3 Inches Of Blood

Finally getting around to releasing some new tunes a solid two years after latest full-length Here Waits Thy Doom, NWOBHM-meets-thrash brigade 3 Inches of Blood issue two-song seven-inch Anthems for the Victorious. Looking pretty flash on orange vinyl and with a barbaric illustration, the 45-rpm slab of vinyl promises much and, thankfully, delivers. Darker, angrier and a bit more aggressive than anything they've released in a few years, both "Lords of Change" and "Strength of the Grave" display a tempered, patient, pointed band. Decidedly heavy, while still agile, the former track is clearly one of the band's best to date, which isn't to say the latter is lacking at all. While it does come dangerously close to overbearing, their energy and spirit are still quite prevalent. A refreshing taste of what 3 Inches of Blood are poised to offer in the near future, Anthems for the Victorious might not be perfect, but it does showcase a refined act that have survived a few years of tumult and rediscovery.