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Black Thoughts Bleeding

Stomachion

Written by: PP on 15/04/2010 22:24:53

About two years ago I received a copy of the Black Thought Bleedings EP "Tragedy of Evolution", which reeked of Bullet For My Valentine worship but nonetheless had some mad-catchy melodies and memorable riffs within its three song core. I finished off that review with a "I'm excited to hear more to this band" remark, and I'm happy to report that my expectations have been fully met and in many places exceeded. Now before I go on any further, it should be mentioned that here on "Stomachion", their debut album, Black Thoughts Bleeding play unapologetic metalcore from around the halfway mark of the decade just passed. That is, without consideration to current trends and fads or opinion that the genre is fading out, and without making excuses for it. They also happen to be very good at metalcore associated with that era, so why not?

Most songs are of the traditional structure type, meaning scream-growled verses, clean vocal choruses and some gang vocals added in places for good measure. The strength of the band, however, is in their guitar department, which although not overly technical, is capable of unleashing some pretty fuckin' sweet lead riffs, memorable and original enough to easily distinguish the songs from one another. The clean vocals used to feel slightly undeveloped and weak in the past, but these have taken a massive leap forward, now coming across much stronger and better every time they are used. "The End Of Heartache"-era Killswitch Engage has been a clear influence in this area, as can be seen in the fantastic, beautiful clean vocal chorus of "Beloved Vampire", for instance. I'm still not completely sold on the growls though, because they still sound somewhat hollow as if the dude has trouble getting enough strength behind them. But in the end it's no biggie, because the clean sections and the superb riffs more than fill the small void.

One of the best cuts on the album is "Escape", which experiments with slight rhythm changes and a bit of an unusual punk-ish tempo in the clean vocal chorus, which is one of those sections where the clean vocalist really shows his worth. Another highlight is "Stomachion" with its serpentine-style death metal riffage, although the song is still undeniably metalcore at heart. And look for "Hearts Got Broken" for some great Bullet From My Valentine-inspired riffs back from when they were actually good, as well as another memorable chorus. There are a lot more of these to be found on the record, as well, which is why I feel like giving it a fairly high grade. So don't be put off by the occasionally average growls, and focus on the axemen and the Killswitch Engage cleans instead.

Download: My Past Your Fault, Escape, Stomachion, Hearts Got Broken
For the fans of: Bullet For My Valentine, Killswitch Engage
Listen: Myspace

Release date 26.03.2010
Silverwolf Productions