The Bleeding - Morbid Prophecy

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The United Kingdom’s Death/Thrash Metal savages in THE BLEEDING returned on Oct. 18 with “Morbid Prophecy,” their second full-length. With seven tracks of high-speed, thrashing riffs (and one peaceful interlude), this band seeks to destroy.

“Demonic Oath” kicks this record off with an eerie clean guitar intro, nicely transitioning into blisteringly fast riffs. The sound is old school, like MASTER or DEMOLITION HAMMER, and the track progresses smoothly. With complex riffs and great songwriting, this is a great start to the album.

This band shows great skill in songwriting. Riffs scarcely get old on this album because the band will make slight yet noticeable changes in the music in order to keep it interesting. This is very noticeable with “Maelstrom,” a track with a jumpy, rhythmic section halfway through reminiscent of something jazzy. “Morbid Prophecy” also shows this with its concluding breakdown. It progresses quickly and effectively.

It seems that most bands from the UK throughout history have been complete riff masters, and The Bleeding is no exception. “Entering the Pandemonium” has a large variety of riffs, the intro riff sounding like a track off MONSTROSITY’s “Rise to Power.” Each track has its own noteworthy riffs, making this album riff-city certified.

This album excels in the realm of production. The band has an old school sound, and modern recording techniques make sure that everything is clear. The bass is audible, something that is noteworthy, as it is often the instrument that gets buried in the mix.

If there is something about this album that disappoints it would be the structure. The record starts off strong with four hammering tracks that are exploding with great riffs. The last three tracks (the instrumental interlude excluded) are great, but they do not have as much of a punch as the first four tracks. If they spread out the better tracks on the record, it would have been more climactic.

With a vocalist reminiscent of Mikael Castervall of Sweden’s HYPNOSIA, this band is a force to be reckoned with. Intense riffs, fierce vocals and punishing drums are all to be found on the latest full-length from The Bleeding.

Songwriting: 9
Originality: 7
Memorability: 7
Production: 8