Halifax four-piece rockers Old Blood have been busy preparing for the release of their seven-track album Reckless Calm and, more recently, their newest (socially distanced) music video “Dead of The Night”. Since their 2012 EP, Ruins, these boys have been hard at it and fine-tuning their hard rock sound.
“When we wrote and recorded this one, it was very much with the mindset of summertime, windows-down road trips and big groups of sweaty people rocking out at festivals and shows – long before words like social distancing and self-isolation had entered the global lexicon,” says Josh White.
“Clearly, much has changed these last few weeks. That said, we wanted to offer up new music now more than ever, as folks need something they can turn up LOUD. Take care, be kind, and look out for one another.”
Mixed by Darren Van Niekerk at Iron Tulip Audio and mastered by Noah Mintz, the album is filled with 80’s and 90’s-esque rock riffs. They’re especially apparent in the album’s opening track “Black Lights.” There’s a heavy sense of nostalgia carried throughout the entire album. With equal parts loud and melodic, the album title certainly suits the variety of tone this Halifax rock quartet sets out to deliver.
“’Reckless Calm’ is actually a lyric from a tune that didn’t make it on this record. We felt it suited the feel of the album, equally aggressive and melodic,” explains vocalist Trevor DeSouza.
Nuances of Kurt Cobain and Big Wreck shine through the melodies and vocals in “Collide”. The raspiness of DeSouza’s voice pushes through the forefront of some excellent guitar playing throughout the track. “Like Vultures” is a standout. Not only does it showcase edgy hooks, the distorted bassline is solid and the driving force of the song, while the guitar works to perfectly complement all instruments on board. It also lets the listener in on a very frightening experience the bandmates went through.
“‘Like Vultures’ was written about a house fire that Josh, Trev and Cory (our previous drummer) went through,” says DeSouza. “The line in the chorus ‘with a flick of the wrist, it goes opaque’ is a reference to how quickly our house filled up with smoke. Thankfully no one was hurt, and Trev’s guitars all survived the toss off the deck.”
Although this pandemic has been hard on most, Old Blood has stayed hard at work to present their newest (stuck in quarantine) music video for “Dead of the Night.”
The video, shot mostly in black and white, features each member in front of a snowy forest backdrop, it almost makes us forget that it’s springtime here in the Maritimes.
The track holds a distinct groove that you will not hear on the rest of the record, making it the most melodic of the bunch. Along with exploring some unique territory in the bridge and breakdown, you can feel the emotions belting through the lyrics, it’ll send chills down your spine, which well… works perfectly with the backdrop.
Towards the end of the video, each bandmate can be seen standing in the middle of what looks like a retro dance floor. There are a few moments of layered vocals breathing some extra life into an already high energy song. However, during this particular scene there is something raw about DeSouza’s vocals and when paired with the gritty instrumentals it can knock you off your feet – in a good way!
“This is our second video shot during the pandemic (safe and distanced, of course). We’re stoked we could find a way to keep putting out content until we can get back in front of people to play this live,” says Josh White.
“We worked hard on the record and video and hope that people can get into it, but recognize there are bigger things happening in the world right now. Stay focused, stay sharp, stay safe.”