Guillotine - Blood Money Review
by Matt Hensch
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Guillotine's rare appearance has not been very active since 1995, besides removing Frank Mannberg and Nils Eriksson from the abomination that has become Nocturnal Rites for a brief period of solace. Blood Money, though, acts unquestionably special for a side-project, especially when considering how much talent these two men have when appearing on Guillotine. And did I mention they know what makes thrash enjoyable? Originally, I thought this record would rank itself among Evile, Warbringer, Fall Out Boy, and other "thrash revival" disruptions, but Blood Money has the image and foundation of thrash without mercy. No melody, gimmicks, or half-assed mainstreamed crap like Nocturnal Rites…just thrash.
Being a thrash record, you already know what's in stock: rapid riffs, crushing percussion, wild solos, and aggressive vocals. Blood Money has them all, yet so much more. Mannberg's guitar playing, although limited by his genre of choice, never stops the production of sadistic, morbid thrash cuts slicing and dicing everything in sight, plus each dash has equal parts catchiness and beef struggling between these lacerations. The guitarist's finest quality, however, lurks within Frank's ruthless soloing, which is a wonderful display of fingering one's guitar into an f*cking slave. Right when those spices tickle your taste buds, an active bass guitar leaves some nice aftertastes…yummy! I would say the percussion does not change much or go completely off in leftfield, but the job fulfills its purpose for Guillotine's benefit. However, Blood Money would not fall into a single category of myopic material on any perimeter of oppression. Guillotine can only perform excellently and without error.
Blood Money clearly has its own set of musical charm, but Mannberg's fantastic vocals unquestionably rule everything mandated by Guillotine's ruthless assault. Right when the record kicks off, this swell guitarist releases raspy shrieks that fit into Guillotine's chamber like a bullet…such a beautiful thing. His vocals are aggressive, barking, and fit into this thrash formula perfectly, especially after considering how varied Guillotine's effort seems as a whole. He really does not sound like any other vocalist within Guillotine's separate niche; perhaps a little variety adds spice, and lots of flavor too. Children participating in "thrash revival" games should receive a few lessons from these manly men, just like lessons are meant to be taught.
For a band that experienced submersion and was dead for nearly a decade, I must say Guillotine's presence cannot be touched. Blood Money is slickly innovative for its period, and the record dramatically decodes thrash's prime qualities, even though this "thrash revival" plague continues desecrating all substance the genre created. Well, at least one group has mastered the spell. Plus, who would have guessed Fredrik Mannberg and Nils Eriksson are both members of Nocturnal Rites? Perhaps Guillotine should be their full-time project instead of the fading power metal group that once strived for perfection. After all, these gentlemen bring the heat throughout Blood Money, and Nocturnal Rites simply does not. Anyway, do not miss out on Guillotine's thrash-laden trip through time and torture.
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Guillotine - Blood Money Rating:9.0
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