Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for Bleeding Through - The Truth (2006)

Once again, Bleeding Through is one of the few remaining metalcore bands to avoid the generic monotony of sadness, happiness, and sappiness. I'm a true die-hard fan of Bleeding Through who would never suck up to the band and instead say the truth, the complete truth, and nothing but the truth, which is this: They take metalcore to a whole different level. I already made that point clear in my This Is Love, This Is Murderous review, and in order to completely agree with my opinions, you have to listen to this album and think as honestly as possible before slapping in the one-word label metalcore. You know how good this album is when you realize the truth of...The Truth!

A big difference compared to previous Bleeding Through albums in the neater production, which is often for bands as their discography goes on. For The Truth, a lot of depth and power is polished by the mixing and mastering with multiple layers. Besides Bleeding Through's standard instrumentation, they use multiple effects, all you can ever ask for. The guitar texture is more varied due to its unique tone. Vocalist Brandan Schieppati is really pushing his vocal range harder than I can ever do. His clean vocals are more acceptably emotional and not as dramatically used as in previous releases. Those vocals are more frequently reserved for actual choruses, making some big unforgettable parts of The Truth. As for his screaming, he started using higher screams while keeping the growling you would always hear in their usual incredible aggressive metalcore, in which the sonic heaviness is turned down by the lyrics of heartbreak usually delivered in the more emo kind. Of course none of their other albums are softer, but this album really hits you hard in the face without intending any facial injuries. There's never any intentional empty space! So now you have a full metalcore package that's half heavily pounding, half melodically emotional. And if you really hate this album, well...

"I DON'T GIVE A F***!!" That's the first line you ever hear in this album's first track, "For Love and Failing". Now that's a rude awakening! That song mainly focuses on a thrashy riff, whereas the spooky keyboard melody in the middle reminds me of gothic rock/metal band HIM. "Confession" shows some of their melodeath influences. "Love is Slow Motion" is a song that would have the loud audience singing and shouting along. "The Painkiller" is another short yet killer highlight.

"Kill to Believe" has brutal skull-f***ing verses along with sing-along choruses. Of course, the band would never stop their riff-wrath and breakdowns. "Dearly Demented" can kinda be the sequel to the previous album's "Number Seven With a Bullet"; it's over 5 minutes long and has more prominent keyboard parts. The chorus features haunting guest vocals by Nick 13 from psychobilly band Tiger Army. At one point, there is a moshing breakdown before focusing on a riff that would fit well in an Iced Earth album along with said haunting chorus. Then we have something completely different, "Line in the Sand", a Bleeding Through power ballad! It's so emotional yet has the softer feel of heartache with no harsh vocals at all. That still counts as a Bleeding Through song. "She's Gone" returns to melodeath-like chaos at just one-and-a-half minutes in length.

"Tragedy of Empty Streets" has ominous keyboards speeding through the frantic instrumentation. I enjoy that! "Return to Sender" is another enjoyable highlight with melodic singing, keyboard grandeur, and short guitar soloing. "Hollywood Prison" speeds through fast riffs, tough breakdowns, and bad-a** lyrics ("Now I'm struggling to find your f***ing spine, I'll rip out your spine!"). The title outro is a confusing ending, a dark instrumental post-metal song with a bass solo and symphonic keyboards reminiscent of the very early Within Temptation. This song would fit better in an Isis album. Then after the feedback fades out, you're left wondering, "What is the truth of all this??"

The truth of The Truth is, there's almost no need for inventive technicality because what works is how catchy the album is. Bleeding Through already has the usual signature formula, but this time they really pushed it to the limit. Is this my favorite from the band? Hmm, probably my third-favorite, still behind the genre-significant This is Love, This is Murderous, along with their new epic album Love Will Kill All in second place. Still, The Truth is a great recommendation for first-time listeners of Bleeding Through. If that "rude awakening" offends you, just ignore it! All that matters is the memorable accessibility of catchy riffs and choruses. It has so much accessibility, and yet it never loses its extreme edge of furious thrash-ish metalcore. The Truth is out there....

Favorites: For Love and Failing, The Painkiller, Line in the Sand, Tragedy of Empty Streets, Return to Sender