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“I don’t give a fuck” is the first thing out of the vocalist’s mouth on Bleeding Through’s latest release The Truth. I think it is safe to say that Bleeding Through truly do not give a fuck about the poor reputation they and the entire metalcore genre hold in the eyes of most underground metal fans. The band has described The Truth as “a trend-proof middle finger toward the glut of over-saturation that threatens to destroy a scene this band helped to build.” For the most part this is an accurate assessment of the record. The greatest strength of The Truth is that it manages to differentiate itself from the mass of mediocre metalcore out there. For one thing, the riffs are blisteringly fast. Album opener “For Love and Failing” charges out of the gate with a searing melodic riff and even includes some blastbeats. Check out the 0:56 mark of “Tragedy of Empty Streets” to hear one of the more inspired riffs on the album. A second strength is the addition of keyboards. These add a haunting quality and remind me a lot of what Still Remains did on their CD Of Love and Lunacy. A black metallish sheen even graces some of the verses. ¨
The screamed vocals are excellent for the most part. Vocalist Brendan Schieppati has a nice growling range and uses it to great effect in the heavy section. In a guest appearance, Soilent Green vocalist Ben Falgoust also helps lay down vocals. More regrettable is the overuse of breakdowns, which add heaviness but can get old after a bit. These remind the listener that Bleeding Through still does have a heavy hardcore influence. Of course, no metalcore release would be complete without the obligatory emo choruses and these are present in most of the songs. They work well on the fast songs—check out the chorus of “Kill to Believe” for a good example—but the vocalists limitations are exposed on the sappy ballad “Line in the Sand. The lyrical focus on emo subjects is evident by simply glancing at the track names.
I know that a large number of metalheads are already pre-disposed to hate Bleeding Through. The haters will undoubtedly bash this disc without even hearing it and label the band as yet another cookie cutter metalcore band. However, the band does have more to offer than your standard metalcore release. If you can get past the fact that the vocalist wears eye shadow and sings about love you should give The Truth a chance. You may be pleasantly surprised.
| Tracklist |
| 1. For Love And Falling |
| 2. Confession |
| 3. Love In Slow Motion |
| 4. The Pain Killer |
| 5. Kill To Believe |
| 6. Dearly Demented |
| 7. Line In The Sand |
| 8. She's Gone |
| 9. Tragedy Of Empty Streets |
| 10. Return To Sender |
| 11. Hollywood Prison |
| 12. The Truth |
: 42.44
| Buy other Bleeding Through albums |
