ALBUM REVIEW: Era – Bleed From Within

Back when they released Uprising in 2013 it seemed like BLEED FROM WITHIN were one of the most promising and exciting metal bands in the UK. The combination of crushing riffs, huge grooves and catchy hooks without ever compromising how heavy they are felt like a winning formula. However after a follow up EP in 2014 all that promise seemed to amount to very little and BLEED FROM WITHIN fell silent. Now five years after their last album BLEED FROM WITHIN are back to give it another go with Era.

Five years is a long time between albums, especially when you are a smaller band. There’s always a fear that people will have lost interest in that time. This has clearly added a lot of pressure on this new album because if BLEED FROM WITHIN can’t deliver here than it might be too little too late. It’s fortunate then that have delivered what might be their best album yet with Era. They’ve taken everything they did on Uprising and just cranked it up another level. Opening track Clarity is a huge statement as the riffs come bursting out your speakers. Scott Kennedy is still capable of delivering catchy vocal hooks without ever resorting to singing. It really sets the tone for the rest of the album

If you are a fan of riffs then Era is definitely going to be an album for you. Every song is packed several great riffs. The influence of bands like LAMB OF GOD and PANTERA can certainly be heard but things never sound completely derivative. Even with the addition of a new guitarist BLEED FROM WITHIN still sound as tight as ever and the onslaught of grooves and thrash inspired riffing is just relentless. Crown Of Misery is an early standout when it comes to riffs. It’s opening riff is a guaranteed circle pit starter before shifting into one of the biggest grooves on the entire album.

It’s not all about the guitars though, with Ali Richardson delivering his best work yet behind the drum kit. The drumming on this album pummels you without ever letting up. The rhythm section really holds the album together. And Scott Kennedy really has shown growth as a vocalist here. There is sparring use of clean vocals on the album such as on Gatekeeper, but it never feels overdone. I Am Oblivion, Pt.II also features some experimentation with his vocals mixing in the cleaner vocals with an almost black metal inspired vocal delivery at one moment. The production on the album is also outstanding. Everything is incredibly slick and polished without ever sounding too soulless. The production just enhances every element of BLEED FROM WITHIN‘s sound and makes every sound sound enormous.

There are a few slight flaws with the album however. It does fall a little on the long side and maybe could be a little tighter. Shiver is easily the weakest track on the album, while it’s far from terrible it just drags on a little and hurts the pacing of the album slightly. And while the experimental moments are cool, I Am Oblivion, Pt.II does feel like a lesser version of it’s counterpart on Uprising. It’s a shame to say the most experimental moments on the album are the weakest, but when BLEED FROM WITHIN are just so good at delivering straight up metal these songs do stick out a bit. Still it’s the sort of thing that they could nail next time round.

Era is a great way for BLEED FROM WITHIN to get back on track. Even after four years away they have come back and delivered a metal album that sounds fresh and current whilst drawing influence from some of the best bands in metal. Hopefully this time round they get all the attention they deserve, not every band gets a second chance but BLEED FROM WITHIN really deserve one.

Rating: 8/10

Era is set for release on April 6th via Century Media Records.

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