Seven Billion Demons
Bleed
•
February 16, 2015

There's definitely something about Thrash that stirs my loins, I can never decide whether its the "fuck you" attitude it always seems to have or the sheer unrelenting energy that it pumps all over the place. Sod it, I'm sure it's both of them.
There has been a massive resurgence of Thrash in recent years and although this has churned out a lot of bands that are just desperately trying to recreate the old spark that lit the world on fire in the 80's, there are more than a few out there that have managed to reignite this flame with their own unique flavour. One such band is BLEED, a Dutch five piece that have crafted their own brand of this old world brew from the classic elements of bands like MUNICIPAL WASTE along with the newer, darker ingredients that the last 20 years of Death Metal have had to offer.
The first full length album "Seven Billion Demons" has been a long time coming, with the band forming almost ten years ago and their first promo being release six years ago. The album stands as a testament to the fact that they have clearly been doing something all this time. I was surprised to find out that this is entirely self released as it just sounds so goddamn well made, I've come to accept that most independent albums lack somewhat in the production qualities that their signed contemporaries can flaunt about. The first thing that struck me (apart from the wall of guitar riffage coming from my speakers) was just how well put together it is, the balancing is near perfect and you can pick out everything that happens throughout it's entirety. Technical nerdiness aside, the album opens with the title track and you get a real sense for exactly what the next half an hour is going to be about. It's hard to have much ambiguity in the phrase "Seven Billion Demons".
The Thrash elements are truly present in the guitar work and it is so easy to hear the San Francisco Bay tearing its way into the 21st century in the form of fast paced and chopsy riffs that make you want to punch someone in the most loving way possible. It's really bizarre though as this isn't really a Thrash album, there are just too many influences and sounds going on for it to really fall into that category. The vocal work is so dangerously Death inspired that it would be too easy to start skinning someone without really realising what was happening. It's not all violence and torture though and there are a few points on the album, such as in THE URGE, where the more fun loving side of the Thrash influences start to creep in, imbuing a very welcome variation in the song.
I suppose the only real disappointment is that the variation isn't more pronounced, the songs can all start to bleed into each other about two thirds of the way through. This is only a minor gripe however and as far as debut full length albums go, this is certainly one of the better ones I've heard.
All in all BLEED are definitely a band to keep your eyes and ears on. They are currently planning to tour any corner of the globe that will take them and if you want raw, ferocious energy then hopefully they will be coming to a town near you.
7 / 10
Good

"Seven Billion Demons" Track-listing:
1. Seven Billion Demons
2. No Hope Without Suffering
3. The Pretense Of Wisdom
4. Tear It Down
5. Part Of The Problem
6. C'est Les Autres
7. No Regrets
8. Deep Down
9. Moment Of Silence
10. The Urge
11. Wolves Among Sheep
12. Pray For Me
Bleed Lineup:
Thomas - Vocals
Michiel - Guitar
Jordy - Guitar
David - Bass
Remmert - Drums
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