After Bleed From Within’s powerful and impressive display at Bloodstock 2021, I was even more sold on this bunch of madmen. Always a pleasure to talk to and absolutely nowhere near as scary as they often seem on stage, Bleed From Within are a band very much on the rise.
Shrine follows Fracture after a two year gap and yet just seems that bit more massive than its predecessor. “I Am Damnation” isn’t so much a song as a battle cry, a marching song that an invading army would pump out as it arrived to lay waste to your pitiful little village. A slow intro builds with what sounds like Middle Eastern music underlying it. These notes are echoed in the hard-hitting riffs that follow, and the track that follows managed to be abrasive even during the melodic sections.
It’s a bombastic and ambitious start to the album, and I’m happy to report that the remaining eleven songs don’t disappoint. Bleed From Within are known for their crushing riffs and ridiculous pit-inducing flurries and these are simply all over the place. “Sovereign” is just hard as nails, while “Levitate” flips back and forth between singalong melodies with hurricanes of brutality.
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“Flesh And Stone” was the most recent single (check it out below), and it conjures up anvils and hammers with its intro before turning said items on you and bludgeoning you with them. “Invisible Enemy” has a great headbanging chorus that, again, you can sing to. It’s possibly the catchiest thing on here, but that doesn’t detract from the bedlam.
Dividing the album in two is “Skye” which is definitely the oddball track. It’s a haunting instrumental that runs for a minute and gives you a chance to draw breath / get a cold drink before the carnage continues. “Stand Down” is as angry as anything Hatebreed have ever released, “Death Defined” is a slower, harsh number. “Shapeshifter” ramps up the tempo to a ridiculous pace before “Temple of Lunacy” appears. This, ladies and gentlemen, needs to be included in their live show. It has everything. The rousing chorus, the build before the pit, headbanging rhythm… It is just made for the stage.
“Killing Time” and “Paradise” round things off, the latter having a similar majestic feel to the opening song. That bit different from the other tracks and the perfect way to wrap the album up.
I think Bleed From Within’s secret is in their intros. Without exception they’re individual, interesting and add something new. They lull you in. And the next thing you know you’re in the middle of a circle pit with a bunch of idiots trying to concuss each other. I am one of those idiots, and long may this subterfuge continue.
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Shrine is out on June 3rd
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