ARTIST: Bleeding Through
ALBUM TITLE: Bleeding Through
RECORD LABEL: Rise Records
RELEASED: April 13, 2010

By Eric Stuckart
Creator, Destroyer

Bleeding Through is one of those bands that I’d liken to a cockroach. The band has seen its fair share of ups and downs, and like any good roach, they just won’t die. Other bands have rose and fell during their 13 years’ experience, and they have persevered.

Having been one of the forerunners of the American metalcore movement might have had something to do with this. I’ve noticed, as many bands in any music scene pop up, usually it tends to be the ones that took part in innovating the style that survive. The proof is in the pudding; Shadows Fall, Killswitch Engage, and As I Lay Dying are still going strong, whereas most of the other Swedish-core bands all either went back underground, broke up, or found a new genre to emulate.

Bleeding Through has always been one of those bands for me that was kind of just there for me. Fusing the keyboards and more atmospheric elements of symphonic black metal to a backbone of thrash guitars and palm-muted breakdowns, their albums always paled in comparison to the energy of their live shows. Granted, this happens often, but their albums just weren’t the type that demanded repeated listens.

Looking back now, I think it might have been because they tried to be too many different things to different people, and it made for an uneven listening experience. This identity crisis continues on their self-titled sixth album, but for the most part, the deviations aren’t as derailing. But with a band like this, who derives most of their spirit out of sheer aggression, I could really do without the abrupt melodic choruses. At times they sound forced for sake of accessibility. Despite all this, the black metal influence is even more present in the songs than 2008’s Declaration.

Brandon Schieppati’s vocals are much raspier as well, alternating between his trademark barks and a more screechy howl, bringing to mind a more black metal approach. However, at this point in their careers, it really isn’t enough of a change of pace to really call it progress. Sure, some of the set pieces have changed, and there’s a different song playing in the background, but it’s still the same old song and dance on stage, and unless they learn to overcome that boundary, that will forever be their biggest enemy.

RATING: 6/10

For more information, visit www.bleedingthrough.com, www.myspace.com/bleedingthrough