Bleed From Within - 'Zenith' Album Review

Tracklist: 1. Violent Nature

2. In Place Of Your Halo

3. Zenith

4. God Complex

5. A Hope In Hell

6. Dying Sun

7. Immortal Desire (feat. Brann Dailor)

8. Chained To Hate

9. Known By No Name

10. Hands Of Sin (feat. Josh Middleton)

11. Edge Of Infinity

Glaswegian metalcore heavyweights Bleed From Within have returned for their seventh studio album, 'Zenith', released April 4th via Nuclear Blast Records. 

Opening track 'Violent Nature' throws you right in at the deep end with an intricate riff from lead guitarist Craig Gowans, who is then joined by drummer Ali Richardson with some phenomenal blast beats and one hell of a scream from unclean vocalist Scott Kennedy. Richardson's fervent drumming provides an immense backbone whilst showing his masterful precision, and with choral vocals as a backing to provide a great contrast with the heavy, especially in the lead up to the breakdown, which is brilliantly brutal in its technicality, 'Zenith' opens as it means to go on. 

Following this comes 'In Place Of Your Halo' with another immediately heavy start leading into the same style of intricate riffage as 'Violent Nature'. It is absolutely punishing, especially in Kennedy's vocals during the immense half time chorus. Richardson's double kick control is seriously impressive, and is timed to perfection with the chugs from Gowans, rhythm guitarist Steven Jones and bassist Davie Provan, and to pair that with the inclusion of bagpipes? Absolutely sensational.

Next is the title track - 'Zenith' - which gives us yet another brilliant riff from Gowans followed by punishing drumming for an insanely fast pace. The clean vocals in the chorus, provided by Jones, blend extremely well with Kennedy's screams, and you can tell that Bleed From Within have seriously honed their craft over the past 20 years, especially when moving into a more electronic bridge, cut through with the heavily distorted guitars before going into the breakdown with a choral backing, another brilliant contrast with Kennedy's harsh screams.

'God Complex' brings a more methodical pace while maintaining that brilliant energy. Kennedy delivers his vocals with such a powerful purpose that it's impossible to picture him doing anything else. I feel like the group channelled 'Horizons' era Parkway Drive, particularly in Gowans' solo, which has a brilliant rhythmic backbone from Provan and Jones, which then moves into a half time outro with a fervent fill right at the finish that just scratches an itch in such a satisfying way. 

'A Hope In Hell' starts out with a more industrial feeling, being reminiscent of bands such as 3Teeth before transitioning into a more prototypical metalcore sound, however don't be mistaken, this isn't your run-of-the-mill metalcore, with even more punishing guitars taking us through the track. Another brilliant solo from Gowans, with Provan providing some excellent basslines to back it up and Jones' cleans contrasting Kennedy's screams to perfection, before a more subdued riff comes in to take us to the end, it shows of the band's range brilliantly. 

Beginning with marching drums from Richardson and mechanical sounds in the background to once again provide an industrial feel comes 'Dying Sun'. It has a slower pace, but this just amplifies the well-documented heavy elements. Atmospheric guitars from Gowans and Jones underneath Provan's intricate bass giving the track such a powerful aura, like a musical gut punch, especially with the impactful tone of said bassline. A more understated solo follows from Gowans, however it doesn't result in any less of an impact, switching from sounding almost melancholic to menacing with such ease.

Next up is 'Immortal Desire', which features Brann Dailor of Mastodon. More choral vocals to start out before being joined with yet more punishing guitars and drums, becoming more subdued, with some haunting screams from Kennedy that are then joined by beautiful cleans from the Mastodon drummer, which mesh together exceptionally well. The back and forth of choral and heavy in the buildup to the breakdown provides a brilliant tension, and said breakdown does not disappoint, with Gowans switching between squeals and chugs before providing yet another brilliant solo underneath the final chorus, before returning to the heavy chugs for the outro which ends abruptly. 

'Chained To Hate' ramps the pace back up to 11. Once again Richardson's drumming is masterful, and paired with Gowans' frenetic leads? This is sure to become a staple of their live shows and will almost definitely send the crowds into a frenzy. Kennedy becomes almost demonic throughout, providing some of the best vocal moments of the album through sheer aggression, which is especially prevalent within his repetition of the line "I will fucking end you". Yet another menacing riff in the outro brings this one to a fitting close.

'Known By No Name' kicks off with a synth led intro that contrasts brilliantly with the guitars, which then both ramp up slowly, coming into tandem with each other before breaking through with Richardson's insane blast beats. Yet more choral backing vocals join the fray, but this time they are paired with both Kennedy's growls and Jones' cleans, combining beauty and aggression in such a phenomenal sonic contrast. It can't be said that these Scotsmen don't know how to bring the energy. 

Penultimately is 'Hands Of Sin' featuring Pslosis' Josh Middleton. A dual guitar intro fading in to some, once again, phenomenally technical riffing before giving way to Kennedy doing what he does best, Middleton's guitar work fits in beautifully with Gowans and Jones. The track firmly maintains the high energy found throughout towards the end of the record, especially in the burst of shredding guitars and blast beats. This is perhaps one of the best examples of guitar work on the album, especially when throwing Provan's bass into the mix. Simply put, this is absolutely breathtaking. 

Closing track 'Edge Of Infinity' starts off acoustically, a fist on the album, with Gowans joining with a soulful solo. It brings the pace down, with Jones taking the forefront with some haunting cleans. The track builds slowly, before the entire band crashes in just prior to the two minute mark, once again proving that Bleed From Within know how to do contrast extremely well, segueing briefly into a piano melody before once again bringing the heaviness back. The peaks and troughs of this track are expertly crafted, leaving the listener unsure of where it'll go next in the best way, bringing the piano back to close out the track and the album in a more reflective manner.

Bleed From Within have provided us with an absolutely virtuosic performance with 'Zenith'. In simple terms, it is a masterclass of modern metalcore, a product of 20 years in the business that shows no sign of slowing down, carrying the momentum of high-gear performances and Download and on tour with Slipknot, it seems like the Scots only continue to reach new heights, and I am extremely excited to see what the near future holds for them. 

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Review - Gordon Rae