Bleeding Through – Love Will Kill All (Review)

Bleeding Through are a metalcore band from the US and this is their eighth album.

Bleeding Through were always one of the absolute best of the metalcore bands that appeared in the early 00s. Not only were they brutally aggressive, with a truly harsh side to their sound that was rarely matched by some of their contemporaries, but they also married this up with some first-rate songcraft, and a relatively unusual inclusion, (at the time), of Gothic keyboards.

All of this made them stand out from the metalcore hordes, and to be honest, this is still the case. As such, I’m very excited that the band have returned. Where else can you find brutal blast beats, huge crushing riffs, scathing melodies, chaotic violence, epic atmospherics, and soaring vocals, all in one place?

Bleeding Through know their style well, and the 37 minutes of material on Love Will Kill All delivers exactly what you would want from the band. Whether they’re being heavy and harsh, beautifully colourful, melodically captivating, or indulging their symphonic side, (or multiple of these at the same time), the songs on this album are catchy, memorable, and full of so many hooks you’ll tear your skin on them repeatedly.

One of the things I always loved about Bleeding Through was their effortless combination of accessibility and extremity. They write metalcore songs that focus purely on all of the strengths that metalcore has, with none of the generic weaknesses, and then spice this up with grand keyboards and death metal brutality. Bloody Hell. I mean, what’s not to like?

It’s also great to hear the singer’s charismatic screams, shouts, and growls once more. In a band full of obvious talent and skill, he still manages to stand out as a major asset. And that’s not even mentioning his superb clean singing voice.

Love Will Kill All showcases Bleeding Through at their best. After so many years away, it sees them focused, hungry, and ready to destroy. If their last album – 2012’s The Great Fire – saw the band at their weakest, (in my opinion at any rate), then Love Will Kill All sees them at their strongest. Lean, mean, and with no filler at all, this is the album that I was hoping for, but feared I’d never hear the likes of again.

One of my favourite bands have returned, stronger than ever, and ready to tear the world in half. Quite simply, this is essential for anyone into this sort of heavy music.