The name Bleed the Dream was forged out of the common goal all of the band's members had; accomplish their dream and bleed it for all its worth. With this goal set, Bleed the Dream set out to accomplish their goal with only the music in mind. Ignoring any outside influences or distractions, they have kept the quality of their songs as their top priority. After beginning to find success with EPs, "Awake" and "Asleep", tragedy would strike the band. In early 2005, Bleed the Dream's drummer Scott Gottlieb would pass away due to Leukemia, but he was well enough to help write and record all of the drum parts for the band's debut album,
Built By Blood. He would later be replaced by Tom Breyfogle.
I first heard of Bleed the Dream when I read they would be opening for Funeral For A Friend in a March 2006 tour. After looking the band up on the internet and becoming a fan of "Confessions", "Who's Killing Who", and "Just Like I Remember" I became excited to see them live. When I finally did see them, I was blown away. Brandon and Dave's enthusiasm, Tom and Keith's musicianship, and Keith's perfectly executed backing vocals made for an excellent show, easily good enough to make me buy the album.
On
Built By Blood Bleed the Dream is:
Brandon Thomas - Vocals
Dave Aguilera - Guitar
Keith Thompson - Bass/Vocals
Scott Gottlieb - Drums
1. Legends Die
The album opens with Brandon screaming over a heavy guitar riff. If your speakers are up too loud this will take you by surprise. After the verse the song slows down quite a bit. The bass is noticeably good during the pre-chorus. Then the anthem-like chorus kicks in. The drums and vocals take over and make you want to sing along. The backing vocals in the chorus echo the lead vocals and sound excellent. Unfortunately the song suddenly ends after the second chorus. It kind of takes listeners from a very happy chorus to silence with no sense of closure. Good song apart from being so short. 7.5/10
2. Should Have Known
The song starts with Brandon singing an opening chorus a capella. Another great, very joyful sounding chorus, but this track shows Bleed the Dream's punk influences. The verses keep an upbeat tone while Brandon shows some aggressive feelings. "What do you take me for? Now I know you're just a joke." There is another breakdown before like the choruses much like in "Legends Die". The song slows down with another slick bass line by Keith. The bridge isn't anything special. Just an extension of the chorus, then the chorus is sung without the drums and bass. The final chorus is sung differently, making the song less predictable and showing Brandon is capable of singing in a higher register. Then the song suddenly ends without notice once again. 8/10
3. Confessions
Opens with a very dark, menacing riff from Keith and Dave. Then the drums kick in with Brandon sort of breathing over the music to add to the darkness. When the verses start the music remains the same but the vocals are sung in kind of a howling style. Good backing vocals in the verses. The vocals and instruments do a good job building up to the chorus. This chorus is excellent. The song quickly turns into a headbanger with Brandon screaming and distortion from Dave's guitar. Vocals correspond to the evil sound of the song "They'll only kill you one by one." Good alternation from screaming to singing. The bridge includes more screaming and another heavy riff and slowly builds back up to the chorus. Great track. 9/10
4. Who's Killing Who
This song is a fantastic mix of soft melody and heavy music. Metallica's "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" comes to mind when I think of this concept. The song begins very quietly with Dave playing then a slide on the bass and drums begin. Brandon begins singing the title of the track and then the heavy chorus riff begins. The verses are slowed down with Brandon singing sad and angry lyrics "Move in for the kill and forget my name." The chorus shows Brandon lyrical skills "I'd steal your tongue just so you could never tell me to let go." When the backing vocals are sung at the same time as the lead vocals during throughout the song, it really adds an epic feel to the song. The screaming during the bridge makes you feel Brandon's emotion with "You'll never see my face again!" After the loud outcry of the bridge and final chorus the song ends with the intro riff. 9.5/10
5. Just Like I Remember
The song begins with the first verse being sung over some palm muted guitar. "Just Like I Remember" brings yet another excellent chorus, upbeat and makes you want to sing the words with Brandon. For the second verse all of the instruments play and Brandon tells a story of when he was younger. "We thought we had it figured out, and nothing could stop us now." The bridge keeps building up, but instead of going back to the chorus, first it slows down. The vocals mixed with a nice drum roll in this part of the song add a nice touch to the track. The last chorus does a good job of wrapping up the song with Scott hitting the crash cymbal a few times before it's finally over. 8.5/10
6. Taste the Change
Starts out with some muffled sounds and screams which fade into a drum roll and then the song begins. This song is almost completely screamed. The verse guitar riff introduces a very big, sonic sound to this song. It sounds like by the way this song was mixed, the vocals sound muffled and this song is a little cluttered. The verses still sound good though. Brandon holds his screams for moments and lets the vocals and other instruments equally work together instead of the vocals dominating the music. The drums are noticeably good throughout this song. The chorus is considerably weak compared to the rest of Bleed the Dream's choruses. The bridge is the only part that isn't screamed. The lyrics are more optimistic and suggest a sense of peace from the rest of the song. After a few nice drum rolls and screams the song fades out. 7.5/10
7. Emotion Regression
Interesting track, the most experimental song on the album. The song opens with the main guitar riff. A very drowsy sounding riff that works together well with the slow tempo of the song. The bass compliments the drums in this track. The main bass line can get a little repetitive, but still sounds good. The choruses bring a new side to the track. The backing vocals take over while the lead vocals are holding notes. Yet again, sounds excellent. The lyrics throughout this song show Brandon being in a mentally problematic state "My wounds are deeper than the ocean." The bridge is simply the quick tapping of the hi hats and the bass along with the vocals build up to the chorus. Brandon lets out a few final screams which turns to static and the track ends. 7.5/10
8. Say G'night
This song opens up with another upbeat yet distorted guitar riff. The vocals take over the verses. The guitar and bass are quieted down quite a bit. Good lyrics and holding notes for a long time make for a great sound along with the drums. The second verse contains one of my favorite lines from the album. "Sometimes you've got some good advice, but you should look below your own feet because you're the one on thin ice." The chorus is excellent. Brandon singing the words "Now you!" really grabs your attention. The last part of the chorus is sung in a round-type fashion which is a nice touch. The bridge breaks down to just Keith playing a nice bass line, then everyone joins in and builds back up to finish the song. 9/10
9. Black Sky's
After a brief moment of static the opening chorus beings. Mediocre chorus as far as the rest of the songs on this album go. Throughout the chorus Dave is playing some melody on his guitar instead of just shredding. But it is very subtle and at parts hard to hear at times because of the cymbals and the vocals. This song is a little reminiscent of "Say G'night". The guitar is quieted down for the verses and the drums and bass stand out. While the guitar is almost inaudible the drums are impressive. The vocals are sung really slowly but there is a very fast drum roll. The bridge is played until the end of the song while the title of the song is being repeated. 8/10
10. Broken Wings
A very evil mood to this song. The song opens with a Dave playing a melodic tune as Keith's bass takes over and plays somewhat of a solo. Brandon soon comes in and sings the title of the album and slowly builds up to the chorus. Once you hear the chorus you can tell this track is going to be an epic track. The song goes from very slow and quiet to Brandon yelling and the guitar shredding. The bass plays a quick intro to the second verse. The second verse is stronger than the first, louder vocals with drums playing this time. The bridge shows a bright side of the song. The lyrics are finally hopeful after the verses suggested everything is wrong and giving up is the only choice Brandon has. At the end of the song, the lyrics from the bridge are sung again. Steps like this away from the standard song formula are always good to hear. 9/10
11. Destroying Something Beautiful
The way "Broken Wings" ends with the slow repeating of words and the music slowly fading out, one would think that the album was over. Then all of a sudden you hear some words played backwards and a heavy drum roll mixed with the guitar and bass start "Destroying Something Beautiful." By far the heaviest song on the album, almost entirely screamed. The verses in this song are particularly weak, mostly just a lot of Brandon talking. The guitar riff during the chorus just makes you want to mosh. Scott does a good job adding to the metal sound of the track. Instead of playing one of his regular drum rolls faster, he shows that he can play metal as well by using more bass drum and floor tom. The bridge isn't anything special, just all of the instruments playing together too loudly and distorted so you can hardly hear what is going on. After the final chorus Brandon lets out the most emotional screams of the song and the song slowly dies. 7.5/10
Conclusion:
Overall I'm giving Bleed the Dream's
Built By Blood a 4/5. Very good for a debut album. Some things that I really liked about this album were the bass and drums. They both stood out and showed that there is some definite talent behind the musicians. It's really too bad Scott passed away. Tom did a good job live as far as I can remember. I think that Keith is one of best parts of Bleed the Dream. His bass lines are always good and although Brandon's voice is used for backing vocals on the album, Keith sings them flawlessly live. I think the backing vocals on this album really add to the songs and make the choruses more memorable. I think that Brandon does a good job on this album. Vocals are good, lyrics are decent. There are only a few times where the lyrics are praiseworthy though. Something I didn't like as much was the amount of screaming on "Taste the Change" and "Destroying Something Beautiful." That is just a matter of opinion, but I know it is a turn off to many listeners. Something I felt that could have been better was the guitar. Many of the chorus riffs are similar and most of them have the same distorted sound. There are only a few times were Dave's guitar is really skillful and shines. But in his defense I will say he is great live. He is a good performer and really gets the crowd going, the same goes for Brandon. Dave also sold merchandise after the show and signed CDs which was cool. In conclusion
Built By Blood is a great CD. "Who's Killing Who", "Confessions", and "Broken Wings" make for very memorable tracks. There is some kind of music for everyone on this album. Anything from rock, punk, and metal can be found here. Definitely worth a listen.
