Bleed From Within ‘Zenith’
Once those bagpipes hit during Scottish band Bleed From Within In Place Of Your Halo, as a Scot myself, I’m sold on the album and I will literally fight everyone on that hill.
I’m a simple man, apart from bagpipes, I like groove riffs, stomping drums, crushing breakdowns, soaring dynamics in vocals and if you’re gonna throw in guests like Josh Middleton and Brann Dailor, you can see why the smart money is on the hill I’m currently taking the world on.
It’s the Glaswegians seventh album, titled Zenith and is an acknowledgment this is the bands greatest point so far. Ambitious? Sure. True? You can bet your bottom dollar.
With the guitar sounds lush and full of fire, vocals that sound like Godzilla’s belly rumbling while also stretching vocalists Scott Kennedy into areas he hasn’t gone before, drums exploding like hand grenades and, quite simply a choir, this is an album that challenges to be the most pivotal metal album from a British band in years.
The furious frantic start of Violent Nature, to the epic acoustic flavoured closer of Edge Of Insanity, this album is full of passion, fire and flames.
The riffs are loaded and everyone of them is aimed at you. It’s one of those albums that slaps you in the face and demands to be played at full volume.
Sonically, the production is top notch. The drums drive the songs without being overbearing, the guitars chug without the sludge, which leaves the vocals to growl like a hungry wolf.
Not all Kennedy’s vocals sound like a pissed off bear, A Hope In Hell shows a lighter side of both him and the band during the build up to the imposing chorus and explosive breakdown. While the aforementioned Edge Of Insanity is surprisingly haunting, it’s the brutal Immortal Desire that Kennedy duets with Brann Dailor, backed by a choir, that is almost religious it in soundscape and enormity.
The title track’s fist punching beat from Ali Richardson, who outdoes himself here, swirls from dream to nightmare and back, you fear your speakers will burst before what will undoubtedly be a crowd favourite in God Complex, all head-banging grooves and chants, is unleashed.
The guitar work is not unnecessarily flash, it’s a terminator styled sound of beauty. Every riff cutting, every solo piercing as you’ll notice in Dying Sun and Chained Hate.
The choir returns for Known By No Name which accentuates the chorus to levels not heard from the band previously and the band bring in old mate Josh Middleton from Sylosis for Hands Of Sin, a track that burns your house down, there is that much fire seeping through my headphones.
A line from that song is screamed ‘you’ll never be the fucking same’ and after listening to this album, that is 100% true. I’m calling this album the best British metal album in fifteen years. And I’ll fight you on that hill.
Album Review By Iain McCallum
