Bodysnatcher – Bleed-Abide
Release Date: 22nd April 2022
Label: MNRK Heavy
Bandcamp
Genre: Deathcore, Hardcore, Beatdown, Down-tempo.
FFO: Paleface, Distant, I Am, Falsifier, Varials, Traitors.
Review By: Mike Leighton
Down-tempo titans and deathcore heavyweights, Bodysnatcher, are set to release their upcoming, highly anticipated new album Bleed-Abide on April 22, 2022. Bleed-Abide, is not only the group’s third full length, but also their most mature, unyielding effort to date. The follow up to 2020’s This Heavy Void has brought some of the band’s strongest musical composition yet, along with a very robust and impassioned vocal delivery from vocalist, Kyle Medina. Focusing on heavy yet down-to-earth themes, Bodysnatcher’s lyrics have always been easy to connect with amongst hardcore fans, and Bleed-Abide is no different. Bodysnatcher is Kyle Medina on vocals, Kyle Carter on guitars, Kyle Shope on bass, and Chris Whited on drums. Clocking in at just over 42 minutes, Bodysnatcher have delivered pure unadulterated aggression yet again. So, let us dive head first into this new album, Bleed-Abide!
Bleed is the title track, and it begins with a very dark yet atmospheric ambiance, reeling the listener in for what can only be the start of an absolute audio assault. Bleed blends seamlessly into the second track, Abide. Right off the bat, Bodysnatcher haven’t missed a beat since their last album. Medina’s vocals are just as brutal as ever, delving deeper into deathcore than ever before. The drums are more articulate, and guitars are much heavier, crunchier, and well-crafted than before. Abide sets the stage for the rest of the album in a fantastic way; displaying everything fans have come to love from the band, while at the same time showing just how much they have grown as musicians.
Absolved Of The Strings And Stone, is the third track on Bleed-Abide Released back in 2021, in a way, this was the first taste fans got of new Bodysnatcher. Only a minute in, we are already getting some of the more menacing material released from these guys, containing some absolutely destructive vocals side by side some bouncy guitars! Dark, heavy, and downright filthy, the breakdown in this track just keeps giving, alongside Medina’s shining vocal delivery. Sonically, very evil, almost demonic, everything about this track feels much more elevated than anything Bodysnatcher have put out so far. Aside from the vocals, there is a lot of musical variation throughout with the guitars: another shining factor! Smashed Perception starts with another fantastic guitar riff, and is absolute heaviness incarnate. Then we get Flatline, which was a standout track for me lyrically! Value Through Suffering begins with quite a refreshing clean guitar in the intro side by side some dark ambience in the background. Then the vocals enter, and soon to follow the fast-paced drums.
Chaos, the first track of what I anticipate being a trilogy of tracks. This track starts off with almost a minute of eerie layers that sound almost reversed in nature, but then there’s a voice. Sounds almost like the voice in the back of your mind. Then before you know it, Kyle’s vocals enter, fierce and full of anger,
“Feel the pain, it’s constant and sharp…”
“Feel how I feel, I’ll inflict my pain onto you…”
Almost as if describing the cycle of violence that a lot of people are directly, or indirectly, a part of. Never to escape, only to perpetuate. Almost like a controlled Chaos… A very thought-provoking track, but there’s more to come.
E.D.A., the first official single that was released. This track is heavy, and really highlights the growth in Medina’s vocals as far as different techniques go and expounding on his already brutal output. We get another taste of full-on deathcore gutturals in this track, and it is just wonderful to hear. Fully accentuates the tone of the track alongside the pounding guitar tones and pummelling drum fills.
Wired for Destruction, the second single released. A fast-paced, audio assault; never letting up, like a bus that has had its brakes cut. Probably my favourite track on the album, especially with the most memorable breakdown. They build up to it in an ingenious way, and then boom it hits. This album is littered with breakdowns, but as heard on this track, they are accomplished in a much smarter, more experienced way. You cannot always anticipate when they’ll happen, but when they hit, you will know it.
“I’m scared I don’t have a soul,” seems to be a theme on this album. Someone who does not know who they are, almost leading back to Chaos lyrically. Someone who is committing actions without explanation or forethought.
Next, we get Hollow Shell. Starting off with an impressive guitar riff. Much like the rest of the album, it gets the blood pumping. Makes me ready to jump into the pit and let all Hell break loose! The boys in Bodysnatcher always bring the thunder, and this track is no exception.
“How can you live with what you are and what you’re doing? Forcing your own mother into the dark. Festering and rotting away with you. How many excuses does it f*****g take? It makes me f*****g sick. Just a hollow shell, a waste of life, a waste of [dark], but yet all you’ve done is make your mother a prisoner in her own fucking home…”
Easily the heaviest lyrical content on the album. It felt like a continuation of the track Turning Point from This Heavy Void. Here we get that heavy content we have come to expect from vocalist, Kyle Medina. No holds barred, aggression, anger, and absolute pure hatred just spilling from his lips. This track is definitely a heavy hitter and brings some of the themes back full circle. The person talking on this track almost sounds like they’re talking to the subject of Chaos.
It feels as though, from an interpretation standpoint, Chaos is referencing someone who is inflicting pain on someone else, Wired For Destruction is the person receiving that pain; someone who is confused and alone, and Hollow Shell is from the perspective of someone done standing idly by.
This completes the cycle; it comes back full circle. It either ends here or it starts again.
The Question is Bleed-Abide’s final track. It takes everything that Bodysnatcher have brought to the table thus far and have twisted it into something heavier to really bring this album to a close. Kyle Carter’s guitar playing brings in an impressive, melodic minor solo in the middle that really hammers home how far these guys have come since their inception as far as musical composition goes.
“Death takes us all…Give me the evidence of something to believe in. No more childish made-up bullshit. I’ll just put it to rest and close my eyes knowing that there’s f*****g nothing after I die. Will anyone actually care or am I just f*****g wasting my time? I want to believe that I’ll see you again! I don’t want to lose control and fade away…”
Just another reason these guys are leading the charge in deathcore! Heavy and passion-filled with nothing held back.
(4.5 / 5)
