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Album Review – Bloodhunter / Sons of the Abandoned (2026)

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These Spanish Melodic Death Metal beasts are out for blood with their fourth studio album, shifting the focus inward to explore identity, vulnerability, personal struggle and the cost of pursuing one’s own path.

Having steadily carved their name into the international metal scene through relentless touring, uncompromising sound and a clear artistic vision, blending Extreme Metal aggression with melodic depth, groove and narrative ambition, forging a sound that is both ferocious and emotionally charged, Spanish Melodic Death Metal beast Bloodhunter is ready to unleash hell armed with their fourth studio offering, titled Sons of the Abandoned, following up on their excellent 2022 album Knowledge Was the Price. Their most personal and honest album so far, the new opus by the unrelenting frontwoman Diva Satanica, guitarists Dani Arcos and Guillermo Starless, bassist Fabian Tejeda, and drummer Adrian Perales shifts the focus inward to explore identity, vulnerability, personal struggle and the cost of pursuing one’s own path. For the first time, the lyrics speak directly from the heart, addressing inner demons, toxic environments, generational disconnection and the feeling of being lost in a world driven by individuality and superficial values.

The boys waste no time and begin firing their ravenous melodeath perfect for the she-demon vocals by Diva Satanica in The Devil’s Own, inviting us all for some good slamming into the pit, and they keep hammering their sonic weapons mercilessly in The Outspoken, with Adrian sounding like a stone crusher on drums. Then featuring the iconic Fernando Ribeiro of Moonspell as a guest vocalist, the band fires a lecture in modern-day Melodic Death Metal entitled The Threshold Of Hell, where Diva Satanica and Fernando make a “Beast and the Beast” vocal duet. Fabian and Adrian show no mercy for our necks and bodies in Ephemeral Youth, another harsh and visceral creation by those Spanish rockers; while the title-track Sons Of The Abandoned sounds like one of the most recent songs by Arch Enemy, with Diva Satanica once again delivering her trademark incendiary vocals. And adding elements form the hard hitting Groove Metal by Lamb of God to their core sound we have No One Beats Death, with Dani and Guillermo being once again flawless with their axes.

Code Aeternam is more rhythmic and groovy thanks to the classy drumming by Adrian, while their guitars continue to exhale fire and electricity nonstop; whereas it’s time for absolute chaos in the form of The Path That Never Ends, featuring the indomitable vocalist Laura Guldemond of Burning Witches, with her operatic, soaring vocals bringing even more adrenaline to the band’s core insanity, not to mention Dani and Guillermo are also on fire with their riffs and solos. Then after the lengthy interlude The Night Is Darker Before Dawn, which could have been a minute shorter to be honest, we face Masters Of Deceive, offering more of the band’s modern take on Melodic Death Metal led by Diva Satanica’s enraged roars and vociferations, ending in a serene mode and flowing into the closing tune Human Insecticide, which drags us all to the circle pit to the ruthless drums by Adrian. In other words, it’s fast, infuriated, detailed and dense for our absolute delight, with Diva Satanica once again roaring in our faces without a single drop of mercy for our impious souls.

With Sons of the Abandoned, Bloodhunter solidify themselves as a band unafraid to evolve, challenge expectations and expose their own scars. It is a statement of identity, resistance and survival in a world that constantly demands compromise, and if you want to join them in their quest for extreme music in our rotten and decaying society you can find those Spanish headbangers on Facebook and on Instagram, stream their already striking discography on any platform like Spotify, and grab your copy of their awesome new album by clicking HERE. As long as Bloodhunter are alive and out for blood, you can rest assured you won’t be abandoned by society. You’ll always be welcome in their black embrace, with albums like Sons of the Abandoned giving you a very good reason to keep headbanging and raising your horns until your very last breath.

Best moments of the album: The Devil’s Own, The Threshold Of Hell, The Path That Never Ends and Human Insecticide.

Worst moments of the album: The Night Is Darker Before Dawn.

Released in 2026 ROAR! Rock of Angels Records

Track listing
1. The Devil’s Own 4:39
2. The Outspoken 3:56
3. The Threshold Of Hell 4:54
4. Ephemeral Youth 4:05
5. Sons Of The Abandoned 3:14
6. No One Beats Death 5:04
7. Code Aeternam 3:43
8. The Path That Never Ends 3:20
9. The Night Is Darker Before Dawn 3:28
10. Masters Of Deceive 3:46
11. Human Insecticide 4:58

Band members
Diva Satanica – vocals
Dani Arcos – guitar
Guillermo Starless – guitar
Fabian Tejeda – bass
Adrian Perales – drums

Guest musicians
Fernando Ribeiro – vocals on “The Threshold Of Hell”
Laura Guldemond – vocals on “The Path That Never Ends”

Album Review – Bloodhunter / Knowledge Was the Price (2022)

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Spain’s most ferocious Melodic Death Metal entity offers us all an impressive 55-minute album full of incendiary riffs, blast beats, and the always venomous roars by Diva Satanica.

Almost five years after the release of their critically acclaimed sophomore album The End of Faith, Spanish Melodic Death Metal outfit Bloodhunter is finally back in action with their third full-length installment, beautifully titled Knowledge Was the Price. Formed in 2008 in A Coruña, Galicia, but currently located in the Spanish capital Madrid, the band comprised of the stunning Diva Satanica on vocals, Dani Arcos and Guillermo Starless on the guitars, Daniel Luces on bass and Adrián Perales on drums is on fire throughout the album’s impressive 55 minutes of flammable metal music, all of course spiced up by the top-notch production by Dani Arcos, the production, mixing and recording by Carlos Santos at Sadman Studio, the mastering by Víctor García at Ultramarinos Mastering, the recording by Daniel Luces, and the stylish cover art by Antonio Sicre, turning the album into a must-listen for fans of a good mix of melody, rage and storytelling with venomous vocals.

The opening tune Sharpened Tongues Spitting Venom Inside is very progressive and sinister, spiced up by its wicked lyrics barked by Diva Satanica (“Sharpened tongues spitting venom inside, / The disease is growing, you’re falling, it’s your last sigh. / Repulsive minds create a world full of lies, / Your false awareness infected the world’s demise.”), whereas Adrián kicks off the title-track Knowledge Was the Price with his rhythmic beats accompanied by the strident guitars by Dani and Guillermo in another ass-kicking display of sharp, devilish Melodic Death Metal. In A Twist of Fate to Come the band drinks from the same fountain as renowned acts the likes of Arch Enemy and Soilwork, with Adrián hammering his drums nonstop and, therefore, providing Diva Satanica with exactly what she needs to vociferate like a true she-wolf; and an eerie intro evolves into a neck-breaking feast in Medea’s Guidance, with the metallic bass by Daniel beautifully reverberating in the air. The song could have been a little shorter, though, but nothing to worry about. Then featuring the sensational guest vocalist Tim “Ripper” Owens (Judas Priest, KK’s Priest, Beyond Fear, Iced Earth, Charred Walls of the Damned) we’re treated to Never Let It Rest, where Ripper makes an incendiary, devilish duo with Diva Satanica while the music is simply bestial thanks to the fantastic guitar work by Dani and Guillermo; and more of their piercing guitars are offered to us all in Find Your Inner Fire while Diva Satanica darkly declaims the song’s inspiring lyrics (“Blind Faith – There’s no “tomorrow can wait”. / The Shame – Will be your final disgrace. / All Ends – Even darkness and despair. / Be Brave – Open your arms to self-defense.”).

Investing into a more ferocious, thrilling sonority it’s time for the band to crush us all in The Eye of the Serpent, once again showcasing an amazing job by Adrián with his rhythmic but always demented beats. Put differently, it’s first-class Melodic Death Metal made in Spain, which is also the case in Spreading Your Disease, starting in a somber way to the minimalist guitars by Dani and Guillermo before exploding into another frantic sonority perfect for slamming into the circle pit, also showcasing some sick guitar solos for our total delight. In Nothing Beyond the Realms of Death we face another round of their fusion of melodic, rage and progressiveness, with the intricacy flowing from Adrián’s drums walking hand in hand with the riffage by the band’s guitar duo, whereas an enfolding start to the sound of their harmonious guitars that lasts for almost two minutes morphs into a Stratovarius-ish instrumental tune titled A Relentless Force, followed by The Forsaken Idol, featuring guest vocals by Rosalía Sairem of Therion, a wicked creation by the band that will please all fans of extreme music with Diva Sanatica’s gnarls generating an interesting paradox with Rosalía’s clean vocals. The last original song of the album, The Hunters, brings forward more of the excellent string work by Dani, Guillermo and Daniel while Adrián hammers his drums mercilessly, and as a beyond infernal and heavy-as-hell treat the band blasts their cover version for Children of Bodom’s hit Bodom After Midnight, from their 2000 classic Follow the Reaper (check the original version HERE), with Diva Satanica stealing the spotlight with her roars as usual.

After all is said and done, we can all agree Bloodhunter have outdone themselves with Knowledge Was the Price, stepping up their game and positioning themselves as one of the driving forces of Melodic Death Metal in their homeland. Having said that, you can enjoy their newborn beast in its entirety on YouTube and on Spotify, and of course follow the band on Facebook and on Instagram for news, tour dates and so on, and purchase their new album by clicking HERE or HERE. Diva Satanica and the boys are on absolute fire from start to finish in Knowledge Was the Price, and I’m sure after such intense album they’ll advance even further in their already solid career, cementing their name among other giants of the Melodic Death Metal scene worldwide and, consequently, leaving us eager for more of their music in the near future.

Best moments of the album: Sharpened Tongues Spitting Venom Inside, Never Let It Rest, The Eye of the Serpent and The Forsaken Idol.

Worst moments of the album: Medea’s Guidance and A Relentless Force.

Released in 2022 Maldito Records

Track listing
1. Sharpened Tongues Spitting Venom Inside 3:34
2. Knowledge Was the Price 3:45
3. A Twist of Fate to Come 2:49
4. Medea’s Guidance 5:23
5. Never Let It Rest 4:39
6. Find Your Inner Fire 3:40
7. The Eye of the Serpent 5:05
8. Spreading Your Disease 5:16
9. Nothing Beyond the Realms of Death 4:47
10. A Relentless Force 4:05
11. The Forsaken Idol 4:03
12. The Hunters 4:30
13. Bodom After Midnight (Children of Bodom cover) 3:38

Band members
Diva Satanica – vocals
Dani Arcos – guitars
Guillermo Starless – guitars
Daniel Luces – bass
Adrián Perales – drums

Guest musicians
Tim “Ripper” Owens – vocals on “Never Let It Rest”
Rosalía Sairem – vocals on “The Forsaken Idol”
Raúl Plaza – bass