The Blood Brothers never cease to amaze on both a creative and personal level. Two years ago, the Seattle group made the critically acclaimed major-label release Burn Piano Island, Burn (Artist Direct) with uber nu-metal producer Ross Robinson (Limp Bizkit, Korn, At The Drive-In). Shortly after its release, the group hit the road to tour the U.S. and Europe for close to nine months. Out on the road, they found legions of kids tired of old rock troupes, craving something new and exciting. Listeners were turned on by The Blood Brothers’ vivacious live show and, more importantly, their thought-provoking lyrics and sonically stimulating music. Everything was going great ’til Artist Direct ran out of money. But when other bands would have pissed and moaned, maybe even broken up, The Blood Brothers rolled up their sleeves and went to work.

It paid off -- and even with a serious snafu like losing their label, The Blood Brothers didn’t miss a beat, literally. The five twenty-somethings were soon picked up by V2 (White Stripes, The Icarus Line) and recorded their fourth album, Crimes, in the backwoods of Washington, with producer John Goodmanson (Blonde Redhead, Sleater-Kinney). On Crimes, sensual melodies, abrasive riffs, and equally dynamic vocals tie together lyrical topics such as the important voting blocs that decided our presidential election, imbalanced television news, and the commodification of everyday life. Much like the band itself, Crimes defies even any loosely related categorization (hardcore, punk, rock, metal) except "radical." Radical in the sense that the band is still, after seven years, making confrontational music that has awe-inspiring social and political implications. Yeah, it’s that good.