Have you Hurd this lot?
Paul Castles checks out northern slammers Bloodyard, whose Darker Rage EP was released on November 28, 2016
Some of you may have caught Bloodyard at Bloodstock after the northern quartet secured their ticket when winning their local Metal to the Masses competition. Darker Rage is their second EP and features four feisty tracks that come in collectively at just under 15 minutes. It’s energetic, upbeat and with sufficient quantities of grooves to give your headbanging technique a workout.
The quartet hail from the north west and on listening to the gargled broken glass vocals on opening number ‘Epitah’, those yet to encounter the band can be forgiven for thinking this is an all male outfit. First mistake!
Meet Donna Hurd… Donna handles the vocals and does it very well, on second number ‘Sacred to None’ really stretching and screeching against some seismic riff work that dominates from start to finish.
Momentum is lustily maintained on the third number, the EP’s title track, with the primal pounding of the skins, providing an almost earthy foundation with the rest of the layers constructed confidently on top. The song features a hook big enough to take your eye out midway through and the overall metalcore intensity levels are secured at a high enough pitch to satisfy most pits.
‘Dead Relics’ is a crushing closer, even more visceral , with Donna’s powerful death metal growl triggering an early breakdown of stompin’ proportions. Bloodyard were among the early birds at the HRH Metal extravaganza in Birmingham this weekend winning yet more friends along the way. There’s certainly room for this quartet to grow and there’s more than enough positives to take from this vicious volley to suggest Bloodyard are worth keeping an eye on.
7 out of 10 
Track list
- Epitah
- Sacred to None
- Darker Rage
- Dead Relics
