The Bled "Pass the Flask" CD
[Fiddler]
I had no clue what to expect from this as I had never heard of the band, but this is fairly decent metalcore with lots of chugging rhythms, plenty of dissonance and caustic bits, screaming vocals, pull-off riffs galore, and an underlying sense of melody that really helps to carry them along. That's the best thing about this record: All of this has basically been done a million times, but The Bled knows exactly how to write a fucking song, so they can take riffs that would be worthless coming from other bands and build a song around them, even if there are lots of changes and shifts. Their knack for incorporating tasteful melody into the mix works perfectly, without losing any heaviness or aggression. The distorted singing vocals in "Sound of Sulfur" are a nice change of pace, and I'd actually like to hear more of that variation as it would better suit the tonal alterations from clean to distorted, melodic to chaotic, etc. My only gripe about the recording is the percussion. Thankfully there is a good amount of resonance there, but the drumming definitely sticks out some. Not a big deal, but nonetheless... I'd also like to hear more bass guitar, but I wouldn't mess with the rest. The vocals are right in with the guitars, and both are mixed clearly, which is awesome for the guitar panning, because there are a few complex little nuances that sound killer in headphones. The packaging is fucking incredible on this thing. The jewel case is in one of those slipsleeves with a weird wallpaper looking pattern on it in black and dark gray, with a small flask in one corner. Then, the booklet itself is wrapped in another metallic silver booklet that folds vertically and meets in the center. The outer booklet contains the lyrics, while the larger inner booklet contains more metallic silver textures and a slew of photographs. Very cool. The lyrics don't do much for me, but they're at least vague enough to get by. "We'll scrape the guardrail from our teeth and start again. There's a flood in the infirmary where we'll swim through broken glass. Our prosthetic limbs will keep us afloat. Let's set our hearts at self-destruct." This is definitely pretty good stuff. A few of the songs are typical and get old, but for the most part this is "catchier" than any of this stuff usually is. Maybe they'll be the next band of this ilk to magically become huge and end up on a major label? Who knows? (7/10)
Running time - 38:13, Tracks: 10
[Notable tracks: You Know Who's Seatbelt, I Never Met Another Gemini, Spitshine Sonata, Nothing We Say Leaves This Room]
Fiddler Records - http://www.fiddlerrecords.com

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