photo by Jon Wiederhorn
Anyone who has followed the Orange County metalcore scene knows that Bleeding Through were one of the progenitors of the movement along with Eighteen Visions, Atreyu and Avenged Sevenfold. And while each of the other aforementioned bands has gotten increasingly more mainstream over time, Bleeding Through have become heavier than ever. (click "more" to read the full show review and check out our accompanying photo essay).
The band has always incorporated elements of thrash into their music, but now they're also conveying a tangible black metal vibe. Of course, none of the members had on corpse paint during their Sunday night show at New York's Blender Theater, but their performance echoed with menace and their songs reverberated with pounding double bass drums, blast beats and minor-key keyboard swells redolent of bands like Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth.
Frontman Brandan Schieppati prowled the stage like a hardcore veteran, galvanizing the crowd with a blend of hardcore screams, vicious growls and the occasional melodic vocal, and guitarists Jona Weinhofen and Demon Hunter's Patrick Judge (temporarily filling in for Brian Leppke) propelled the songs with staccato buzzsaw bursts, incisive hooks and breakdowns chunky enough to hang on meathooks.
The band's set was heavily weighted with songs from 2006's The Truth, and 2008's Declaration and and in the middle of the set Schieppati urged the crowd to get hold of the new record however they wanted, even if it meant downloading it illegally.
In addition to being visually captivating, Bleeding Through were incredibly tight, plowing through tempo and rhythm shifts without a hiccup and starting songs simultaneously without resorting to anything as primitive as a four-count.
Playing direct support to Bleeding Through, The Acacia Strain, shook the crowd with a brutal barrage of downtuned guitar rhythms, squealing harmonics, complex double-bass drumbeats and contemptuous, tone-free vocals. What the band lacked in melody, it made up for in sheer force, pummeling the audience with breakdown after vicious breakdown. And while the music was consistently heavy and oppressive, the songs contained brief, angular melodic guitar passages that provided welcome relief from the otherwise crushing assault.
Throughout the set, bearlike vocalist Vincent Bennett played to the crowd, extending his middle finger in the air and gesticulating wildly as he screamed, and guitarist Daniel "DL" Laskiewicz provided additional visual focus, alternately sneering and smiling and storming around the stage when he wasn't leaning against the front row, threatening to enter the pit.
All Photos by Jon Wiederhorn
Bleeding Through
The Acacia Strain
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