Bloodwood - Dark Simulator (Album Review)

Release Date: June 13th 2025. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Dark Simulator - Tracklisting

1.Empty Cities 06:43

2.Atomise 02:15

3.The Docks 05:08

4.Phantoms 06:09

5.Airburst 05:24

6.You Won't Hear It When It Happens 04:29

7.From The Inside 04:39

8.Ruliad 05:16

Review

Dark Simulator is the debut album from Aussie Ambient Metallers Bloodwood who express a highly melodic style of Prog Metal with Psychedelic visions that also includes moments of Grunge, Doom, Sludge, Stoner and Alt Metal grooves. The record is quite vast with its multiple styles of haunting Ambient themed Doom and Stoner Metal that sees Bloodwood use similar themes to bands such as ISIS, Mastodon, King Buffalo, Deftones and HUM. The heavy Prog Sludge melodies are quite forward thinking with a brooding atmosphere developing within the overlapping Post-Stoner and Post-Doom landscapes which have an air of SONIC aggression behind them.

The record is constantly melodic with Bloodwood not afraid of diluting the record with strands of Post-Rock attitude which gives Dark Simulator a sense of unexpected calm amongst the trippy Sludge Metal surroundings that have a slight resemblance to ISIS and Mastodon at times. Though, Bloodwood keeps things interesting with their Grunge aspects shining through.

The vocals are mostly clean based with small amounts of HARSH delivery coming through. Bloodwood aren’t afraid to change their creative stance from one of destruction to a slightly hopeful style of redemption in places which gives Dark Simulator a highly unexpected quality with the overall Doomedelic and Ambient tone that fills the whole environment.

Bloodwood cover a lot of musical ground within the albums forty minute runtime with some tracks feeling slightly longer than they actually but that’s a good things with the band including multiple different styles of music that have a cinematic edge to them especially on tracks such as  Empty Cities, The Docks, Phantoms, Airburst and Ruliad.

There’s a lot of sonic experimentation and Ambient interplay with the different musical soundscapes and haunting Post-Rock backdrops that has a deep methodical attitude which can easily the band draw comparisons to bands from the Seventies Prog Rock scene at times but everything becomes modern based when the band inject that violent Sludge Rock/Metal attitude within the opening passages of the excellent opening track Empty Cities.

The production values on Dark Simulator are immense and superbly realised with Bloodwood delivering a highly memorable experience which demands your undivided attention. This is a record of outstanding quality with Bloodwood firing on all cylinders throughout that will leave you wholly satisfied. If you want a similar underground fix to the likes of DOMKRAFT then this is the place to be. 

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

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Bloodwood - Solaris (EP Review)

Release Date: August 9th 2023. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Solaris: Tracklisting

1.Sunrise 07:35

2.Infa 02:02

3.Bones 04:19

4.Ultra 01:29

5.Sunset 05:09

Members

Callum Hicks - Bass & Vocals Jordann Sampson - Guitar Jethro Fagan - Guitar, Vocals & Keys Jason Knight - Drums & Percussion James Versluis - Bass & Keys

Review:

Solaris is the debut EP from Aussie Doom/Stoner/Post-Rock crew Bloodwood and it has a gloomy and gothic attitude within the first few moments of the stunning opening track Sunrise. Bloodwood play a more haunting style of Post-Doom/Post-Stoner melodies with a subtle Alt-Metal trippy creative delivery with the Middle Eastern flavours allowing Sunrise to add a more despairing Desert Rock atmosphere when the heavier progressive sludgy grooves appear.

There’s a lot to take in with Sunrise but the music is superbly constructed with the Post-Rock and Alt-Metal elements of the track. The song can be quite uplifting one moment and deliciously heavy the next as Bloodwood play a fine line of balancing the QUIET vs LOUD grooves of this EP but perhaps with more of a free-flowing Ambient sounds that appear suddenly within the second song of Infa.

Second song Infa has a more Post-Rock/Jazz approach with different instrumental sounds being influenced by the 80’s New Age scene with droned out textures keeping the song firmly grounded.

Third song Bones carries on the Post-Whatever structure of the opening Solaris but with perhaps a style of music that reminded me of Deftones in places. The Ambient rhythms are always engaging and constantly melodic with Bloodwood moving into slightly OTT Doomed Out parts especially with the vocals. The song remains a different style of Post Rock driven Doom/Stoner Rock with the gloomy theatrics perhaps standing out the most.

Fourth song is another instrumental song with Post-Rock and Ambient driven experimentation which allows Bloodwood drift into the Synth sounding ABYSS whilst still retaining a commanding presence.

Fifth song Sunset is where everything comes together and the EP fully makes more sense the most. As Bloodwood blends their different styles of music previously used throughout the EP for perhaps the standout track on the EP. This song sees Bloodwood play with mostly a bleak and despairing gloomy Desert Rock flavour with the song fastly moving into heavier areas of Doom, Stoner and Post-Rock textures with the heaviest riffs appearing on this track alone. The excellent vocals shine the most here with Bloodmoon finding the right creative balance to deliver their music with.

Bloodwood are a welcome addition to the Doom/Stoner Rock underground scene especially if you dig your grooves with a subtle Post-Rock attitude.

Words by Steve Howe

Links:

BandCamp