BLOODSTONE - 2000 DOWN THE LINE-1994 / BIOGRAPHY / DISCOGRAPHY / REVIEW

THIS DEMO CONTAIN(6-TRACKS)
1-BREAKOUT
2-IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT
3-MARY MARY
4-SAVE THE WORLD
5-SOLDIER OF FORTUNE
6-SAVE THE WORLD
BLOODSTONE-FIGHT FOR JERUSALEM-1995














THIS DEMO CONTAIN(10-TRACKS)
1-FIGHT FOR JERUSALEM
2-OASIS FOR THE BLIND
3-HEART IN FLAMES
4-PRISONERS OF HELL
5-LOST HORIZONS
6-WE WILL BE STRONG
7-BREAKOUT
8-MARY MARY
9-SAVE THE WORLD
10-SOLDIER OF FORTUNE
CREDITS:
Jochen Sakowsky - Lead And Backing Vocals
Hogler Baumann - Lead And Rhythm Guitars
Daniel Stevenson - Lead And Rhythm Guitars, Bass
Michael Kostak - Drums










Jochen Sakowsky - Lead And Backing Vocals
Holger Baumann - Lead And Rhythm Guitars
Daniel Stevenson - Lead And Rhythm Guitars, Bass
Vito D. Popovic - Bass
Andrew Green - Drums
Michael Kostak - Drums
Down The Line)
other Tracks)
1-OASIS FOR THE BLIND
2-FIGHT FOR JERUSALEM
3-ZIGGY STARDUST(David Bowie Cover)
4-JOHNNY'S PLAYGROUND
5-HEART IN FLAMES
6-REALLY THERE
7-I LOVE IT WILD
8-DREAM TIME
9-PRISONER OF HELL
10-RIGHT TRAIN TO NOWHERE
11-LOST HORIZONS
12-WE WILL BE STRONG
Is A Good album maybe not essential.This was a preview for their long lenght release.The version of Deep Purple was not out of this world,in fact for a D.P. cover "Speed King" or "Smoke on the Water"could have been more approacheable. They also have a German release entitled (Valley of the Madness'). It includes the first six songs from this release plus 5 other equally hard rockers. They do a nice cover of Ziggy Stardust instead of DP.Bloodstone's only full lenght album, "Valley Of The Machines", came out on the doomed Long Island Records in 1995. The mid-90s was the WORST time in hard rock history for a band like Bloodstone to release a historic treasure of 80s metal stylings. Deeply rooted in the traditional essence of groups like Dio and Sabbath, the band felt the need to sprinkle hard rock Seasoning to the brew, mixing in elements of bigger arena acts such as White Lion, circa "Fight To Survive" and Ratt. The metal act was skipped over by fans however, who at the time were emptying out their wallets for garage grunge acts like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden instead. After releasing one album and an EP, "2,000 Down The Line", Bloodstone disappeared from the stages and the shelves.The band was formed in Stuggart, Germany, when another German band, Ayers Rock, was split in two. Bloodstone retained three members of Ayers Rock, while Lost Gain incorporated the final two members into their fold. The band came together with Singer Jochen Sakowsky, Guitarists Holger Baumann & Daniel Stevenson, Bassist Vito Popovic, and Drummer Andrew Green.With the band in place, Bloodstone recorded their first record, a six-track EP called "2,000 Down The Line". The EP didn't do anything particularly exciting or innovative, with the band learning their craft at this time, possibly caught in the middle of a traditional metal output, and the soundscape they would later create only a year later.The band recorded their debut album for Long Island Records in 1995."Valley Of The Machines" proved to be a stellar achievement, with excellent songwriting, powerful vocals, and a killer production job. With positive messages throughout the album, one would think of Bloodstone as a Christian metal band. The group focused all songwriting efforts into a positive flow of inspiration, never really targeting the thrash or grunge audiences, who at the time seemed to have more of a negative effect on listeners, but instead creating something memorable and uplifting.Tracks like "Fight For Jerusalem", with its anti-war theme, were superb heartfelt rockers, with vocalist Sakowsky sounding a lot like Ronnie James Dio at times. Bloodstone proved they could play hard rock as well as power metal with the beautifully crafted piece, "Prisoner Of Hell", a fine-tuned gem warning of drug abuse and its consequences. "Oasis For The Blind" could have been lifted straight from "Holy Diver", with the band making full use of their traditional metal roots, again with Sakowsky playing the part of the metal elf and expanding into the early 80s sound. The group even payed homage to one David Bowie, with a neat little cover of "Ziggy Stardust"."Valley Of The Machines" went on to be released in Japan by the Zero Corporation under the name "Fight For Jerusalem". This made things somewhat confusing for the band, as the Japan release had a different tracklisting, with songs that weren't even included on the Long Island release.After "Valley Of The Machines" was released both domestically and overseas, the group apparently disbanded. There was no other material released from Bloodstone, and the band disappeared altogether. Nothing has been heard about the group in nine years(http://www.holymetalrob.com/)