Blood Money

It stands to reason that a label calling itself Pulverised Records probably isn't going to be putting out new age CDs or anything else that's on the mellow side. A name like Pulverised Records implies that some type of loud, forceful, in-your-face rock is being provided — probably metal. And sure enough, metal is the focus of Pulverised Records (they spell it "Pulverised," not "Pulverized"). But metal comes in many different forms. On Guillotine's Blood Money, metal means thrash metal — and the Swedish headbangers do a great deal of thrashing on this 2008 release, which is their first album since reuniting. Stylistically, Blood Money picks up where Guillotine's pre-breakup output left off, and they maintain their commitment to 1980s-style thrash on mosh pit-friendly offerings such as "Madness," "Insane Oppression," "Welcome to Dying (Death, Destruction & Pain)," and "Insanity." Guillotine play at breakneck speed most of the time, providing tunes that are competent but not overly memorable. Blood Money isn't in a class with the best thrash that Slayer, Testament, Anthrax, or Megadeth have had to offer, although it isn't a bad album, either — and there is no denying that the members of Guillotine's 2008 lineup (Fredrik Mannberg on lead vocals and guitar, Daniel Sundbom on guitar, Nils Eriksson on bass, and Efraim Juntunen on drums) know their way around their instruments. So between Guillotine's chops and the amount of fiery, sweaty passion they bring to the table, Blood Money is at least noteworthy — not remarkable or earth-shattering, but noteworthy. One hopes, however, that the material will be more memorable on future recordings.