Review: “Rise To Nothing” by The Bleeding

After a decade of aggression that saw London Death Thrash Metallers The Bleeding unleash the critically-acclaimed debut album “Rites of Absolution” and then hammer home their dominance with 2019’s “Morbid Prophecy“, the pair of which put simply set a very high standard for a ferociously blistering record with influences from Slayer, Morbid Angel and Pestilence and then drove that nail into the coffin with the follow up proving it was no flash in the pan moment comes “Rise To Nothing”. Mixed and mastered in Sweden by producer Ronnie Björnström (Stass, Atrocity, Paganizer) and with cover art from Mörtuus, it serves to introducing new bassist Jordan Muscatello, who joined a year ago…

…A furious new cut in the title track sees The Bleeding joined by guest vocalist James McBain of Hellripper for a flesh ripper loaded with Speed Metal riffs and a fretboard smoking Kerry King inspired solo that is nothing short of stunning, the pulverizing percussive battery a headbangers delight. A tasteful bass into pick slide moment at the start is one of those classic Metal moments that makes even the most hardened of Metal heads crack a smile and the fist pumping staccato riffs that lead into the solo is the kind of stuff that the Mosh Pit was made for. The decision to re-record fan favourite “Hammer of Penance” from 2019’s “Morbid Prophecy” is an interesting one; it benefits from the work of Björnström, the face melter of a solo is just as glorious as the original one but perhaps the vocals have a little more edge. It certainly isn’t a lackluster attempt at re-recording for the sake of it, which can only be a good thing; likewise with “Morbid Prophecy“, which sounds raw as in like a demo or partially mixed. If anything these two cuts prove that new bassist Jordan Muscatello has got what it takes, something which only bodes well for the bands return to the stage while keeping the band as razor sharp as ever. There is a certain sense of irony with “Sadistic Saviour” as while “Morbid Prophecy” sounds like you’re listening to a demo, “Sadistic Saviour” doesn’t as it’s been mixed properly and while it is a little rough around the edges in places, it’s really obvious how the band got to the album version of the cut from here and that whammy bar drop solo remains an absolute pleasure. “Rise To Nothing” then closes with three live cuts from the bands “Rites of Absolution” era, serving to demonstrate the bands live prowess without polish or finesse. Lets be clear, the live cuts sound great but they haven’t been mixed or edited in any way, so what you hear is what you get, warts and all with the drums loud and the vocals not as loud as they could be. But it’s live and it has all that extra energy that you get from that in compensation. Some might call “Rise To Nothing” a stop gap release and in some ways it is but it doesn’t stop it from being blisteringly good [8/10]

Track listing

1. Rise Into Nothing (ft. James McBain of Hellripper)
2. Hammer of Penance 2021
3. Morbid Prophecy (Raw Edition 2021)
4. Sadistic Saviour (Demo Remix Edit)
5. Crook and Flail (Live)
6. Dreams of Hatred (Live)
7. Death Eternal (Live)

“Rise To Nothing” by The Bleeding is out 14th May 2021 and available over at bandcamp