 "Photo: Courtesy of Bonded by Blood")
 "Photo: Courtesy of Bonded by Blood")
You have to have a lot of nerve to name your band Bonded by Blood. Expectations are high when you name yourself not just after an Exodus song, but after one of the pinnacle tracks of thrash metal. Overkill must have felt the same pressure naming themselves after a monster of a Motorhead song. Thankfully, the Pomona, Calif. quintet lives up to the name.
Though Bonded by Blood is no tribute band, Exodus is definitely a reference point for the group. The band is inspired by later Bay Area thrash, where groups like Forbidden and Death Angel upped the technical ante from earlier bands but still managed a relentless feel. The core elements of thrash metal, which Bonded by Blood vocalist Jose Barrales says are "the speed, the riffs [and] the solos," are fundamental in the band's drive. He also considers Exodus a close, personal influence.
"Before [thrash], I was really into punk rock and [Exodus] were one of the main bands that got me into the whole thrash scene," Barrales said.
Barrales formed Bonded by Blood in 2005 because of a lack of metal in his hometown. None of the members knew each other before forming the band.
"There was no [metal] scene," Barrales said. "It was full of hardcore and emo."
Bonded by Blood released their Extinguish the Weak demo last August with great circulation, thanks to MySpace. It caught the attention of Earache Records, the grind-oriented label now known as a patron for up-and-coming thrashers like Gama Bomb and Municipal Waste. Since signing to Earache, Bonded by Blood contributed to the label's Thrashing Like a Maniac compilation, released Feed the Beast in June and is currently touring the U.S.
Barrales sees MySpace and the Internet as a positive force for new groups.
"Before, you'd see a cool cover and you buy the CD, and it ends up blowing balls," Barrales said.
Tracks like "Self Immolation" and "Mind Pollution," whose titles would also make great names for romantic sonantas, will send listeners into a toxic waltz. Bonded by Blood saves the best for last with a cover of the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" theme. Not since Anthrax guested on "Married with Children" has there been such a monumental fusion of metal and television.
"We did it as a joke at first, but then we were like, 'sounds pretty cool,'" Barrales said. "We do it at shows and everybody goes crazy."
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