Germany’s Bloodstrings Brings Gritty Horror Punk To A New Level Bloodstrings
Reviewed by Sam Lowry

Germany’s Bloodstrings brings gritty horror punk to a new level on their upcoming energetic single “Don’t Die”, culled from the experience of a close loved one battling cancer.

Bloodstrings “Don’t Die”, the band says is an anthem about not giving up and use the song as homage to lost friends who could not overcome their personal battles with depression. Aesthetically the song sounds young and vibrant, written in a nostalgic 90’s Alt Punk vibe. I can’t quite place exactly who the vocalist reminds me of but she is like a German Karen O. with more grit. The band calls their music  “a mixture of melodic punk rock, freaky trash horror lyrics and a little bit of Psychobilly and Rockabilly”, although it’s pretty straightforward on this new material, mostly falling in the horror punk category. I mean what better way to sound scary then shouting in German or with a German accent.

Originally written for Nick's father who was suffering from cancer, "Don't Die" quickly grew and became the most emotional song on the Bloodstrings' upcoming album. The new album "Heartache Radio" will be released on June 16, 2023 via Dackelton Records.

The band is trading in the horror punk themes of zombies and vampires for something more reality based and the horrors that life presents instead of anything made up. This in my opinion helps the band to reach a new level of being more authentic and genuine. I think it’s a very punk rock thing to pull from life’s misery and make it into energetic bursts of cathartic music. The band says this new album lyrically tackles such heavy topics as love, depression, alcohol, and yearning for more in this life. It’s not reinventing the wheel but in the punk rock world as long as we can hear the emotion, it literally is the only thing that matters. Who can take power chords and screaming to make an audience feel something, either about their own life or just empathy. I think this is something Bloodstrings does very well.

The Bloodstrings will be playing SBÄM Fest (alongside Rancid, Flogging Molly, Frank Turner, Less Than Jake, Anti-Flag and many more) in Linz, Austria June 3-4.

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