With only one demo previous to their name released in 2008, Black Thoughts Bleeding are what you might deem an inexperienced band. On the other hand, making music is often said to be a young man’s game and somehow this German metalcore mob exude a certain fresh-faced vivacity that the slam-pitting youth will undoubtedly relate to while making the rest of us feel like a good moan about how things used to be. Thanks to my younger brother I have a small tolerance to this style of metal; usually much to my chagrin might I add however it does come in handy when I end up lumbered with the albums no-one else wants (for some reason metalcore fans don’t seem to make very reliable writers; though would be delighted if anyone out there is willing to prove me wrong!)
Anyway, to get back on track here, since when was fresh-faced vivacity or youthful exuberance a bad thing? Hell, Procter & Gamble make a killing out of women’s (and increasingly men’s) obsession with looking young even if to coin a rather random analogy. The real point I am trying to make is that whatever spark is required to make a metalcore band sound decent, Black Thoughts Bleeding definitely have it! With Stomachion, they demonstrate the ability to pen catchy melodies and well-structured songs that will soon having you tapping your foot. There is some quite intricate guitar work, for example, on ‘Escape’ which works with the music and soon things pick up pace as the pattering drums lead the way forth.
‘Set To Kill’ starts out with a nice bit of thrash riffing, and equally on ‘Tragedy Of Evolution’ there’s a Mike Amott vibe to the style of playing. There is generally a nice crunch to their sound as well, though it’s not all about out and out heaviness and brutality. ‘Fade To Light’ is a nice mellowed-out number and one that really showcases Dominik’s clean vocal croons. Similar to Howard Jones (Killswitch Engage) he packs in equal parts emotion and power with a rich tonal quality and stays clear from that nasal whine that so often vexes me with bands in the genre.
Production is solid and there’s a nice sheen that suits the sound very well. Of course, if you point-blank don’t like metalcore this is unlikely to sway your mind but if you are partial to a bit of Killswitch or Caliban then you’d do well to pick this up. I expect to see this band touring the globe with the giants of the genre before the year is out.
http://www.myspace.com/blackthoughtsbleeding
