Review || Bleeding Through - "Love Will Kill All"


If you know me, you know my undying love for Bleeding Through and my absolute dismay when the band decided to call it quits. The return to action for the Californian outfit and the release of a new album was the happiest event of 2018 so let's cut to the chase before I get emotional. "Love Will Kill All" is the follow-up of the 2012 album, “The Great Fire”, and was released on May 25th on Sharptone Records and contains 12 songs.

The album kicks off in a very epic way; vocalist Brandan Schieppati singing over an organ, and then seamlessly transitioning into the equally epic second single, "Fade Into The Ash", with the grandiose intro. “End Us” is next, unapologetic and ready to spark the crowd's reactions in a live setting. “Cold World” breathes 2003 BT through a modern approach; moving past the been-there-done-that's, the band has evolved and is able to revisit small elements from their time-tested legacy to complement their new ideas. “Dead Eyes” follows in the same path while “Buried” turns the tables, as its spiteful character overpowers the tracks that preceded it. Its blackened backbone with the subtle keyboards reminds the listener what BT is truly capable of, stretching the limits and confines of metalcore like no other band could ever even dream of.
“No Friends” is a face-melting pit hit, with Schieppati spitefully spitting his venomous words. The instrumentation follows a very interesting path, cleverly incorporating musicality and groove into aggression. The first single, “Set Me Free” follows and it feels like the band never really left but just took a nap; whether we're talking about the eerie keys or the neck-breaking riffage, the result is filled with feelings of albums past. “No One From Nowhere” is hands down one of the most pissed-off songs the band has ever written -and younger bands should take notes on how to make short songs sound effortlessly uncompromising. Sure, it's not as blunt as “The Truth”-era assailing masterpieces but there's no denying that the viciousness this song emanates is unparalleled. Similarly, “Remains” flies the flag for rapacity -except maybe again for the clean vocals. Honestly, I wouldn't mind them muted or not existing in this one. The trinity of concrete pit hits closes with “Slave”, and the adamant declaration “I am not your slave”. The unwavering composition manifests in all its fiery glory, while the final track, “Life”, seals the rebirth of the OC titans.

Overall, "Love Will Kill All" (such a Schieppati-sounding title, innit) scatters any clouds of doubt that usually accompany comeback albums. I appreciate that nothing is overproduced, giving a rawer tone to otherwise burly compositions. You would think that Brandan Schieppati would steal the spotlight as the flamboyant frontman, but the devil lies in the details. I think the real MVPs here are keyboardist Marta Peterson, with her intricate and tasteful details that have helped define the band's sound over the years, and drummer Derek Youngsma, who artfully builds and binds everything. The only negative disappointing things I would like to point out were one, that the structure of the songs, especially in the first half, are strikingly similar although not monotonous, which is good, and two, the abuse of clean singing. Not every song needed a singing part, no matter how important those have been in the band's legacy. To sum things up, this album is quintessentially Bleeding Through, from the title to the compositions, and a testament that the band still reigns supreme.
8/10
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