God Dethroned - Bloody Blasphemy

Platter number three for these heretics, and while I completely got into last year's The Grand Grimoire immediately, Bloody Blasphemy has required a little extra time to sink in. The major elements of TGG are still here, and if anything, Bloody... is even faster and more intense than that release. I'm really not sure why I find fault with this release, it's just that like Children of Bodom's last release, it's good, but something is definitely missing. The performances have all improved since the last outing, especially in the drum department, undead pulse initiator Roel just decimating everything around him. The guitarwork is slick, vocals sick, and the production dead on, but I'm left kind of dry. Granted, I did start to lose interest after a few tracks on The Grand Grimore, and there is quite a bit of good material here, perfect if you're a "hit" listener. Me? I like to hear an album in it's entirety, not fast forward or press stop after the first couple of tracks, which is what I guess I find happening here. The strongest parts for me on the album are when things slow down a bit, as in the mid-section of A View of Ages, or during the truly remarkable Soul Capture 1562. Introduction of some weird vocals on opener Serpent King are way off the mark in my opinion, but hey, at least they're experimenting, I guess. I know I'm being really critical here, but I'm just a little disappointed overall by this album. I do like the bald look though, and I'd give money to know how "Beef" got his moniker. Unless it has something to do with "Boogie Nights", in which case I'll just keep thinking that it's cuz he works for the Dutch meat trade.