After 12, almost 13 years, Bleeding Through has debuted album number seven, with The Great Fire, a tightly woven ball of blistering hardcore beatdowns and gothic melodies ominously played over brutal guitar licks. Previous endeavors from the  self-proclaimed hardcore band were accepted with open arms, showering audiences and critics with graceful piano/synth melodies and spiteful, aggressively charged lyrics, making their spot in the vast world of metal and hardcore concrete. The new album completely shatters perceptions of the band, with yet another emotionally fueled repertoire of the technically awe inspiring drumming and overall musicianship of the entire band, wrapped up in neat, short songs that really reign in the under-lying hardcore mentality of the band and even bringing it more to the foreground.

One of my favorite types of albums, a “back-to-basics” with an edge, with heart, and with lead vocalist Mike Schiepatti slinging his angst ridden ultimatums in a display of pure power and animosity. It’s seldom I find an album that so willingly gives itself in to the crushing rhythmic dregs of hardcore while keeping a fresh and open mind to the sleek synth lines that never overshadow the monstrous onslaught of power this band is pumping. It’s heavy, and the production is spot on, with each track having a nice glossy finish, setting the tempo for what could fit so perfectly in with horror films, it’s almost atmospheric in the sense that it creates the dark, angry mood. This is an album for the dedicated, and for the newly interested, if you want quality hardcore/metal look no further.