Our own Riffer Of Death Chris Cleo risks taking a blast beat to the face for the team, as he reviews the new album by UK Death/Thrash Metal masters ‘The Bleeding’

Seasoned riff connoisseurs are always on the lookout for the fastest, heaviest tunes around – and will go to the depths of the underground to find them.   The name Redefining Darkness records should ring some bells – or let’s face it, you should be at DEFCON 1 – because they have a track record of putting out some of the best old school death and thrash metal as of recent.  You should already be picking up the Revenant demo reissues and the Devastation reissue would’ve piqued your interest (until you realise its Violent Termination !!) and the name ‘The Bleeding’ should’ve also flashed up there.  Of course the British death-thrash quartet emerges from said darkness with their 3^rd LP ‘Monokrator’, and being a fan of their previous works and having seen them live I was all over this one.

Of course I know of The Bleeding – Rites of Absolution is among my favourite releases to come out of the UK ‘scene’ and it’s very nice to know that theres some bands around the hometown that just pump out ferocity riff after riff.  I went in expecting a no nonsense slab of mass – a logical continuation of their last effort ‘Morbid Prophecy’ in the bands own style of death/thrash.  Meandering arrangements, rabid drumming and the signature snarling vocal tones all lace The Bleeding’s previous discography, and when your grimy, sweaty finger presses play on the HIFI you are greeted with exactly that.

Opener ‘Chemical Lobotomy’ gets straight into it.  Razor sharp riffing over stabs leading into a grab-you-by-the-throat skank section.  That’s what I’m talking about.  It’s so refreshing to hear a thrash band actually playing violent, chaotic speed as opposed to dad riffs.  The song bounces between thrash sections and blast beats before coming to a staccato breakdown, where you get to hear The Bleeding signature vocals.  The child of Zetro and Chuck Schuldiner blares out obscenities throughout the albums snappy half hour runtime and is definite highlight, only making the blade-edge of the instrumentation that much sharper.  Songs like Chainsaw Deathcult and first single Screams of Torment continue this assault in similar ways – with the latter going through various breakdown sections and a solo that just wreaks of rock and roll.  Stank faces all round as the shredding guitar solo echoes old-school to the core.

Another favourite here is definitely ‘Mutation Chamber’.  Albeit just under 4 and a half minutes, this is the longest track here – definitely the most technical and sounds unlike anything I’ve heard from the band before.  What I really love about Mutation Chamber is that the song is predominantly mid-paced, and instead of relying on the chuggier pizza thrash beat really showcases the drummer as the backbone of the band.  Not only are you getting variety in the pacing of the songs, the phrasing of the beats and the blistering double kicks that actually make the rhythm sound so much more crushing shows the creative side off even more.  Of course if you’ve seen the bleeding live at all you’d know that the skin-smashing is the star of the show, with the snare sounding like a .50cal shot and just the energy emanating from the backline is infectious.

The best part about this record is that you can feel this all in the recording.  Of course if you haven’t seen them live then this might sit a bit further behind the masterful riff writing and how the songs are constructed generally, but they’re all positives nonetheless.  Taking a step back to visualise this album as a whole, it’s really a nice little package:  A ton of riffs, loads of variation without losing consistency and the signature sounds of The Bleeding (not forgetting to mention the amazing artwork).  My only gripe is that I don’t have enough,  I can hear that there is definitely a step-up in all departments from ‘Morbid Prophecy’, which in itself was another absolute rager of a record. This is the work of a truly professional band that has solidified their own sound in the niche of death/thrash, which is really nice to see because there aren’t many bands that do this THIS well – and I’m definitely glad to say that I will be entering the pandemonium with them live when they next come down into town.

The Bleeding – Monokrator is released this Friday the 9th June via Redefining Darkness Records