Released By: Napalm Records
Release Date: November 21st, 2025
Genre: Power Metal
Links: https://www.facebook.com/bloodboundmetal/
Line Up:
Patrik J. Selleby – Vocals
Tomas Olsson – Guitars
Henrik Olsson – Guitars
Anders Broman – Bass
Fredrik Bergh – Keyboards
Daniel Hansfeldt – Drums
Tracklist:
1. Field of Swords
2. As Empires Fall
3. Defenders of Jerusalem
4. The Code of Warriors
5. Land of the Brave
6. Light the Sky
7. Teutonic Knights
8. Forged in Iron
9. Pain and Glory
10. Borne to Be King
11. The Nine Crusades
Sometimes you know exactly what you’ll get from an album before listening to it, and yet it still ends up being thoroughly entertaining, because the band is just that good at what they do, so there’s no reason for them to change anything. Such is the case for Bloodbound and their upcoming eleventh full length album, Field of Swords. Ever since their sixth album, Stormborn, the band has been putting out excellent albums nonstop, and the trend continues with Field of Swords, which does sound very familiar, but the songwriting and performances are more than strong enough to help keep the band’s winning streak going strong!
As usual, not much has changed in between albums, as the band has now kept the same lineup for the fourth straight album, and in terms of the overall sound, there isn’t much noticeably different this time around. The band still plays the same brand of upbeat, melodic keyboard driven power metal as always. The majority of the tracks are up-tempo, energetic and extremely catchy, and while the keys often take the lead, guitars are quite prominent, and there are bursts of heaviness from time to time, as on any of the band’s previous several albums. Their previous album, Tales from the North, had a bit more folk influence than usual, and that continues with Field of Swords, with “The Code of Warriors” in particular having a guest flutist to help add some extra folk flavor. Other tracks have a bit of folk influence in the guitar work, and as usual, there’s a fair bit of symphonic elements, though they never become overpowering. Keyboards are often the leading instrument, and as usual they can be very upbeat and energetic most of the time, but sometimes they’re used as more of a backdrop to the heavier instruments, and there’s also a bit of trance influence on a couple tracks, though thankfully the band never goes into full on disco metal territory like so many melodic metal bands have in recent years.
Performances are excellent across the board, with Frederic Bergh once again leading the way a lot of the time with his keys, while dual guitarists Tomas and Henrik Olsson are in top form, with some excellent melodic lead guitar work, some heavy riffs and some excellent solos. Daniel Hansfeldt is often intense and going full force with his drums, and he does an excellent job as always, rarely letting up, aside from one rather surprising track, which closes out the album. Of course, vocalist Patrik J. Selleby remains the band’s biggest asset, delivering powerful, yet super smooth vocals, and as always, he absolutely kills it on every single chorus across the entire album. He strikes the perfect balance between being intense and adding an extra edge at times, while also being super smooth and melodic, especially on the aforementioned choruses, which are absolutely killer across the board. Production is flawless as always, with everything sounding excellent.
Songwriting is also fantastic across the board, with no weak tracks to be found. The concept of the album continues where Tales from the North left off. Where that album focused on the Viking Age, this album moves into the Middle Ages, with many tracks focusing specifically on the Crusades. Fans of the band should know exactly what to expect, as the majority of the songs are the exact kind of upbeat, energetic power metal the band has been playing for the past several albums. There’s really only two outliers, with one of them coming early on, while the other is saved for the very end. The album gets off to a strong start, with the first few tracks feeling fresh and immediately engaging, and the final track manages to impress in its own way, while tracks 4-10 are all excellent in their own right, but they do blend together just a bit, not offering up much to seperate themselves from each other, aside from varying degrees of intensity and occasional folk elements. At the same time, the band is so good at what they do, that you can’t really fault them for playing things safe, and even if none of those seven tracks are anything new or surprising, they’re still consistently entertaining, and I never get tired of any of them.
The album wastes no time with introductions, kicking things off immediately with the explosive title track. It starts off with some nice melodic lead guitar work, intense drums and light keys. It’s one of the heavier, more guitar driven tracks on the album, moving at a rapid pace throughout. The verses have thick, heavy guitar work, while the chorus lightens things up a bit and is more keyboard driven, but still very fast, melodic and super catchy, with Selleby providing some fantastic vocals, as always. The guitar solo towards the end is very classic sounding, and is excellent. Next is “As Empires Fall”, which is probably the heaviest track on the album. There’s a good amount of keys throughout, but they mostly serve a supporting role, with heavy guitar work leading the way through the intro and verses, as the track again moves at a rapid pace. The chorus slows things down a bit, and has some slightly trance infused keys, as well as some fantastic vocal melodies. Aside from the chorus, though, it’s a very fast-paced, heavy track. Guitars lead the way through an excellent, somewhat neoclassical solo section, with an epic bridge partway through.
The first track that feels slightly different from the rest is the lead single, “Defenders of Jerusalem”. It’s a fairly laid back, keyboard driven track, and like many of the band’s tracks, parts of it remind me heavily of Sabaton, but in a good way. Guitars are used here and there throughout the verses, which move at a moderate pace, while bouncy keys take over during the chorus, which is rather energetic and very catchy. The track moves at a more subdued pace than most tracks on the album, and has a slight trance feel, though it’s still a very metal sounding track overall, with enough guitar work on and off to avoid feeling too pop infused. The chorus is the biggest highlight, though the solo section is also very good. Next is the aforementioned “The Code of Warriors”, which kicks off with a nice flute section, to instantly give the track a folk infusion. This continues further into the track, with the guitars also having a strong folk influence. The track moves at a fairly subdued pace during the verses, but it speeds up for the chorus, which is very epic and catchy, with the flutes playing a major role, along with the guitars and vocals.
The album starts to settle into the typical Bloodbound sound with “Land of the Brave”, a fast-paced, epic, catchy and very melodic track. It starts off fairly calm, with keys and drums leading the way during the early parts of the opening verse, before the guitars kick in to add an extra dose of energy. There’s a soft, slow vocal passage leading into the chorus, but the chorus itself is intense, with the drums and guitars going full throttle, and it also has some of my favorite vocal melodies on the entire album, along with an excellent, very melodic guitar solo. The following track, “Light the Sky” is somewhat the opposite, moving at a fast pace with heavy guitars, intense drums and energetic keys during the verses, while the chorus is slow, calm and very melodic, with keys and vocals fully leading the way. It’s also extremely fun and catchy, having a ton of energy despite being one of slower choruses on the album. The guitar solo is again very classic sounding, and it’s one of my favorites on the album.
Perhaps my favorite opening section comes from “Teutoni Knights”, which has a very epic, somewhat folk infused instrumental passage at the beginning, with some very melodic guitar work. It starts off calm, but once the first verse starts, the guitars get much heavier, and the tempo quickly picks up as the track moves on, with the chorus moving at a blistering pace, with drums, vocals and keys leading the way. It’s a very fun, energetic track, with an excellent chorus as well as some of my favorite lead guitar work on the album. Another more keyboard driven album follows, with “Forged in Iron”, which opens up with some very energetic keys. The pace slows down for the opening verse, with guitars appearing on and off for the first few seconds, before fully kicking in partway through. Towards the end of the opening verse, the tempo really starts to pick up, and then the chorus is one of the fastest on the album, and it’s quite epic and intense, despite being mostly keyboard driven.
Another more folk infused track is “Pain and Glory”, which has some nice folk influenced lead guitar work early on, before settling into more standard power metal fare during the opening verse, which is very speedy, as well as quite heavy and guitar driven. The chorus is very melodic, with some of the best vocal melodies on the album, and it once again moves at a rapid fire pace, with the folk melodies coming back in full force. The last heavy song on the album is “Born to Be King”, and it’s a very prototypical Bloodbound track, with a nice balance of guitars and keys. Verses are fairly subdued, starting off slowly, led mostly by drums and keys, but the guitars kick in partway through, and that’s when things get more intense. The chorus is fun and upbeat, with a nice balance between the guitars and keys, as well as some excellent vocal melodies, as always.
Closing out the album is “The Nine Crusades”, a keyboard driven ballad, with a guest appearance by Unleash the Archers vocalist, Brittney Slayes. Verses are slow, calm and quite subdued, mostly led by keys, bass and some rather laidback drums. Selleby is in top form as always, but Slayes especially excels, with her powerful, gritty vocals stealing show during both the verses and chorus. The chorus is very melodic, epic and super catchy, with some absolutely fantastic vocal melodies, and it’s easily my favorite on the album. There’s a fantastic bridge section, followed by an absolutely beautiful guitar solo, and then a glorious final run through the chorus. Overall, it’s not what I was expecting from a closing track, especially with how familiar the rest of the album is, but it’s certainly an excellent track, and it closes things out perfectly.
At this point, Bloodbound albums can practically review themselves, as anyone familiar with the band should know what to expect, and Field of Swords is no different. It delivers the kind of upbeat, melodic and super catchy brand of keyboard driven power metal fans have come to expect from the band. The majority of the tracks will sound instantly familiar, though there is one slight surprise early on, as well as a very surprising closing track, which also stands out as possibly the biggest highlight of the album. Anyone looking for some excellent melodic power metal, with killer vocals and some amazing choruses, would be well advised to listen to this or any other recent Bloodbound album, as the band has mastered their craft over the past decade and more, and they aren’t showing signs of slowing down any time soon.
Ratings: 9/10
Written by: Travis Green
My Global Mind – Staff Writer
Travis Green is a Canadian based writer for My Global Mind, with a particular passion for power metal, as well as an interest metal in all its forms.
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