Bloodstrike (band)
American death metal band formed in 2013.
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Bloodstrike is an American death metal band from Denver, Colorado, formed in 2013 by guitarist Jeff Alexis and vocalist Holly Wedel. They are a key act in the revival of old-school Swedish death metal, recognized for their use of the HM-2 "chainsaw" guitar tone.
Alexis had previously played bass in the thrash band Silencer alongside Ritchie Wilkinson of Angel Dust and Demons and Wizards, and knew Wedel from her work as vocalist for Torrid Flesh, which included Satan’s Host member Marcus Garcia, and Nexhymn, where Alexis occasionally played bass. Garcia later filled in on bass for Bloodstrike, as did Richie Tice of Speedwolf and Havok. The pair recruited guitarist Joe Piker, whose taste in music and past work with Clusterfux, Dripfed, and Doomed Youth aligned with their vision.
After writing some riffs, they sought a drummer and asked Ryan Alexander Bloom if any of his students would fit. Bloom declined but expressed personal interest. Bassist Rhiannon Wisniewski, a veteran of Cleveland-area bands such as Somnus, Dark Arena, Acheron, Avernus, Noctuary, Nordic Mist, and Sanctorum, as well as Denver bands Of Man and Machine, Moth, and Sar Isatum, completed the lineup.
In 2014, Bloodstrike recorded their three-track demo Necrobirth at Firestorm Studios in Lakewood, Colorado, releasing it on June 16. The demo gained strong popularity and excellent reviews in the death metal underground.
The members brought significant industry experience: Bloom had been signed to Candlelight Records, Alexis to Mausoleum Records with Silencer, Wisniewski to Root of All Evil Records with Somnus, and Piker to Less Art Records with Clusterfux. They leveraged this and the demo’s success to shop for labels, securing a deal with Redefining Darkness Records in 2015. Additional factors in their rapid rise included Bloom and label owner Thomas Haywood (ex-Abigail Williams) having been signed to Candlelight Records concurrently in 2008, and Wisniewski and Haywood both coming from the Cleveland scene.
On September 25, 2015, Bloodstrike released their debut album In Death We Rot on Redefining Darkness Records, again recorded at Firestorm Studios, mixed by Patrick Bruss of Crypticus, and mastered by Ken Sorceron of Abigail Williams. The album received positive reviews and drew comparisons to Entombed, Grave, and Bolt Thrower.
Execution of Violence and the Road
Almost immediately after In Death We Rot hit shelves, the band turned its attention to a follow-up. Execution of Violence was released on October 13, 2017, through Redefining Darkness in the United States and Canada and through Dutch label Raw Skull Recordz in Europe. Once again recorded at Firestorm Studios, the album was mixed by John Bart Van Der Wal and mastered by Dan Swanö, the Swedish musician known for Bloodbath, Edge of Sanity, and Nightingale, a fitting choice for a band dedicated to the Swedish death metal tradition.
The record received positive reviews and coverage in nationally recognized metal publications. The band immediately hit the road, touring the United States alongside Brazilian death metal act Forceps, which included a performance at the inaugural Denver Death Fest. The track "Abomination" from the debut also found a second life on the 2016 Transcending Records compilation Music From A Desolate World, extending the band's reach beyond their core audience.
A Decade of Swedeath Revival
Bloodstrike has carved out a distinct identity as one of the leading voices in the resurgence of old-school Swedish death metal, often referred to as Swedeath. Their signature sound is built around the classic Hm-2 chainsaw guitar tone, a deliberate homage to the era of Entombed and Grave that defined the genre in the early 1990s. By 2025, the band marked the tenth anniversary of In Death We Rot with a three-track EP called Weapons of Steel, released on October 4.
This milestone record included a cover of Slayer's "Mandatory Suicide" alongside two original compositions, and featured guest vocalists Rob Seeley, Nadine Lisica, and "D." Notably, it was the first Bloodstrike release without original members Wisniewski and Piker, with Alexis handling all guitar duties and Patrick Russell stepping in on bass. The EP underscored the band's continued relevance and their role in keeping the old-school death metal flame burning well into its second decade.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Bloodstrike (band) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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