Album Review

Bear Trade – Blood And Sand

• 5th May 2014

Bear Trade – Blood And Sand

Northern four piece Bear Trade have unveiled their debut, Blood And Sand, and it is a bout as British as punk can get. There’re no glitz nor glamour here, just melodic punk, imperfect ‘shouty’ vocals and a riveting backdrop to the record.

The album opens with teaser ‘Another One For The List’ before the collective get together with ‘Bleedin Heart Trouble’. Repeated guitar opens the song before the remaining members make themselves known. The northern-accented vocals shine and help edge Bear Trade away from their peers, making them more distinct.

The gritty record doesn’t let up all the way through, apart from closer ‘Dead Leg’ which nods towards slower ways. It proves fruitful, but may be slightly misplaced on the record. But there is still plenty to talk about on Blood And Sand.

The snippets of script throughout the record add a greater feeling to Blood and Sand, and never feel over embellished. The opening of ‘Don’t Forget You’re Going To Die’ sees the offering of a cup of tea over alcohol, and shows the humour that this band can be known for. Indeed, the video for ‘Sons Of The Manse’ sees the four piece sitting at a table and consuming copious amounts of alcohol.

It goes to show that Bear Trade are here to have fun, and they know that. Whilst nothing on the record might be what you’d call groundbreaking, the band are still doing everything right and with a pride that other bands could strive for.

‘Not Everything Makes A Noise’ is a perfect example of their perfect effort of melodic punk, 2 minutes of energy and noise, while ‘Nice Boots’ is another track that is definitely worth two minutes of your time.

Indeed, Blood And Sand clocks in at just over 30 minutes. Each of the twelve tracks has something for you to enjoy, so be sure to divulge half an hour of your day, so you can hear what British punk should sound like.

Download: Sons Of Manse, Nice Boots, Bleedin Heart Trouble

Venue: Blood And Sand
Support Band: Everything Sucks / Dead Broke Rekerds