The Truth came out January 10th. Pretty much every music magazine had prepped for this release in their monthly issues (except maybe Rolling Stone and Spin, but come on--they hardly count as publications). After all, this is Bleeding Through, the black-clad six-piece that had released two previous albums (three if you count Dust to Ashes) that mixed hardcore, black metal keyboards, and metal; some refer to it as "blackmetalcore."
In 2004, Bleeding Through released This is Love, This is Murderous, which many including myself consider the best album of that year. The Truth had much to live up to.
Bleeding Through has always struck me as down-to-earth, honest band. They�ve been accused of being very image oriented, but they don�t play it off; they admire Johnny Cash and they like black. Simple as that. They are straight edge but don�t hold it above our heads. Singer Brandon Schieppati is also a very modest person; he�ll admit he has no professional vocal training and is insecure of his singing voice.
The Truth has one main difference from This is Love: Schieppati sings a lot more. In the past two years, no band wants to do that. Every band has tried to incorporate more screaming. Sing-scream alteration is clich�. But Bleeding Through does it without falling into clich�.
Fan response to Schieppati�s singing has been very positive. He admits to having been apprehensive about adding more melody to the songs but decided to roll the dice, much to the band�s advantage. The Truth was recorded with fear that it would lose its previous fans, but so far in its lifespan, no complaints. Well played, well played.
All in all, The Truth was moving in the progressive direction that This is Love took after Portrait of a Goddess. Schieppati�s vocal work--singing, screaming, and growling--have all continued to improve. The guitars are chugging heavier, the keyboards come in with more well-placed harmonization, and the drumming is as creative as before.
However, this album does not open as powerfully as This is Love. It does however close similarly, as "Hollywood Squares" sounds very similar to "Revenge I Seek." Energy wise, it is about as heavy as This is Love; the added singing did not deter the intensity.
Fans of This is Love are not going to be disappointed, although I can�t say I like either album more than the other. As a leading name in this type of heavy music, Bleeding Through is keeping the sound alive.
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C.L. '06 |
