Emotionalpunk.com
Media Review
Music Quality: 9.5
Production: 10.0
Originality: 10.0
Tracklisting
2. You Know Who's Seatbelt
3. I Never Met Another Gemini
4. Ruth Buzzi Better Watch Her Back
5. Sound Of Sulfur
6. Porcelain Hearts And Hammers For Teeth
7. Get Up You Son Of A B****, Cause Mickey Loves Ya
8. Spitshine Sonata
9. We Are The Industry
10. Nothing We Say Leaves This Room
Typically, before I heard this record, I would often cast off hardcore bands left and right, simply because I was repelled by the thought of a band only doing screaming. Call me ignorant, but I've always been a fan of melodies, and usually when I listen to a band the vocals are what tend to be the biggest factor in turning me on or off. With The Bled, I can't say I feel different necessarily about screaming, but instead I found myself focusing on a different aspect of their music: the guitar work.
It's easy to be turned off to hardcore if you simply focus on the vocals and listen for a sing-along melody or notes. The Bled were the first band to literally slap me in the face and make me realize that with some bands, the focus should be on the guitars. Their guitar work, needless to say, was disgustingly nasty. Seamless composition? No. Tons of choppy, blasphemous dropoffs and insane amounts of energy make The Bled the first flat-out hardcore band I enjoyed. Their breakdowns are really what make them so stunning. Similar to Beloved's style of heavy, crunchy chords that will suddenly interrupt a loud wall of sound, The Bled take it to the next level and scatter the CD with a myriad of punchy, solid rhythms, keeping the listener constantly attentive.
This might be the first CD that makes kids who aren't into hardcore realize that sometimes, singing really isn't everything. If you want to take a ride on the wild side and listen to a fresh, compelling new hardcore debut CD, buy this. And undoubtedly, I am confident that this CD will blow even the most aggressive hardcore fans away.