Album review: EMIL BULLS – Sacrifice To Venus

AFM Records [Release date 08.08.14]

Emil Bulls are a German alternative metal band who I have never heard of even though “Sacrifice To Venus” is their 8^th album according to the AFM press release (if you include their acoustic live album and exclude their two independent releases from 1997 and 2000 then I’ll agree…).

The band was formed by vocalist Christoph von Freydorf back in 1995 near Munich. Original guitarist Stephan Karl and bassist James Richardson still feature in today’s line-up together with second guitarist Andreas Bock but the press release fails to list a current drummer.

The band is described as being “too versatile to be classified” but to me they sound like an amalgam of current metalcore favourites Bring Me The Horizon and pre-scandal Lostprophets.

Opener The Grave starts as things mean to go on…with a scream! Screamed verses and sung, almost melodic choruses follow on almost every number.

First single Pants Down is just embarrassing with its “party with my pants down” chorus…or maybe it’s just the German sense of humour creeping through.

Rainbows and Butterflies sounds reasonable from the title…that is until you listen to it with the repeated “we don’t give a sh*t about rainbows and butterflies” chorus.

Track after track it’s more of the same with no change of pace until we reach Gone Baby Gone. The screaming has gone…replaced by actual singing in the verses but unfortunately the song is just not memorable.

Apologies but for me this was not pleasant or enjoyable listening though I’m sure that it does have a market. The constant screaming just becomes too exhausting…without this “Sacrifice To Venus” would be a much more palatable release. **

Review by Phil Berisford

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