Bleeding Through haven’t rested on their laurels since their comeback!
After a short existence as Breakneck, the Californian band made a name for itself in the Metalcore scene before calling it a day in 2014. But in 2017, they reformed, followed by an album the following year. In 2025, Brandan Schieppati (vocals), Derek Youngsma (drums), Brian Leppke (guitar), Ryan Wombacher (bass/vocals, Light the Torch, ex-Devil You Know), Marta Demmel (keyboards/vocals) and Brandon Richter (guitar/vocals, ex-Dawn of Ashes, ex-Motionless in White, ex-Urilia) return to present Nine, the band’s ninth album, with the support of SharpTone Records.
The band immediately show that they’re still in top form with Gallows, a virulent first composition that doesn’t hesitate to rely on keyboards for majestic passages, but also on vociferations to reveal its wild side. The contrast between the Old School rhythm and the clean vocals is perfectly managed, as is the heavy atmosphere of Our Brand Is Chaos, which segues into some extremely unifying moments that easily remind us of the 2000s. The break smacks of pure fury, as does the whole of the stirring Dead, But So Alive, where the riffs seem just as chaotic as they are catchy, leaving a slight element of calm in the choruses where the backing vocals take over the space. Hail Destruction takes the band’s most aggressive elements and sublimates them with orchestration, then the musicians welcome Doc Coyle (Bad Wolves, God Forbid) to darken the gloomy Lost In Isolation even further. The vocal alternation is simply perfect, and promises some very violent blows in the pit, but the musicians give us a moment’s respite with Last Breath, a piano interlude where a few choirs float slowly away. We’re off again with the impressive Path To Our Disease, which creates the perfect bridge between violence, unifying parts and steamy Gothic ambience, before setting the scene again with I Am Resistance, where Andrew Neufeld (Comeback Kid) joins the musicians. The track is both majestic and ultra-energetic, creating a striking complementarity before returning to a more dissonant sound on Emery, the next composition, which lets the guitars offer interesting diversity. There’s also a welcome break before the saturation returns, and then it’s with Brian Fair (Shadows Fall) that the band hits us on War Time, a track that is definitely one of the most virulent, taking advantage of a brutal groove to make our skulls shake. The album already comes to an end with Unholy Armada, the final composition which uses particularly epic keyboards to reinforce its effective rhythmic pattern, which is naturally reinforced by vociferations and choruses, leading us to the final leads.
While some might think Bleeding Through appeals to their fans’ nostalgia, they’re not ready to cash in on Nine. The riffs are as virulent as ever, and the musicians still know what they’re doing, which bodes well for post-show aches and pains.
90/100
