In Cold Blood are best known for being the Melnick brothers' post-Integrity outlet. Suicide King, here re-released and remastered with new artwork, brings together the band's Suicide King demo and self-titled debut, with vocalist Jason Bourbon singing on the latter and part of the former. Blaze Tishko fills out the vocal void left on the Bourbon-less tracks, but all of the above feel a bit barren without Jason Popson, who performed vocals on the band's lone LP, Hell On Earth.
The vocals aren't bad — at times they sound downright evil — but they lack a certain consistency that is mirrored in the typically Cleveland sound. "Fuck Your Opinion" lives up to its antagonistic name, while "Straight Flush" surprisingly co-opts melo-death riffs to great effect. Meanwhile, "Machine" and "Dogma" are more standard fare, as is the majority of their 7" debut.
Interestingly, "Ease the Pain" and "Empty" were reimagined on Integrity's To Die For album, where they benefited from better production.
(A389)The vocals aren't bad — at times they sound downright evil — but they lack a certain consistency that is mirrored in the typically Cleveland sound. "Fuck Your Opinion" lives up to its antagonistic name, while "Straight Flush" surprisingly co-opts melo-death riffs to great effect. Meanwhile, "Machine" and "Dogma" are more standard fare, as is the majority of their 7" debut.
Interestingly, "Ease the Pain" and "Empty" were reimagined on Integrity's To Die For album, where they benefited from better production.