History & Biography Bludgeon, a Chicago-based thrash metal band, signed with the Manowar-owned Magic Circle Music with distribution through Metal Blade. The debut album's release in 2002 was followed by a support slot for Manowar on both sides of the Atlantic. Bludgeon also appeared at the Metal Meltdown III in early April of 2002.
Bludgeon was formed in the early ’90s with Duca, Karol and Dezynski being together for most of that period. The metallers had opened for Deicide, Macabre and Manowar, among others, during this period. It was during a show with the latter that Manowar's Joey De Maio decided to finally sign the band having heard the Chicago quartet earlier on a radio show. He also produced Crucify The Priest. Metal Blade's Brian Slagel would visit the band at their home base before agreeing to distribute the album.
The group’s second album was issued in the spring of 2006. World Controlled featured drummer Ryan Blazek and bassist Chris Studtmann.
Reviews BLUDGEON - WORLD CONTROLLED - MAGIC CIRCLE
One would be surprised were Bludgeon able to control the ears of their friends and family and make them listen to the album let alone control the world or comment on the planet. It is not that the band is wimpy or brandishes the keyboards. Bludgeon is metal and on the heavier end of things. It is that, plain and simple, Bludgeon sucks. From the annoying hardcore voice of Mark Duca whose vocals grate on the nerves like a tractor skidding on asphalt, to the indifferent guitar tone and to the monotonous rat-tat-tat drumming of Ryan Blazek the whole affair screams 'WHO SIGNED THIS BAND?' The album’s production does it no favours either. The producer could not be faulted were he actually not listening, but fact remains that the synthetic drum sound and the buried guitars do the whole mess no favours. Is that a Voivod riff cloned to start off the song Consumed?
In a world overflowing with metal releases, the chances of Bludgeon actually making it are as good as finding nutrition at McDonalds. - Ali “The Metallian”
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