Live-Metal.Net - Concerts: Bleeding Through, Every Time I Die

Theater of the Living Arts (TLA)
Philadelphia, PA.
March 12, 2006

By JEFF MAKI

Bleeding Through have emerged as a true force to be reckoned with in the hardcore/metal scene with crossover appeal and brutal new album, The Truth. This show was not unlike any other so far on their current U.S. tour: Sold out..

The Theater of the Living Arts is on South Street in downtown Philadelphia, somewhat of a party block with clubs, bars, and even an Irish marching band. It was a weird night leading up to the show to say the least.

Haste the Day opened with a short but solid set of metalcore mixed with hardcore breakdowns, Swedish influenced metal and even some on the alternative side. The crowd responded well to them even when they broke out their cover of the Goo Goo Dolls’ "Long Way Down." This band works much like Shadows Fall with their guitarist sharing much of the vocals. Stephen Keech recently replaced previous vocalist Jimmy Ryan and while his vocals are solid I don't think they stand alone as much as the formers’. Nonetheless, Haste the Day delivered a decent 30-minute set, closing with my personal favorite, "When Everything Falls."

Between the Buried and Me went on next to an overly enthusiastic crowd. I gave them a chance, but honestly this just isn't my thing. Their music is more “noisecore” than anything else. I'm not saying they’re not good at what they do, it's just not to my liking. The band mixes hardcore, metal, psychedelic parts and blast beats into one big display of insanity. The lead singer resembled Stevo of Jackass fame. The funny thing is if he had a band I believe it would sound much like this. Between the Buried and Me were well received by the mostly 13- to 20-year-old crowd and played maybe four songs for about 35 minutes. And this was where the hardcore dancing started to pick up a bit...

Every Time I Die are yet another eclectic mix of styles which I mentioned above (minus the blast beats), but they perform with a perfect punk and rock n’ roll attitude that seems to be rare these days. It was fun to watch. Band members on several occasion stage dove into the crowd, and they had excellent stage presence. Even if they're not necessarily your style, they put on a good, energetic show. The kids shouted along with lead singer Keith Buckley and there are some true die-hard ETIDers out there. ETID played for about 40 minutes, with the bulk of the songs coming off their newest release, Gutter Phenomenon.

Let's take a moment here to discuss this hardcore dancing. Pits opened up frequently during the entire night, complete with 15-year-old kids twirling their arms about frantically in a whirlwind motion and doing cart wheels across the floor. What the fuck? Cart wheels? Come on now guys. Let's not make ourselves (and scene) look completely fucking stupid, alright? Being a metal guy, maybe I don't get it, but who would?, Like Dez of Devildriver said a few weeks ago when I saw them in D.C., "If you wanna do karate, take a fucking class!" I understand it's a release and you're showing your appreciation for some decent music, but let's figure out some way to make it not look so damn stupid, please. OK, I'm done for now.

Bleeding Through took the stage around 10 p.m., opening up with "For Love And Failing." Lead vocalist Brandan Schieppati looked as if he was an ex-member of The Misfits, complete with a leather vest with lettering saying 'Love Lost' and gelled jet-black hair. He had excellent stage presence, often speaking with the crowd and always keeping the audience's full attention. Fact is, Bleeding Through is brutal live. They have the thick and evil Far Beyond Driven sound which is ever present on their latest effort, The Truth. Standouts of their set included "Kill To Believe" and "Love Lost In A Hail Of Gunfire," in which the place went apeshit during the breakdown about 2:50 into the song. The rest of the band was solid, but it seemed Brandan was the main attraction for most in attendance. His vocals live seem more reminiscent of Phil Anslemo (Pantera, Superjoint Ritual) than ever. Bleeding Through's set was intense to say the least, though it seemed to loose steam about midway through when they started to break out some older material. If anything the band's performance was even heavier live than what I had expected.

A weird night full of hardcore dancing, Irish marching bands and metal ended about 11 p.m. I’ve been worn out ever since.