Release Date March 20th, 2026
Format CD/Digital
Genre Blackened Death Metal
Origin USA
Originally forged in the shadows of New Jersey back in 2017, Dragsholm started out as the lonely, grim obsession of Vlad Rituals. After years of stalking the underground as a one-man project, the entity finally mutated into a lethal four-piece unit in 2023. Dragsholm takes its name from that cursed, ghost-ridden fortress in Denmark, and they’ve spent the last few years sharpening their blades in the local circuit. Now, with a full line-up featuring G.B. on the kit and the twin-guitar assault of Schleim and Gravelord, they’ve finally vomited forth their first full-length testament to the old-school gods of the abyss.
Dragsholm isn’t looking to be your friend or win a beauty contest; "The Bloodline Of Bram" is a grim, rotting tribute to the legendary Impaler and the foulest corners of the occult. This isn't that over-produced, plastic garbage that floods the airwaves these days. It’s a relentless, cold-blooded execution that feels like being buried alive in a Transylvanian crypt. The atmosphere is suffocating, soaked in a primitive darkness that pays proper respects to the titans of the early nineties while keeping its own wretched identity.
The riffs on tracks like "I Am The Impaler" and "The Wandering Relic" are jagged and lethal, cutting deep without needing any of that modern technical wankery. It’s pure, old-school filth. The production finds that sweet spot where you can actually hear the carnage without it sounding like it was recorded in a basement through a tin can, yet it retains a raw, sandpaper edge. The drumming from G.B. provides a frantic, heart-attack pace that keeps the momentum from ever dragging, pushing the songs into a state of total auditory violence.
Vocally, Vlad Rituals sounds like he’s actually being possessed, delivering lines about "Irinas Heart" and "A Kingdom In The Land Of Shadows" with a gut-wrenching intensity. There is a serious lack of mercy here. The concept of the album isn't just some gimmick; you can feel the obsession with the Dracula mythos dripping from every note. It’s a specialized kind of sickness that avoids the typical "evil for the sake of evil" tropes and instead creates a genuine sense of impending doom and ancient, aristocratic rot.
For a debut, Dragsholm has managed to capture a very specific, menacing energy. It’s a focused strike that knows when to accelerate into a black metal frenzy and when to slow down into a crushing death metal stomp. If you live for the sounds of the early Florida scene mixed with the frost of the North, this is going to satisfy that craving for something authentic and vile. They’ve managed to put New Jersey back on the map for all the wrong, and by that, I mean right, reasons.
Damage done @: 8.3
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