Bleeding Through – Bleeding Through – Review

Release Date: April 13th, 2010
Record Label: Rise Records
Genre: Death Metal

There are several reasons why you select to have your work have the label “self-titled” or “untitled” and it usually involves rediscovering your self or the fact that the effort has no conceptual direction. So when the Orange County-based metalcore six-piece Bleeding Through joined Rise Records and decided to release a self-titled album, I had many questions. One of them being, “Are you venturing somewhere different artistically and musically?” Because originality hasn’t exactly been on this bands To Do list on albums since their break through 2003 record “This Is Love, This Is Murderous” (despite an impressive death metal showing off the bands most recent record “Declaration”).

Going against my statements above regarding conceptual direction, “Bleeding Through” has almost completely abandoned their hardcore and metalcore roots, in favor of synthy euro death metal. A blow for fans of their early work, but a continued step in the right direction for those who praised 2008′s “Declaration.” I rather enjoyed their theatrical sound bites and fluctuating  metalcore that sounded like ex-label mate It Dies Today and Bury Your Dead. Now-a-days Bleeding Through has taking a liking to pummeling death metal filled with gothic synth the likes of Wings Of Plague and All Shall Perish (minus the keys). This has honestly given BT a larger pallet to work with, besides the used up hardcore/metalcore scene was starting to reek of sameness anyways.

The album never takes a break either, always having pounding bass drums, blistering guitars, or garish vocals barreling from the speakers. From the albums first official track “Anti-Hero” which follows an eerie intro that resembles a movie score, we are given no quarter or mercy and are unloaded upon with a quick chug o’ thon and bruising vocals from the bands established lead singer Brandan Schieppati. From then on, Euro death metal takes hold and a combination of nonstop blast-beats, down tuned guitar shredding and keyboard effects are the norm. It does give their normally modest metalcore a sense of grandeur. Also the addition of guitarist Dave Nassie (ex-No Use For A Name) which many expected would lighten their sound, has done the exact opposite.

Sprinkled around are building interludes that help songs develop at a less than break-neck pace. Tracks like “Light My Eyes” and the epic album closer “Distortion, Devotion” ease into a softer set of melody-driven guitars before they break from the chain and continue their explosive deathcore. The juxtaposition is a welcome one and helps give depth to an album that could have been tossed aside as a boring effort with nothing but swift chugging and white noise breakdowns. It’s a wonder what european death metal influences can do for a band, just look at Darkest Hour –  the moment they took the styles of In Flames and the like into their repertoire, they were able to evolve exponentially as artists. “Bleeding Through” isn’t the most dynamic music around, but playing off their strengths (ie. brutal drum presence, keys, brash vocals) as well as incorporating a synthy euro death metal structure to piece it all together, makes this self-titled album something worthy of your attention — if not your money. ~Staff

Score: 3.5/5

Track Listing:
1. A Resurrection
2. Anti-Hero
3. Your Abandonment
4. Fifteen Minutes
5. Salvation Never Found
6. Breathing In The Wrath
7. This Time Nothing Is Sacred
8. Divide The Armies
9. Drag Me To The Ocean
10. Light My Eyes 
11. Slow Your Roll
12. Distortion, Devotion