Blood Sample is a journey through Europe, every song is dedicated to another country. Expect a manic (I´d say you have to invent a new word for "crazy/manic", when it comes to Waltari!) journey through nearly every genre music has to offer : From Metal and Rock, to Rap, Pop, Reggae, Punk, Drum & Bass, Electro, Grindcore... You´ll find everything! I always wonder, whether there´s any kind of music, that Waltari didn´t use somewhere in one of their songs. And the most "scaring" thing is : It all fits together in a way. There has never been a band, were the description "Crossover" fitted better, than in the case of Waltari. They´re truly the kings of crossover. It´s impossible to describe the whole album because of this varity, but to name a few songs : some Thrash with "New York", a short hello to Gothic with "Aching Eyes", a grindcore attack on "Exterminator Warheads" or even a Beatles Cover "Julia". The length of the songs varies as well, from short 2 minutes up to 7 minutes. Knowing an album of nearly 80 minutes with such a crazy mixture might be a bit hard for the listener, Waltari were so kind to put a short breather (one minute) at the end of the 8th song Digging Inside. But after this pause the Europe-journey goes on without mercy. Not to forget, something that´s as variable as the music itself : Kärtsy Hatakka´s voice. You rarely find vocalists, who are able to use their voice in such different ways, from grunts to clean vocals, screams and so on. Perhaps this is a point why some people actually can´t stand Waltari, for others it´s the reason to like them.

Granted, this mixture of genres and the length of the album with 17 songs make it somehow difficult at the beginning to get into it. But it get´s more and more interesting the more often you listen to it and there are more than enough melodies, that turn out to be catchy tunes (Not Enough e.g.). This is simply great! I can recommend Blood Sample to every open-minded music-lover out there. Officially sworn in Waltari fans can buy it anyways and won´t be disappointed! Sure that there are probably people who just can´t stand them, but that´s always the same with such extreme bands. You either love them or hate them.

For me the best album of the Finns so far, although you can´t really pick out THE best album.

written by Ateacina

Playing time: 78.50