Review: Bleeding Through – Self-Titled (2010)

Palmer reviews Bleeding Through’s self-titled album.

Artist: Bleeding Through
Album: Bleeding Through
Year: 2010
Genre: Metalcore

Bleeding Through has been a band I’ve followed since the release of This Is Love, This Is Murderous in 2003. They were one of the first true Metalcore bands I had ever heard and I was blown away by the pure rage standing behind each note. However, over the years they’ve struggled to find their sound – allowing only hints of their true genius to shine through some of the, what I like to call, “mosh ballads” they’ve come up with. That being said – any time I hear any of their heavier material it instantly makes me want to dive into a pit and start throwin’ bows. In essence, this is what they’re good at creating, but eventually any band that wants to stand the test of time needs to realize that musical maturity spans way past just writing something that anyone can get violent to.

Bleeding Through hails from Orange County, California. Their first album, Dust To Ashes, was released in 2001 via Prime Directive Records and was relatively poorly circulated. It wasn’t until 2003’s This Is Love, This Is Murderous came out that Bleeding Through successfully captured the attention of a much wider audience. At this point, Trustkill Records began to distribute their albums which allowed the band to erupt onto the scene, proving to the world just how extreme Metalcore could be. Coupled with intense touring through the early-to-mid 2000’s, and a rash of extensive pictorials featuring Marta (Keys) in American metal magazine Revolver, Bleeding Though quickly became more then just a staple in the Orange County Metalcore scene.

Their latest album cements the potential that I’ve always seen pouring out of this band. It’s one of the best Metalcore albums I’ve heard in years. It’s amazing how much they’ve all improved as both musicians and song writers. Intricate guitar solos are found frequently embedded in their blazing riffs and between their heavy breakdowns – they truly seem to be taking the time to try new things and expand their sound.

From the very first track, anyone who’s had experience with older Bleeding Through albums can tell you that they’re beginning to embrace musical maturity, writing more complex riffs that push their incredibly low tuned guitar strings to the brink of destruction. They’ve begun to write more elaborate and quicker solos that reinforce what I’ve seen in them for a long time: they’re talented, they can play, and they can truly come up with original material that could put them on top of the scene, if they continue to hone their sound.

Most of Bleeding Through’s previous albums had production quality that didn’t really allow for Marta to be heard above the distortion and drum kicks. Because of this I could never really see what she was capable of. I’m really pleased to report that she truly stands out on this album. Hearing her adds a new element to the music that has a very unique Gothic feel. This unique quality only improves upon an already outstanding Metalcore album. Brandan Schieppati’s vocals are very impressive as well. He’s always been a great screamer, but his ability to follow up with singing has been – for lack of a better phrase – flawed. He’s always had the potential there, but up until this album, he never truly tapped into it. The level at which he vocalizes now is great and his range, and ability to finally reach pitch and melody adds another element to the music.

As far as guitars go Brian Leppke has clearly found a new source of inspiration that forgets the tired sounds of some of their previous albums – like The Truth (2005) – and really allows him to shine – especially in some of the solo work. Ryan Wombacher (Bass) and Derek Youngsma (Drums) continue to impress and hold the band together, playing with a much tighter and cleaner tone that adds to the overall quality of the album.

This album is amazing. Forget what you’ve known and heard about this band and experience what they are now. I can only hope that this is their first step towards something even better, because this album is a borderline flawless Metalcore record.

83/100

Best Tracks: “Anti-Hero”, “Salvation Never Found”, “Drag Me To The Ocean”

- Palmer Sturman
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