Bleeding Through in my eyes is another Metalcore band could pushes the boundries between Metalcore and straight metal. Their sound possesses distinguishing traits from both genres. Deep vocals, keyboards, and an occasional guitar solo would put them more towards the metal side. But the obvious presence (and maybe overabundance) of breakdowns along side the heavy drop tuned chugging riffs is blatantly Metalcore. Well, I’m not much on the genre myself, but they’re definitely better than As I Lay Dying (which kind of ties in with another one of my reviews). Although they formed merely four years ago (2000 for the arithmetically impaired) in Orange County they’ve been making quite a dent in the music scene. With the releases of Portrait of the Goddess and their 2001 release Dust to Ashes, This is Love, This is Murderous seems to be their most mature release revealing the most potential from them so far.
This band I feel an interesting blended sound. The vocals are deep – at times almost death metal resembling. For the most part, Brandon reminds me of Jamie Jasta. The half scream half almost roaring type sound fits pretty well with their overall sound. The music is pretty heavy, and it’s obvious that Brandon is a big part of that, and during the times that he sings he does it very well me thinks - check out On Wings of Lead to get my drift. The guitar here is not a lot to brag about, but it holds its own. There are a lot of those open drop C palm muted chords, but it’s not really a bad thing with these guys. They do get unique once in a while – sometimes they throw in a random scale or pinch harmonic, such as the heavier hardcore song Sweet Vampirous, and a few songs even had a solo, such as the brutal yet atmospheric track Love Lost in a Hail of Gun Fire and the title track (which has some nice lead melodies as well). Sometimes melodic but, more often than not the guitar work focuses on heaviness. But the best track guitar wise is definitely City of the Condemned...take a look, breaks the trend from the rest of the playing on the album.
Bassists again aren't going to have a whole lot to rave about. It is a dominant sound, but almost the entire time it just hugs the guitar and whatnot providing no more than a bottom end to the music. There is a quick break leaving the bass solo for a second in Sweet Vampirous but that's about it. The drumming is about what you'de expect form a band like this. Double bass, blast beats, nothing too special. Its solid at least, providing good rhythms and a good foundation for the other instruments to build on. The keyboard is where it gets intertesting. Very good atmospheric work form Marta. Sometimes, if you block out everything except the keyboards and drums, you can pretend like you're listening to black metal (not like you'de want to presumably). Most...alright, virtually all songs on the album have the same backing synth sounds from the keyboards. But it works. The background sounds add a different dimension during the nto-quite-as-brutal-as-they-could-be sections and help contribute what little melody we see with these guys.
What I like about these guys is that just when you think you've finally figured out exactly what genre they could be placed into, they do something a little different in the next song to throw things completely out of whack. By listening to On Wings of Lead, one could be tricked into thinking that they're a melodic metal band with clean singing and a flowing sound. Sweet Vampirous could decieve us into trying to lable them a hardcore band...a chaotic sound with random scales and an intensely heavy vibe adds a very brutal dimension, even if its not even a minute and a half long. And if you think they're a hugely sophistocated and intricate melodic death band by listening to Revenge I Seek, you would most definitely be wrong (not to slap them in the face). Number Seven With a Bullet also lied, they're not really a flat out metal band (well, the intro at least sounded like it). Each track has a little something different to offer and the slight differences in the sound/style of each song kind of keeps us on our toes while we eagerly wait for the next track.
This album is recommended for metal heads (to a certain degree) and metalcore type guys alike. Like I said above, its got a little something for everybody. They also do a good job of varying their style with each track without going to 'out there'. If you like on song chances are you'll like the entire album. But the sweet part is, I can say that since they managed to keep the same general sound without sounding too repetitive over time. Luckily, I can also say with experience that they are quite good live. Saw them last week on the Headbangers Ball Tour (Himsa, Bleeding Through, Arch Enemy, Cradle of Filth) and they were by far the most intense and aggressive band to play - that is, in terms of how the crowd reacted. There were about four pits going on at once...very dangerous. Feel free to download just make sure its your kind of thing...if it is, then by all means buy it. I'm not much into the genre, so if you are, I'm pretty sure you'll like it a hell of a lot more than I did.
Recommended tracks:
Love Lost in a Hail of Gun Fire
On Wings of Lead
City of the Condemned
Revenge I Seek
Pros:
Heavy, catchy sound
Fuses brutality and melody, -core with traditional metal
Cons:
Quickly sounds boring and generic
A waste of a keyboardist
