Dead or just bleeding?
Make no mistake ‘Empire’ is one tightly wound expression of focused aggression. Glaswegians, Bleed From Within, plough a deathcore furrow so there are breakdowns aplenty, big gnarly riffs and alternatively guttural and screamed vocals. The pummelling approach taken on ‘Empire’ can at times be one-dimensional but the songs themselves are solidly constructed and the band have clearly made a name for themselves as tours with scene grandees The Black Dahlia Murder and Trigger the Bloodshed will attest.
Over the course of the album’s eleven songs there isn’t a great deal of variation and it goes without saying that if you’re a dyed in the wool death metal fan this will not change your opinion of deathcore. Melodic guitar lines mingle with chugging riffs and simple drums throughout. For instance ‘The Weaker One’ features a tune and riff straight off Sepultura’s ‘Roots’ and ‘Emperor’ is an example of how convoluted their songs can be as riffs start and tail off without any real resolution.
Lyrically there are lots of first person confrontations against an unforgiving world which often leads to Bleed From Within feeling betrayed and ostracised. ‘If this was my last day on earth, would you even care, would anyone notice/Have I made an impact on your life, what would it matter to you if I was gone?” from the ‘The Healing’ is a typical concern. Clearly, the kids dig this racket but I remain unconvinced of the merits of this genre. Nevertheless, Bleed From Within are a dogged and determined band prepared to work their arses off for what they love.