Album Notes

"Bottomline if you add the good quality music to their image, professionalism and dedication, you get a band that's a strong candidate to success."
Adrian - Pest Webzine

"Hemoptysis have what it takes to hold their own among the elite of heavy metal. Throw Who Needs A Shepherd ? in your stereo, then kick back and watch it all burn." -TheSaltyPirate.com

Live 4 Metal: "I was surprised at how tight this band is on their five song EP...Hemoptysis has a solid grasp on how to really build the song, but keep it heavy and vibrant at the same time. I like what is here,..."

Review by Metal Mark

Metaleater: "The creation of guitarist/vocalist Masaki Murashita, HEMOPTYSIS is a guitar driven Metal affair with a strong emphasis on mid-paced '80s style Thrash attacks, thick with melody and relatively strong riffing. A strong foundation has been laid, and coupled with Murashita's raspy CARCASS "Heartwork"-era vocal style, tunes like "Who Needs A Shepherd?" is a strong enough release that listeners should feel a sense of satisfaction in what HEMOPTYSIS have done and hope for even bigger and better things to come."
Review by Brian Davis

Pivotal Rage Lite: "These guys are brutal akin to Arch Enemy and Carcass and the chords, solos and riffs are memorable and melodic not too far removed from Megadeth. The result is a extraordinary merger of melodic death metal and Bay Area thrash. Who Needs A Shepherd is a solid collection of furious, venomous thrash metal that will have even the most seasoned metal veterans take notice. Are you listening Nuclear Blast, Century Media and Metal Blade? Listen to Who Needs A Shepherd and I’m sure you’ll concur."
Reviewed by Ruben Mosqueda

All Metal Resource: "...Who Needs A Shepherd? is a fun, straight forward piece of aggression containing some great double bass, powerful vocals, well chosen levels of guitar distortion...and a couple of quality thrash solos tossed in for good measure. Who Needs A Shepherd? is an incredible effort... Hemoptysis should definitely receive some sort of break as a result of this EP,... Go out and support these guys, spread the word and buy this EP, because I want to see what this band can really do.”
Reviewed by Cody Plucker

Mouth For War: "The four dudes that make up Hemoptysis have... a wildly entertaining blend of old school thrash with elements of modern melodic death metal...To put it simply, the five tracks on this disc are infectious, exciting and absurdly fun to listen to...I've listened to this disc several times now and each time it seems to get more enjoyable. For a demo EP, the musicianship is outstanding and tight. Check them out."
Reviewed by Ray Henry

Abort Magazine: "Hemoptysis have put in an ultimate effort...that can stand up over time. This one most certainly will. Who Needs a Shepherd? is currently available worldwide...show some love for an unsigned, up and coming metal band."
Reviewed by Alxs Ness

MetalBite:""Who needs a Shepherd?" is by far the truest form of the metal spirit I have come across in many years"
Reviewed by JD

Metal Psalter: "Listening to Hemoptysis is a multi-faceted experience...the talent is very obviously there..."
Reviewed by llmarinen

Full Metal Rock: "...a very impressive 5 song self titled ep."
Reviewed by Downshifter

Metal Martyr: "Who Needs A Shepard? is the traditional metal sound that's not over the top and redundant."
Reviewed by Scott Wharton

KNAC: "Every track burns with a guitar-heavy, blackened-by-hellfire sound which will woo the new breed and old schoolers alike."
Reviewed by Charlie Steffens

Phoenix New Times: "...Hemoptysis' EP Who Needs A Shepard? is another quality offering from a Phoenix metal band. I look forward to hearing what they do on their first full-length."
Reviewed by Martin Cizmar

Extreme Underground Metal Coven: "Hemoptysis is a great example of a hybrid of modern American and European death and black metal fused with 80's era thrash...this metal entity has a bright future in the genre..."
Reviewed by Chris Rhynard

Loucifer Speaks: "The musicianship and the way that the songs have been crafted is amazing...Five tracks of superbly addictive metal."
Reviewed by Lou Yardley

Thrash Magazine: "Gritty, ominous and menacing the latest offering from Hemoptysis, Who Needs A Shepherd, is a solid Death Metal release."
Reviewed by Bruce Moore

Teeth of the Devine: "Definitely a young unsigned band to keep an eye on."
Reviewed by Erik Thomas

All About The Music: "...Who Needs A Shepherd, gives a cool crossover between the traditional roots of thrash and heavy metal, and the modern metal sound."
Reviewed by Alex Gilbert

Metal-Rules.com: "A band to keep an eye on."
Reviewed by Robert Williams

puregrainaudio.com: "Hemoptysis...serves up a spellbinding array of demonic delight..."

Antimusic.com: "Hemoptysis as a medical condition basically means that the person is coughing up blood...If this E.P. is any indication of things to come these guys will be coughing up legions of fans."
Reviewed by Kevin Wierzbicki