Taunted - Bleeding black

Bay Area is back ! Since 1992 the band Taunted hit the underground San Francisco Bay Area scene.It took til 2006 to bring out the first full length album that was called „Zero“.Here, in 2009, is now the follow up called „Bleeding Black“. As I had to pick up the CD, the band sent to me, at the customs declaration office I was told to open the package together with the chief officer there. What a shock for him as he saw the front cover first. A half skull face that is bleeding black. Anyway, the guy allowed me to take the album with me and here it is.

„One demon at a time“ starts with a huge riff and a Roar, roar, roar. This it Thrash Metal, for sure.Jacques Serrano's vocals are near to old Metal Church, aggressive with some clean parts. The right voice for that kind of music. This song has power, this song has speed. A guitar solo in the middle with an oriental touch and some other vibes leads that track in an epic way. So, we can call this Epic Thrash. „Dead buried“ starts again with a killer riff. Serrano is that various in his vocals that I nearly would call that weird. Underlines the dark and horror lyrics. Awesome guitar solo of Joey Genoni and high screams round up that apocalyptic hymn. „Darkened eye“ starts with midtempo guitar riff and taking speed then. This song is faster played. Straight in the eyes, no compromise. I hear even some parallels to Udo from Accept in Serrano's performance. In the middle the song changes to epic again. Caused of Genoni's solo. Only to come back again to speed and thrash. „Blood washed skin“ remembers me to....yes...Exciter's Thrash, Speed, Burn. I mean the title track of that Exciter album. Maybe the band heard that album before too? Anyway, a real smasher. Fast, furious, speed guitar solo. All you need as a Headbanger. Fists high, this will be a live concert bomb. Slow guitar start in „The Floating Ghost“. Yes..this song is the slowest so far. Ok..no ballad but not a fast song. Seems that Genoni lives in his own world in his solo. Many experiments he packed in that. The song is played on one sound level and fades out in the end. Speed is back in „Victim“. Brutal, hard....a real riff monster. The drums of Henry Moreno do the talking on that song. He can show his talent and lives in this song. Also the bass of Pete Aguilar is more in front than at the other songs so far. So, this is the musicians own song. Lots of breaks, wall of sound. The vocals are only the background in that scene of crime. Now it is time to welcome „Lucifer“. Another straight thrash metal song. Serrano does some echoes in his performance. Riffing is the main thing in that track. Direct hit. A devilish scream opens „Old man gloom“. This song has a little bit of a Rock'n Roller. It is dirty, breathing the streets. Our daily horrors in one song. 4 minutes power in the sign of 666. Bass intro in „Bloodline“. Slower guitars set in. Tuned deeper than before. Changing of dark and high Serrano vocals. Midtempo meets speed. This is another song that remembers me to older Metal Church. Epical moments meets the power between Heavy Metal and Thrash. In the end „The candle burns black“. Balladesque start. Acoustic leads into dramatic scenery. Clean vocals does an intermezzo talking to the devil. The dark has arrived.

I was very impressed of this album. The mixture of thrash and epic parts is more innovative than lots of bands are in this times. Some songs have to be heard more often to explore all their facettes. If the production will be a little better with the next album we will have here the next big thing in more extreme metal music. During that review I hear that Taunted made an european wide distribution deal with a well known label. That underlines my statement! Taste that thrash, taste that band.

Points:  7/10

review by Kerb