Live Review: “Viral Hysteria” from Bleed From Within (Live Stream)

After a near four year absence Glaswegian Groove Metal quintet Bleed From Within made a stunning return with “Era” in 2017. Steven Jones would join the band as a new guitarist, replacing Martyn Evan while remaining in From Sorrow To Serenity. Their return was cemented with a set at Tech-Fest as the band returned to the European Festival circuit and the rest is very much history. 2020 has brought a new album in “Fracture” via Century Media and a single solitary live show, this one, due to an unforeseen Global Pandemic…

Part of tonight’s show aired before at Lamb Of God live stream as a warm up, in the same way that Sylosis did before the “A Light or A Distant Mirror” headlining Trivium show, which will no doubt gain Bleed From Within more fans in the US. Tonight, we’re treated to a 20 minute behind the scenes featurette before the show in which the band mess about while rehearsing and take us through the gear that they’re using for the show, Jones twerking being hilarious. The show is the kind of production that most bands would dream of taking on the road and probably isn’t possible unless you’re playing arena shows. Playing in a diamond on individual stage blocks facing each other with pyrotechnics in a central cluster, a big screen with various visuals behind the kit and some impressive lighting, the scene is very much set and no expense has been spared. Tracks like “Pathfinder” are given their live debut while older songs like “Uprising” sound phenomenal thanks to the quality of the microphones used in the warehouse, synchronized headbanging and strobe lights accompany every song, the band in the form of their lives in a powerhouse performance. Frontman Scott Kennedy takes a moment to thank the fans for their support before they dive head long “Into Nothing“, a Groove Metal monster that sees Steve Jones add backing vocals that complement and oppose the main man’s unclean roars. Returning to “Era” for “Aferlife” and “Cast Down” back to back is an absolute must and their lead moments interweave perfectly; all that’s missing is the accompanying circle pit. Midway through the show Kennedy announces a European headlining tour to take place in November 2021, almost a decade after the last one before the video for “Alive” is recreated on the screen behind Ali Richardson’s kit and the band tear off into another classic. “The End Of All We Know” brings the house down in ferocious fashion, somehow squeezing another 10% over the album version, while Jones’s vocal parts make for sing-a-long moments, it’s the huge breakdown section and roar of “I shed my skin once and for all!” with those pyros that make it an adrenaline rush not to be missed. They wanted to do it right the result has been phenomenal, the after show thank you from each band member adds a touch of class. They’ve invested in something very special and we hope that it comes to Blu-Ray real soon. [10/10]