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Bloodmoon: I
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  • Release Date:
Bloodmoon: I Image
Metascore
89

Universal acclaim - based on 10 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 22 Ratings

  • Artist(s): Chelsea Wolfe
  • Summary: The debut full-length collaboration between Converge, Chelsea Wolfe, Ben Chisholm, and Steve Brodsky began recording in 2019 but was completed remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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  • Record Label: Epitaph
  • Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Heavy Metal, Doom Metal, Goth Metal, Metalcore
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. Sputnikmusic
    Nov 19, 2021
    100
    Blood Moon I is also the heaviest and most impressive expression of Chelsea Wolfe and Ben Chrisholm's music, powered by the incombustible force of Converge and the everlasting spirit of Cave In, and resulting in one of the most impressive collaborations of this kind. Blood Moon I is, truly, an essential album for 2021.
  2. Kerrang!
    Nov 18, 2021
    100
    The result is an album which is remarkable on every level.
  3. The Guardian
    Nov 19, 2021
    100
    Bloodmoon: I never feels like a compromise. Rather, it does exactly what a crossover should, excelling in ways that would have been impossible had either party gone it alone.
  4. PopMatters
    Nov 18, 2021
    90
    It’s a work of complex, unified brilliance that will leave you chomping at the bit for a Bloodmoon: 2.
  5. AllMusic
    Nov 18, 2021
    90
    A mesmerizing 11-song set that pairs bracing hardcore with expansive symphonic and post-metal.
  6. Mojo
    Nov 18, 2021
    80
    A collaboration where each sulphurous element perfectly complements the others. [Jan 2022, p.90]
    All this publication's reviews
  7. Pitchfork
    Nov 19, 2021
    53
    Thrills are few and far between amid this hour-long morass. Bloodmoon suffers from two problems that seem as though they should preclude one another: It is thin on fresh ideas and unexpected twists. Its hard rock-meets-hardcore permutations are familiar to anyone who has ever heard, say, Evanescence and Breaking Benjamin.

See all 10 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 5
  3. Negative: 1 out of 5
  1. dan-man
    Dec 29, 2021
    10
    Stunning. divine, enchanting melancholy. Chelsea Wolfe's voice is like a gift from the beyond. Fantastic all around.
  2. Earlycuyler
    Jan 5, 2022
    9
    Ignore the 0/10 review. It is literally a copy and paste of an excerpt from the Pitchfork review, which main argument is: “Converge have beenIgnore the 0/10 review. It is literally a copy and paste of an excerpt from the Pitchfork review, which main argument is: “Converge have been around for a long time. They now have a collaboration album. They must be running out of ideas. They should call it quits because I don’t hear the urgency I saw on their other releases.” Obviously, everyone is entitled to like or dislike a record, but I think it would be a mistake to dismiss Bloodmoon I. I was not sure what to expect before going into this record, and my initial reaction upon hearing the whole record was disappointment. That being said, it has since grown on me and is now one of my favorite records in years. Converge and co. don’t need to reinvent anything, they just need to put their all into their work, which is what they do here. Some of the directions taken on Bloodmoon I are pretty old for a hardcore band, if not necessarily “new” or novel among heavy music at large. For instance, Coil doesn’t necessarily sound “distinctly” Converge or Chelsea Wolfe or Cave In, but it does sound like something you might hear from a veteran metal act. Still, this does not take away from the fact that it is an effective and well-written song, and a risky move by a band that consistently lands with almost every risk they take.
    There is a lot to take in when listening to this record, but it never feels overwhelming. The production is impeccable and the performances are as tight as ever. Chelsea Wolfe’s voice, which initially turned me off when listening to Bloodmoon, has since become one of my favorites maybe ever. Her performance on these songs are so affecting suck the listener in to this atmospheric work. Theatrical, grand, and cinematic (? I’m not much of a reviewer and have a limited vocabulary), this album demands your attention and does not let it go. At 58 minutes, it feels rather quick.
    In short, this is an affecting and effective record.    … Expand
  4. sylar50
    Nov 23, 2021
    9
    A beautiful collaboration. It’s a great album by some of the best musicians out there.
  5. arostislavna
    Dec 8, 2021
    5
    Considering they played Roadburn 2016 as a collaborative group called Blood Moon, this album is rather banal, insipid and boring. The openingConsidering they played Roadburn 2016 as a collaborative group called Blood Moon, this album is rather banal, insipid and boring. The opening of Blood Moon grates the ears and then becomes a great song after the first 30 seconds, Viscera of Men is probably the best song on the album and the most "Converge", then I just tune out every other song. For the 5 times I've played it, NOTHING else is memorable and that is truly a disappointment because Converge and Chelsea Wolfe (& Mrs. Piss) are wonderful artists on their own.… Expand
  6. Segundoleo26
    Nov 23, 2021
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. After 30 years together, the hardcore dynamos hit a nadir. Their collaborative album with Chelsea Wolfe and Stephen Brodsky is exhausting and predictable, a ceaseless barrage of the banal.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

9
#9 Best Album of 2021

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