Review: “Love Will Kill All” by Bleeding Through

It has been 7 long years since the last album from Orange County, California Metalcore heroes Bleeding Through appeared. “The Great Fire” was at the time a decent addition to a career that had seen the band, fronted by former Eighteen Visions guitarist and song writer Brandan Schieppati endure something of a trial by fire at times. While a number of classic Metalcore anthems came pouring out from the band thick and fast and the almighty “This Is Love, This Is Murderous” remains a classic, their 2014 farewell tour with Winds Of Plague (who also called it a day) came as a surprise. The news of their return with a full length album via SharpTone Records came as a joyous surprise as they, along with Winds Of Plague, realised that they still had the fire for the band. Pre-release music videos for singles “Set Me Free” and “Fade To Ash” have found the band on fine form, so how does the rest of the album hold up?

“Darkness, a Feeling I Know” false starts “Love Will Kill All” beautifully. Marta Peterson’s symphonic keys provide a haunting atmospheric against almost poetic harshly spoken word before the album goes from spark to flame with “Fade into the Ash”. The big chorus is set against chilling keys and crushing atmospheric guitar work with black metal leanings during the post-chorus phase. It’s a got plenty of melody while also having plenty of bite. “End Us” introduces a gang chanted “hey, hey” that will see fits pumping the live arena while neatly balancing off the gravelly gutturals with some chorus work that might remind you of something that “Creatures” era Motionless In White would have produced before they went industrial. While it’s not as heavy as the opener it still packs a punch during the verse and the melody during the chorus also sees backing vocals from Marta. “Cold World” then ups the energy and pace with blast beats galore that bring us back to the Symphonic Black Metal side of the band with a driven bass line from Ryan Wombacher, now of Light The Torch (formerly know as Devil You Know). The return of the eerie synths and phenomenal vocal range on display along with a couple of obligatory “Blegh!” moments are a class touch.

“Dead Eyes” maintains the energy and darkness while the synths take an almost Cathedral Organ turn against the backdrop of some brual drum work from Derek Wayne Youngsma. From it’s slow building intro to it’s crushing finale, across breakdowns whereby the synths become like lead guitars, it almost sounds like it belongs on the soundtrack to Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight. “Buried” then makes the guitars the focal point of the assault with Brian “Lefty” Leppke powering through a rise and fall riff at white knuckle pace. While the “Bury You!” gang chant to close will be something accentuated at the live shows. “No Friends” delivers a powerful message to it’s intended recipients. Brandan Schieppati has something to say about those who called themselves the bands friends and then brought about their demise and delivers it in style. “Set Me Free” introduces an eerie whisper aside a gang chanted chorus line and a brilliantly subtle fading guitar solo over a programmed industrial beat. Musically it gives material from the new Winds Of Plague album “Blood Of My Enemy” a run for it’s symphonic metal money. Blast beats swirl around the synths while the guitars add suitable crunch.

“No One from Nowhere” delivers pause-break breakdowns that underpin throat stripping vocals for a short and sharp attack with minimal clean vocals. Taking all the energy of metallic hardcore and then injecting dark synths and a fist pumping, spin kick swirling chant styled chorus. “Remains” brings back Marta’s buried backing vocals alongside a harshly sung chorus that shows an interesting use of restraint in a less is more kind of way. Returning to the rise and fall guitars that appear on earlier tracks and driven drum work, it’s one that very much summarises the album style. “Slave” delivers a “Blegh!” and digitised vocal stretch that catches you off guard the first time around but is in keeping with the bands sound on the Devin Townsend produced “Declaration”. It’s a ferocious affair that will have you banging your head from start to finish… except it doesn’t finish. Instead, it runs straight into album closer “Life” at breakneck speed. The unrelenting pace of blast beats and breakdowns doesn’t end until the half way point when “Life” bursts into a glorious chorus and Marta’s most present backing vocal before a “GO!” and pile back into the breakdown. The second chorus is perhaps unexpected after a short verse but it’s a piece of harmonised brilliance.

Put simply, Bleeding Through have returned in fine form and delivered a 37 minute album that is everything a fan would expect from the band, almost as if they never left. Bleeding Through were always a band that did Metalcore tinged with Swedish Melodic Death Metal the way it should be, no painful slowdowns for inclusions of clean vocals, no clean vocals where they don’t need to be. The song writing and musicianship on show is second to none and the break has clearly re-ignited fires within them. Whether they will become a full time band again remains to be seen, but if they return as a passion project then so be it. If anyone had any doubt about how important Bleeding Through were to Metalcore and the Orange County, California scene, then this album is a declaration of intent to rise from the ashes with fresh purpose and claim their crown [8/10]

Tracklising

1. “Darkness, a Feeling I Know”
2. “Fade into the Ash”
3. “End Us”
4. “Cold World”
5. “Dead Eyes”
6. “Buried”
7. “No Friends”
8. “Set Me Free”
9. “No One from Nowhere”
10. “Remains”
11. “Slave”
12. “Life”