Release Date: 6th April 2018
Record Label: Century Media
Genre: Metalcore
Back in 2013, Bleed From Within stood out as one of the best modern metalcore bands in a scene full of mediocrity. Their third release, Uprising, stood out as not just one of the best metalcore albums of that year, but in metal in general. In recent years however they have been quiet, and the scene has improved massively. Bleed From Within needed to pull out all of the stops to stand out in 2018.
From the first track you can tell that Bleed from Within have upped their game here. The production is tight and crisp but doesn’t compromise on the heaviness – it is as crushing and groovy as Gojira, with the technicality of Decapitated. Era is certainly not lacking in its metal credentials. What surprised me was the hardcore sludgy swagger on ‘Ruina’ which wouldn’t sound out of place on a Brutality Will Prevail track.
Vocally, Scott Kennedy has taken inspiration from Winston McCall and his unique gravelly tone. While it certainly gets the job done, especially on ‘Ruina’ where the guttural lows are exceptional, it would of been nice to see a little more variety. It certainly packs more of a punch than it did on Uprising however, so hopefully on the next record Kennedy will push himself further, much like Winston did on Ire.
The standout factor that underpins the whole record has to be the superb rhythm section. The drumming in particular is a constant barrage, and when the bass and drums lock in together, like on ‘Bed Of Snakes’ and ‘Crown Of Misery’ it creates one of those magic, pummelling moments that is unique to this style of music.
The only shortcomings are on the slower tracks when it doesn’t pummel quite as much. ‘Shiver’ and ‘I Am Oblivion Pt.II’ are both good, but their placement breaks up the pace that the tracks before and after set. The record also comes in at nearly an hour, so cutting those two would certainly help reduce a slightly long run time for a metalcore album.
Era is without a doubt one of the best metalcore records of the year so far, and a fantastic come back. With so many great up and coming metal bands in the UK at the moment, it feels great to stay that Bleed From Within can stand up there with the best of them.
Rating: 8.5/10
Recommended Track: Crown of Misery
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Bleed From Within are playing a few headline dates at the end of the month with the equally brilliant Dyscarnate, which will be one hell of a show. Here are the dates:
Wed 25 Apr The Camden Assembly, London, GB
Thu 26 Apr Manchester Gullivers, Manchester, GB
Fri 27 Apr Saint Luke’s, Glasgow, GB
You can buy tickets here