"i was trying to figure out how someone could write such an off kelter review...then i realized who wrote it. bazan...jesus, man...don't review any more hardcore albums...i'm serious, bro...just leave it alone. nothing you said is on point or even half way there. first...no...mudvayne does not sound anything like dillinger or bhbs and they never have...do you listen to music or just type out the names of bands you think people have heard of so you sound smart? second...bhbs has been around for a rather long time...almost as long as kse if not longer...howard jones did not make bhbs after joining KsE...kse asked him and the bhbs drummer [justin foley...who isn't on novella...he's on spirals...which is the better of the two] to join up, and kse and bhbs used to be on the same label...and the fact that you call people who like bhbs posers is funny...you should be talking to the kids who liked the new it dies today...which is the trendiest, most ozzfest styled metalcore cd of 2004...and probably will be for 2005, too...shut the hell up, and do not review any more hardcore albums...your opinion doesn't matter...keep your two pennies and buy yourself an education...this cd is good...buy it if you like the red chord or premonitions of war...and get Spiral too, it's better and more diverse...and still chaotic...and if you see a bazan review assume the exact opposite of everything he says about an album."
The best band on Earth
J. Doe | 04/27/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Holy s**t... Where do I begin.
Alright, I got into BHBS after hearing Age of Apocalypse. I had only heard of them because Howard had been inducted into Killswitch Engage. I decided, against the advice of my friends, to check out the band because I loved metal. I found the AoA mp3 and downloaded it and I must say at FIRST, I wasn't too impressed. It was too short! But, I listened to it more and more and more, and pretty soon I had it on non-stop repeat. Then I heard She Speaks To Me on Headbangers Ball and that was when I knew I had to get this CD.
After about three months of searching for the CD, I finally found it at a Hastings 45 miles away. Best $14 I ever spent.
Now, today, this $11 album arrives at my doorstep (along with a BHBS hoodie and poster. :p) and I put it in my CD player. You have no idea how blown away I was just at the sheer sound of the band! You thought Spirals was heavy? You have no clue. Novella of Uriel completely blows Spirals out of the water, at least instrumentally. There is alot more singing on this album than is on Spirals, just in the first few tracks alone. ...And A Seraphim Cries is just amazing, but my fave song is Metamorph, just because Howard's lower vocals are some of the best to fit this type of music ever. His vocals, ranging from the higher pitched shouts to the lower bellows, make him the strongest and most versatile singer in metal. Seriously. The rest of the band shines. John Lynch on drums (who is now bass, at least on Spirals) did an amazing job, both with snare drums and double pedal patterns. Corey Unger, holy crap, his riffs are among the loudest out in this world. They didn't have a bassist on this album, so that's that.
Lyrics that make you want to weep, vocals that make you smile, guitars that make you cringe, and drums that make you jump around all make for one of the best records ever. Buy this and Sprials now."
I agree fully...
Trevor Degn | 09/22/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"i totally back J. doe in their review. i don't normally do these but how can you compare these guys to mudavyne? Bazan is a combat boot wearing metal head nerd. these guys own over kse any day of the week and will mosh harder then they ever could. you can keep your trivium and queerish sweetish metal and ill even give you it dies today you nut! this album is most definatly worth the 12 dollars you can get it for or 6 if you buy it used. i would reccomend spirals as well for it is quite a bit more diverse."
Watch for this band!
ross | Carmel Valley, California United States | 07/01/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"from the first time i saw this band live, i was hooked on their energy and sheer brutality of their music. since then, they have released their sophomore album, novella of uriel. this is a very brutal album, leaning a bit more on the metal side of the hardcore scene. every song on this album is a great example of what heavey hardcore should be like. some stand outs on this Cd are 'wetwork' 'and a serephim cries' 'en sabah nur'. this band is gaining much poprularity, expect them to be one of the next big hardcore bands. check them out if they come to a town near you, you wont be dissapointed."
Pure brutality
bob613 | Qc, Canada | 04/05/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This band is made of pure brutality. This is not the kind of music you can listen to lightly. The sound is always loud, and the singer always screams (but you won't be understanding what he's screaming about unless you read the lyrics in the excellent made booklet).I'm not usualy in the kind of music where all you can hear is guitars and unintelligible screaming. But after listening to Novella of Uriel for a couple of times, I realized that behind every song was a melody. Of course, it's not as obvious as on a power-pop album, but it's there somewhere. There are only two things I hold against Blood Has Been Shed on this album : it's too short (about 30 minutes long) and some tracks are similar to each other.I highly recommand listening to this album before you buy it. If you end up liking it, you'll end up with a brutal album. If you don't want it, at least get to listen to And a Seraphim Cries. The greatest moment on the album is the ending of that song... "And there is blood on my hands!""