Declaration

Bleeding Through | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 30, 2008)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Trustkill Records
• ASIN: B001EC6JVM
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #161,728 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Where many bands at this stage in their career start talking about melody, accessibility and radio airplay, Bleeding Through resists the trends and walks where many artists fear to tread. Declaration is heavier, darker, angrier, more pissed off, faster and more epic than anything in the band's already impressive catalog. The follow up to The Truth (2006) and This is Love, This is Murderous (2003), which have sold a combined quarter of a million albums worldwide, was produced by Devin Townsend in Vancouver, British Columbia. Declaration is incredibly dense, layered and full of atmosphere, recalling the finest moments of classic death metal, black metal and hardcore. Bleeding Through has always stood for the broken-hearted and betrayed. Declaration expands further upon that idea. Contrary to earlier reports of a conceptually driven album, Bleeding Through's latest is their most diverse offering thematically, addressing a variety of topics on tracks like "There Was a Flood," "Germany" and "Death Anxiety."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spectacular!, October 5, 2008

By 

Mark Carver (China) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Declaration (Audio CD)

"This is Love, This is Murderous" lifted Bleeding Through out of murky underground obscurity, and though it was a little uneven and rough around the edges, it was powerful, sincere, and unique. "The Truth" saw them heading down a slightly softer, more accessible road, though they still retained a seething bite. I was worried that they would tone it down even more with "Declaration," following in the footsteps of All That Remains, In Flames, etc. I was wrong- in fact they went in the complete opposite direction and churned out a scorching masterpiece that makes their previous efforts look like mere sound checks.

Remember how surprised you were with Soulfly's "Dark Ages?" Everyone was saying "Boy, Max is really mad." With "Declaration," every song boils with hatred and fury. Of course, they were always angry- they're a metal band. But the venom flying off this album isn't the mournful "b*&%& you broke my heart" hate, it's way beyond that. With that said, it translates into an album that will doubtless alienate many fans of their earlier work, but I see this as the natural evolution of their sound. They always had a creepy, semi-goth vibe to their thrash/hardcore heaviness, and it's full throttle here. I would dissect this album as 30% hardcore, 30% death metal/thrash, and 40% black metal. There are grim staccato riffs and blastbeats a-plenty, accompanied by terrifying shrieks and bellows. Imagine if "Waking the Fallen" era Avenged Sevenfold, Slayer, and Emperor had a drunken orgy. Actually don't imagine that, but throw these bands into a meat grinder, turn it up to 11 and you've got "Declaration."

I applaud them for fleeing the well-trod road of commercial accessibility and making an album that will shock and awe their audience with it's fury, power, and bleakness. There are still a few melodic moments and the breakdowns are in abundance, so it's still unquestionably Bleeding Through, but they've pulled a Barry Bonds and chugged the steriods en masse and become a terrifying metal behemoth. In a year of monster releases (Slipknot, Metallica, Soulfly, Opeth, etc.), "Declaration" stands out as the most pleasant and blistering surprise of the year. Twenty seconds into the second song (the first is an ethereal intro), your jaw will be on the floor, I promise.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scathing!, September 30, 2008

By 

Hot Sauce "Hot Sauce" (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Declaration (Audio CD)

Bleeding Through has done it again! With this release they have finally perfected the perfect blend of black metal, metal and hardcore or black-metalcore if there ever was a genre, Bleeding Through started it! Brandon's vocals are much more diverse on this record, with the low grunts, high screeches and some clean vocals here and there. Marta's keyboards are incorporated more throughout making them more noticable on this record than the previous three. Big muscular riffs and tight rythym section you would expect. My only complaint would be the single note breakdowns. They are pretty rampant on this record, though it doesn't take away what is truly great about the album. If anybody thought that they would go the softer or more 'commercial' sound after the truth, you couldn't be anymore wrong. Declaration is more darker, faster and heavier and I'm enjoying the hell out of it!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Amazing Album by Bleeding Through, November 19, 2009

By 

Siklootd (Santa Fe, NM) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Declaration (Audio CD)

Bleeding Through has never truly fit into the mold of simply one genre. By embracing influences of multiple genres, including: Black Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Metalcore, and Hardcore, Bleeding Through has established a very unique sound unlike any other band within the Metalcore genre. With each new release, it seems as if the band is changing, evolving into a more matured band that embraces its influences with each new album.

It comes as no surprise that if someone asks me what my favorite genres are I will always tell them Melodic Death Metal and Metalcore; and if someone asks me who my favorite band is I will always respond "Bleeding Through". This album, yet again, proves that Bleeding Through is one of the most talented Metalcore bands in existence today.

The ability that band has in order to evolve with each sequential release is truly amazing; starting off more along the lines of pure hardcore with their albums "Dust to Ashes" and "Portrait of a Goddess", their style became more melodic influenced upon the release of "This is Love, This is Murderous". This trend continued onto "The Truth" and is even stronger on their latest release "Declaration".

"Declartion" is a mixture of Melodic Death Metal, Metalcore, and Hardcore. By taking the best of each of these genres and mixing them together, Bleeding Through has once again made a truly unique, and amazing album. The opening track "Finnis Fatalis Spei" starts off with a very haunting melody, and then interludes into a more classical sounding tone, while still retaining that haunting tone. It then quickly transitions into a set of high octane, double bass drum beats, accompanied by Brandan's traditional growl/yell that fans are accustomed to hearing from the band.

The lyrical content is darker on this album than what it was on "The Truth" and on the style is also much heavier than what was seen on "The Truth" as well. Whereas the album "The Truth" focused on clean vocals for the choruses, "Declaration" features a bare minimum amount of clean vocals. Instead, the band focuses more on heavier sounding growls, rather than the more traditional yells associated with Hardcore and Metalcore band these days.

Every track also features a much more dominant keyboard track in the background. This helps create a new tone for the band, a much darker, a boding, and haunting tone than what has been done with past releases. This helps separate "Declaration" apart from other recent releases within the Metalcore genre. "Declaration" has a dark tone that is seen more often with Gothenburg style of bands, rather than American Metalcore bands. This new mixture of melody, along with instrumental work is truly amazing, and it's a great new direction for the band.

I love every track on this album, but my favorite has to be "Sister Charlatan". The opening melody of that track is simply amazing, and the blend of hardcore, metalcore, and melodic influences truly shine. From the deep grunts, the yells, the higher pitched screams, and the well sung clean vocals, Bleeding Through hits a bulls-eye with amazing accuracy. Another song that is worth listening to is "There Was a Flood", but then again every track is worth giving a listen. If anyone wishes to listen to a metal album that truly sets itself apart from stereotypes and displays a wide range of talent, both vocally and instrumentally, then look no further than Declaration. A truly stunning album from start to finish from a truly unique band.