Bleeding Through – The Truth
www.bleedingthrough.com www.trustkill.com

Orange County seems to be the only things about this band people really know about, or that they almost died in a horrific van wreck. Not the fact they have worked their asses off, basically rewrote the book in thrash-influenced metal core, or that they have taken their popularity to the next level by relentless touring. No, they see the goddamned Orange County label. While Bleeding Through have persevered through more than a few obstacles, they have come out on top as one of the premier acts in modern metal, and it cannot be denied by anyone. “The Truth” is a testament of personal growth, and musical growth to some degree. You can still hear the “Integrity” influences like in previous releases, and the thrash element is turned WAY up on this record. The newest thing about this release (which, I am sure will turn off fans of their earlier work…****ing scene kids…) is that Brandans’ clean vocals are actually good, not amazing, but good. Marta has made the keys a more prominent instrument in the record, even if it is just for the more melodic parts of the record. The bass seems to be lifted more from a rockabilly/psychobilly style rather than just an added crunch of brutality, with the help of Bryan Wombacher. You can almost picture him playing on a stand up bass with a little of snarling/curled lip through most of the record, but especially on “Love In Slow Motion”. Drums are just as brutal and fast, and the guitars seemed a little downplayed on this release, not bad, just downplayed. It is a more accessible Bleeding Through this time around. Oh, the art, blood, blah blah blah, embossed silver on the sleeve, blah blah blah, anger, black and white photos, more blah blah blah. Minus a few things with some over the top elements (see Dearly Demented and Nick 13’s vocals, or the ballad, the name escapes me right now), this release is honest, fast, and brutal. Sure, there are some elements that may take people by surprise, but this is Bleeding Through at their rawest. I do like this record, and it is just as good live as on CD. Not bad guys… 8.75/10