Bleeding Through - Declaration (2008)^{Release ID: 8774}

Trustkill Records is a rather aptly named record label, because they really killed many signed bands' trust, including Bleeding Through. Their bitter battle started when Trustkill rejected the band's suggestion of re-releasing their previous album The Truth one year after its original release. Then that label released their own special edition reissue The Complete Truth with bonus tracks include two B-sides, two covers, and a remix, plus a bonus DVD, without the band's knowledge or permission. As for this album Declaration, Trustkill only funded 25% of recording costs and spent the rest on unpaid royalties. Boy did this band take their anger out on making this album...

Bleeding Through continues their trend of uncompromising music since The Truth while distancing themselves from being associated with standard metalcore saturation. After the wide variety of metal influences from their previous album, this one Declaration sees a more extreme direction, proving their usage of the harder brutal faster darker cliche. The songs have much stronger black metal tones than ever in their instrumentation. The most apparent example is the atmospheric keyboards from Marta Peterson. Her keyboards have higher roles reminiscent of symphonic black metal bands like Dimmu Borgir and Abigail Williams (the latter also having metalcore influences at the time). The drums are also in extreme waves by Derek Youngsma. His drumming is now in a more complex death metal style, blasting more in some songs than in the complete Truth album. The bass is faster and more frequent. The guitars have darker aggression. A lot more tremolo-riffs are doubled by the ominous keyboards for more black metal-like moments. Vocalist Brandan Schieppati does more of his mid-to-high vocals while still doing his lower ones. There are less clean vocals, here at the same level as Dust to Ashes. Don't worry if you think this sounds too different. The breakdowns and Gothenburg-like riffs will still shake around in this album.

It all begins with the intro, "Finis Fatalis Spei", beginning with a dramatic orchestral intro that builds up until a final announcement of war from, I assume it's Brandan. Then it's time for the war! The title track, "Declaration (You Can't Destroy What You Can Not Replace)" barges in with blast beats, atmospheric keyboards, and dark-sounding guitars. As the darker tone increases throughout, the guitars and keyboards unite for something sinister, associated with black metal far more than metalcore. Then guess what? There's the first breakdown of this album! However, dark guitars and driving bass are layered over the breakdown for a dark aggressive feel with less force. Oh I almost didn't mention that the notorious Tim Lambesis of As I Lay Dying guest appears in that song (you'll know why I called him "notorious" if you know more about him). Next up is "Orange County Blonde and Blue", a short mean lean thrashing machine, adding new touches to their old sound. Slaying guitars, metalcore screams, raging drums, and breakdowns are all served in a small metalcore dish. There's an extreme side-order of blast-beats with tremolo-riffs and keyboards. Another part of the song to highlight is the drumming that's working well, along with the improving bass. "Germany" continues smashing the listener into oblivion with black metal riffs, metalcore breakdowns, and melodic death metal hyper-aggression.

Bleeding Through really shines with the much longer atmospheric flood of "There Was a Flood". Clean guitars open the song then evolve into power chords alongside keyboards that continue the black metal undertones when the intro gets cut by the expected high-octane attack. That's also one of a few tracks in the album with clean singing. "French Inquisition" is another chaotic extreme metalcore song. Think of any French black metal band that comes to your mind and mix it with metalcore. That's what that song is! "Reborn From Isolation" continues the pummeling melodic black/deathcore action with strong low growls mixed with his high screams that continue to shine. "Death Anxiety" blends the melodeath of The Black Dahlia Murder with the metalcore of All That Remains at that time, plus more orchestration.

"The Loving Memory of England" is a soft one-and-a-half-minute interlude that reminds me of English death-doom masters My Dying Bride. "Beneath the Grey" continues the extreme action again. The hardcore/thrash influenced "Seller's Market" just speeds through without care. That's probably the least interesting song of this album, right before the most interesting! The epic black metal-like closer "Sister Charlatan" is the most atmospheric song of this album and the longest by the band at 9 minutes, though only the first 5 minutes count. This is my personal favorite here! After the epic orchestral intro, the band comes back to their furious business once more. The guitars switch from tremolo lines to dark riffs. The blast-beat drums range from traditional to Suffocation-like technical. The keyboards have ominous atmosphere and intricate melody, even in the brief breakdown. There's even a greatly placed guitar solo. Like I said, the actual song ends after 5 minutes, then for the last 3 minutes, the soft somber piano melody from the intro plays again in a rainy thunderstorm. That's a little unsettling for me because (don't laugh) I'm scared of thunder and lightning.

The expanding evolution of Bleeding Through's sound continues, and they went down their path to the dark side of extreme aggression, thus making the great solid album that is Declaration. Half of the amount of songs are more memorable than in previous albums. I have all the Bleeding Through albums, but I keep remembering this one a lot more than others despite a few other albums being better than this one. Must be the better songwriting or sound, I don't know. This is still the true Bleeding Through, only with more extreme influences than before. Sometimes even the small things can be more interesting in every listen. The production is notably handled by Devin Townsend. The sound has much clear power and the instruments can be heard better with overpowering each other. It's not the ultimate best Bleeding Through album, but it has some of the strongest cohesive material they have to offer. Purchase or no purchase, this album will get you interested in Bleeding Through in no time. I declare a warlike listen!

Favorites: "Declaration (You Can't Destroy What You Can Not Replace)", "Orange County Blonde and Blue", "There Was a Flood", "Reborn From Isolation", "Sister Charlatan"