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Bleed – Bleed Review

By Saunders

Record label dependability is a handy gauge for assessing quality in the crowded realms of the metalverse. The gauge isn’t always foolproof, but more often than not, a handful of trustier labels in the biz deliver on both quality and individuality. Pittsburgh-based record label 20 Buck Spin has championed many a fine band since its inception 20 years ago, boasting a diverse roster, currently including wide-ranging acts such as Fulci, Vastum, Slimelord, Bedsore, Tribunal, and Worm. It was a curious promotion of Texan band Bleed that piqued my interest. Even amidst the label’s solid variety and idiosyncrasies, on paper Bleed appear an unusual fit. Firstly, Bleed have no affiliation with the extreme sounds of many of their labelmates, instead leaning into a chunky and melodic alternative metal/rock sound channeling late ’90s and early ’00s vibes. Although carrying enough metallic clinks and weighty riffs, in many facets, Bleed fall into the metal adjacent category, bound to satisfy and repel this fine readership in divisive ways. With a solid 2021 EP under their belts, can Bleed add some fresh threads to an endearingly modern meets retro formula?

Nostalgia is a strong emotion in the music world, and Bleed ride those throwback feels hard across a tight and punchy collection of airy, spacey alt metal tunes. There is a deceptive versatility gushing from Bleed’s emotive songwriting. Shoegazing atmospherics, throwback nü grooves, Deftones-powered dynamics, and hints of Helmet, early Incubus, and Failure coalesce into a crunchy, riff-centric slab of moody alt metal. Bleed possess the chunky modern elements and fresh vibes to transcend mere throwback values. Furnishing fat riffs and fatter grooves with soft-loud dynamics, where dreamy, glistening melodies, subdued verses, and mellow breaks intertwine with nü flavored heavy rock and angsty alternative metal. The formula largely works to reel in the target audience, delivering a collection of compact, infectious, hooky delights.

Showing their hand from the outset, the chunky opening riffs and turntable scratching of opener “Climbing Down” deliver a retro trip. Bolstered by punchy riffs crashing over moody textures and an ethereal melodic sheen, the song plays on the band’s strengths. These recurring factors create the signature dreamy feel permeating the album, as Bleed prove talented musicians with a knack for hooky songwriting and tightly synced performances. Bleed’s formula it not overly complicated or flashy, yet they nail execution, the engaging melodies and catchy riffs creating a soothing atmosphere comfortable to get lost in. Keeping their writing on a tight leash, Bleed rigidly remain true to their formula, imbuing each song with individual character and throwing down the occasional curveball. “Shallow” dabbles in more subdued, acoustic-driven waters, featuring a chilled, almost hypnotic, psychedelic cadence, rippling with interesting melodies. The heavier vocal turns add a welcome edge to earworm nuggets on lead singles “Marathon” and “Enjoy Your Stay” (featuring Static Dress). Elsewhere, the riffs do the heavier lifting, driving the likes of “Fixate” and “Killing Time,” setting the stage for the shifting dynamics and enveloping melodies to take hold.

“Through the Cylinder” is another solid showcase of what Bleed do well, threading engaging melodies through an escalating arrangement, culminating in heavier vox and a bruising breakdown. Over the course of the album, singer/guitarist Ryan Hughes offers up deceptively earwormy, emotive vocal hooks, though his airy style may present as ‘whiny’ to some listeners, potentially being a deal breaker. The heavier backing screams and barks sporadically cutting through the mix create a pleasing counterpoint, and extra grit in the vocal department would be a welcome addition. Nevertheless, his chilled, emotive style has its charms, especially when coupled with the band’s sturdy riff foundation and floating melodic currents. Hughes and fellow guitarist Noah Boyce drive Bleed’s richly textured sound, combining subtle motifs, shoegazing vibes and cool atmospheric licks, with a memorable range of killer riffs and extra chunky grooves.

Bleed’s self-titled debut is bound to cause a buzz in the metal and rock scenes, while proving a divisive experience for many. As an impressionable youngster when the new millennium rolled around, with one foot in the extreme metal sounds and the other exploring the trends of the times, Bleed’s fresh spin on a retro sound forms a nostalgic, transportive experience with enough tricks and character to ground things in the here and now. And despite its flaws, Bleed’s endearing charms, muscular riffs, contemplative shoegazing, and subtly addictive hooks prove difficult to shake.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: 20 Buck Spin
Website: Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: May 2nd, 2025

#20BuckSpin #2025 #35 #AlternativeMetal #AlternativeRock #AmericanMetal #Bedsore #Bleed #Deftones #Fulci #Helmet #Incubus #Review #Reviews #Shoegaze #Slimelord #StaticDress #Vastum #Worm

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11 Metal Bands to Watch in 2024
We asked an array of metal lovers what metal bands they think people should be keeping an eye on this year. Here’s what they came up with…

https://www.brooklynvegan.com/11-metal-bands-to-watch-in-2024/

#PierceJordan #SloGlo #Undulation #PeelingFlesh #KIM #Cheree #Slimelord #Uranium #Knoll #HullOfLight #TraumaBond #Agriculture

🍄 Unleashed upon the world, SLIMELORD's "Chytridiomycosis Relinquished" seeped out yesterday, March 08!

🤘 Embrace the sludge & doom & support us 👉 [https://amzn.to/4bRJAmp]

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Slimelord – Chytridiomycosis Relinquished Review

By Thus Spoke

Everything about Chytridiomycosis Relinquished is like an acid trip. The name is not only a fun one to pronounce, it refers to a fungal infection affecting amphibians with a mortality rate of up to 100%, a key player in the decline of species worldwide.1 Then you look at the art, courtesy of Brad Moore, and the dial moves another hundred notches into hallucinatory madness. But it’s when you hit ‘play’ on opener “The Beckoning Bell” that the fun really begins. Those of you familiar with Slimelord’s prior EPs have a reference point in gross, grimy death-doom, but Chytridiomycosis Relinquished moves things in a still more weird and wonky direction, playing fast and loose with song structures, melody, and your own lucidity.

Slimelord employ a twisty, sticky kind of death metal, fusing the hallucinogenic swampiness of Worm or Tomb Mold, with the colder more surgical brutality of acts like Replicant or Asystole. Whether it drags itself along like a primordial monster or comes at you with flailing, slimy limbs at breakneck speed, Chytridiomycosis Relinquished is consistently bonkers and brutal. Only closing instrumental “Heroic Demise” is somewhat straightforward, with a tuneful, chilled-out melody of harmonized guitars, until its final section anyway. But did I mention the geese (“The Beckoning Bell”)? The frogs (“Gut-Brain Axis”)? The viscerally clear bubbling of goodness-knows-what (“Splayed Mudscape”)? These field samples are almost distracting, but in the end, they aren’t, instead adding still more flair and flavour to the vibrantly-coloured concoction. In fact, my favorite part of the whole album might be that atmospheric pause in “Gut-Brain Axis” when a chorus of frogs “ribbet” their way across the echo before a tremolo climbs its way upwards.

These little additions aside, the most striking characteristic of the music is its elasticity. Compositions are strikingly dynamic, flowing gymnastically from breathy, stalking death-doom (“The Hissing Moor”) into chaotic cavernous assaults (“The Beckoning Bell,” “Tidal Slaughtermarsh”), to shrill, spine-tingling guitar wailing (“Gut-Brain Axis,” “The Hissing Moor”) in the blink of an eye. Liquid fretless bass meanders up and down very audibly, drawling in your ears around the clanging guitar chords and deep rumbling growls (especially on “Splayed Mudscape,” “Batrachomorpha Resurrections Chamber,” and “Tidal Slaughtermarsh”). This bass omnipresence makes the whole experience feel kind of warm and hazy, which makes for a smooth, even pleasant listening experience on the more melodic end (“Gut-Brain Axis,” “Heroic Demise”), whilst providing an excellent backdrop of stomach-knotting lows for the piercing, sharp-edged highs of dissonant, angular guitar riffing (“The Beckoning Bell,” “Splayed Mudscape”). We obviously can’t talk about the dynamism of this thing without mentioning the rabid work going on behind the kit too, tumbling down in cascades (“The Hissing Moor”), spilling out into backflipping rolls (“Batrachomorpha…”) and slamming in rhythmic solidarity with stabbing riffs (“Splayed Mudscape”).

The loose, slightly unhinged nature of things threatens to overwhelm. This is why, to my ears at least, “Gut-Brain Axis” stands out so powerfully. Opening with a sinister refrain that bubbles up into a squealing, fluttering guitar solo, it manages to pack in all the mad dissonance, the erraticism of shifting tempos, and atmospheric oddities (see my above comment about the frogs) whilst remaining compelling through its continued, subtly mournful theme. “Heroic Demise” goes all-in on the palatable melodicism, but feels too safe and bland beside its companions, while on the other hand, tracks such as “Tidal Slaughtermarsh” feel too tangled and clamorous. In sections, these latter two, and all songs proper on the album, do strike that fragile and brilliant balance between confrontational discordance and wild beauty, but perseverance can be required to wring it out.

Chytridiomycosis Relinquished is, however bizarre it might sound, quite a subtle record. Perplexing at first glance, it gets better on every listen, as more little intricacies reveal themselves. In a world where bands can no longer sell their sound on simply “being brutal” if they want to stand out, I will always have time for those who bend and stretch the boundaries of what we call death metal. Slimelord, as one such band, have my support, and they should have yours too if your death metal cup of tea tends to be one made with mushrooms, rather than your average breakfast blend. Get some Chytridiomycosis in your system and enjoy the ride.

Rating: Very Good
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps
Label: 20 Buck Spin
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: March 8th, 2024

#20BuckSpin #2024 #35 #Asystole #BritishMetal #ChytridiomycosisRelinquished #DeathMetal #DissonantDeathMetal #ExperimentalDeathMetal #Mar24 #Replicant #Review #Reviews #Slimelord #TombMold #Worm