavy groove and some delicious guitar harmonies. Equally arresting is the double-kick drum power of «Bread Alone» while «Lamb Of God» with its biting riff and radio friendly hook has the potential to become a radio favourite – no mean feat for old school metal. Even the ballads work. «I Can Hold On» is lifted by the edgy rhythm guitars and I could even take the acoustic rock number. I’d say if anything, Les Carlson is a better singer today than he was back in the ’80s and with so many memorable songs punching home the overt spiritual messages I am left amazed that the Washington-based war horses have left it so long to deliver one of the best rock albums of recent times. [Tony Cummings, Cross Rhythms, January 2014]

> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/dangerously-close/757636758)

CD tracklist:

01. Lamb Of God – 3:24
02. Run Away – 3:27
03. Child On Earth – 5:29
04. I Will – 3:27
05. Bread Alone – 4:08
06. Pray – 2:51
07. I Can Hold On – 4:14
08. Run The Race – 4:03
09. Father Father – 4:06
10. Man In The Middle – 4:08
11. Crush Me – 2:51
12. In The Trenches – 5:05

Note: Re-issued on 180 gram 12-inch vinyl LP by Limited Run Vinyl in December 2020 featuring new modified cover artwork for the vinyl-only release including two-sided printed inner sleeves with lyrics and photos. Audiophile pressing from original sources. Comes in three color options: 200 Red, 200 Sliver and 100 Black. Available at Bandcamp: https://bloodgood.bandcamp.com/album/dangerously-close