Simon Pfundstein & John Greely
The title may be a bit lame and the cover art a little lack-lustre, but the mention of vocals from Iced Earth’s John Greely made “Destructive Singles” worthy of a listen.
Initially Germany’s Bloody Times was a solo project from Simon Pfundstein. In fact, the original “Conflict Introduction to War” is included here on the CD, as an instrumental bonus track. Although thrown in as an add-on, it’s soon apparent why it was crying out for some vocals.
Musically it sounds like work in progress, kicking off with a couple of samples and having some slick guitar work. Simon Pfundstein though is ultimately a one-man rhythm section, so as an instrumental there are chunks left open for heavy metal screams.
This is where John Greely comes in. The final version of the song is more the finished product, although sounds like vocals have been added as a favour, with Greely just there to fill in the gaps.
Bloody Times
Don’t get me wrong, his sole contribution to the Iced Earth back catalogue is on the concept album “Night of the Stormrider“ and over 15 years later, his voice still sounds epic. Just at this stage Bloody Times still sound like a band that have something to prove.
When it comes to the next tune “Pursuit of Destruction” the friendship starts to really come into fruition. Over the course of the next 8 minutes, there’s a combination of prog-rock meets classic metal. The song dips in and out of both genres. The powerful vocals of John Greely hitting home when needed, while Pfundstein creates a more complex backdrop.
The single ends with the demo version of “Day of the Collapse”, acting as a preview of what else the duo have to offer. If you treat “Pursuit of Destruction” as the lead song rather than “Conflict…”, then Simon Pfundstein and John Greely have some bloody good times ahead of them.
