The name of Boca melodic death-metal band Bladesong says a lot. An exotic weapon, fighting style, and type of warrior in the role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons, Bladesong generally specifies a type of swordplay that creates enchanting melodies when the weapons engage. However, the style doesn't inflict much damage. And because of its elfin roots, it apparently doesn't hold much cache among RPG enthusiasts either. As one user, Ravenheart 87, put it on a D&D forum, "Really, is there anyone who can take elves seriously, nowadays?"
Well, after hearing Bladesong's three-song demo, which arrived in a wooden box with black velvet hugging a CD under the photo above, they can count me as a fan. Seriously. (I mean, really, how can anyone look at that photo and take it any way but seriously?)
The band, which dubs itself medieval, draws from death metal, thrash, and power metal, including the subgenre's typical fantasy themes, and partners it with a bombastic classical sound aided by violas, clarinets, symphonic keyboards, cellos, and a flute. Zachary Dean's clean, theater-ready vocals (he studied opera, classical piano, and film scoring at FAU) mix seamlessly with Paul McBride's gravelly growl. Lyrics like "I cast out the darkness from whence my demons came" will become as fist-pumping as they are ironically infectious. Think Arsis, At the Gates, or Blind Guardian.
The band is only a sextet, so it's unlikely it'll be able to deliver what's on the demo at Propaganda tonight. But its theatricality alone, documented at the Lake Worth-It festival, has garnered praise by local blogosphere. It'll play with the swampy Black Weather Shaman and local titans the Freakin Hott.
Bladesong. With Black Weather Shaman and the Freakin Hott. 9 p.m. at Propaganda, 6 S. J St., Lake Worth. Tickets cost $5. Click here.
