Let's get this out of the way: Bleeding
Through's Declaration is an entirely different
album than the band's breakthrough, 2006's The Truth.
While many might have thought the band would have built upon
the previous album's crossover appeal, Declaration is as violent, heavy and extreme as it gets.
Bleeding Through ups the ante on every aspect of their sound--better
for extreme metalheads, worse for those looking for clean
vocals, catchy lyrics and image. Vocalist Brandan Schieppati
is the main difference. His screams are now almost full-on
black metal shrieks and his growls are a guttural death metal
style. And singing? Well, there are few moments that
would even allow for it with the nonstop, frantic attack.
Everything is three times faster and heavier. The atmosphere
of this album, for which the keyboards of Marta are largely
responsible, is as evil as it is epic. From the ripping guitars
of Brian Leppke and new member Jona Weinhofen (I Killed the
Prom Queen) to the ridiculous and manic pace of drummer Derek
Youngsma, the music of Declaration rivals most extreme
metal acts and puts to rest any labels of metalcore on this
band. The title track is perhaps the most similar to anything
from The Truth, and Schieppati actually provides
a dark, memorable clean vocal to the chorus. “Death
Anxiety” is another near-perfect Bleeding Through song,
akin to something from any of their previous releases, but
the rest of the material has potential to alienate a fan base
they worked so hard to build. “There Was a Flood”
represents all that is this new Bleeding Through and is one
of the darkest and strongest songs on the album. Everything
old and new is packed into this monster of a song. “Reborn
from Isolation” is brutal death metal. There's no other
way to describe it. This is another great representation of
this new Bleeding Through.
Don't get me wrong, this is quality extreme metal that I enjoy.
I just don't have faith that fans of The Truth will
latch on to it and make this album an equal success. But give
Bleeding Through respect where respect is due. They could
have released The Truth Part 2 and picked
up right where they left off. This sounds nothing like the
band that recorded “Line in the Sand.” Not even
remotely close. Instead, they have transformed themselves
into some sort of hybrid of black metal, death metal and the
heaviest Pantera material. This is the record they wanted
to make and it's reflected by the album's title, a big “fuck
you!” to those who expected otherwise. |
