Bleeding Through
is a straight edge American metal band from Orange County, California, formed in 1999. The band blends influences stemming from modern hardcore, symphonic (black) metal, and death metal. The band has often been claimed by the scenes of many sub-genres of music, including the modern american DIY hardcore scene, screamo scene, and various metal scenes. However, it can be hard to place a finger on the band's sound, which varies from album to album, and even song to song. This difficulty is further perpetuated by the difficulty of finding collectively agreed-upon names for musical subcultures and genres.
In 2004, Revolver
magazine hailed Bleeding Through as one of eight bands ushering in the "Future of Metal" cover story, [1] and Spin
called Bleeding Through an "artist to watch" in the magazine's February 2004 issue. [2]
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BLEEDING THROUGH TICKETS
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History
Dust to Ashes
and Portrait of the Goddess
: The underground years (1999–2002)
Bleeding Through, a straight edge metalcore/death metal band, was formed in 1999
[3] in
Orange County, California.
The band's roots can be traced back to 1998, when Breakneck was founded by
Brandan 'Sheep' Schieppati (
Eighteen Visions /
Throwdown), Javier Van Huss (Eighteen Visions /
The Mistake /
Enewetak), guitarist
Scott Danough, bass guitarist Chad Tafolla and drummer Troy Born (Taken).
[4] [5] They made their live debut as the supporting act to Throwdown and
Adamantium.
As the band witnessed lineup changes, the departure of Van Huss and subsequent recruitment of Marc Jackson (Throwdown /
Cold War) to cover bass whilst Tafolla reverted to guitar, they decided to expand their current
hardcore sound and added elements of
death metal to their music.
The origin of the band's name was explained in an interview as follows: "Well, it is summed up by the explanation that whether black, white, red, brown, yellow, religious preference, straight or gay, we all bleed the same, and we bleed through this life the same. Thus Bleeding Through."
[6]
Their 2000's demo was followed by a full length album released through
Prime Directive Records entitled
Dust to Ashes
in April 2001. Just prior to entering the studio, Vijay Kumar (of Roundhouse and Cat Burglar) took the bass position and Molly Street enrolled as keyboard player.
The addition of keyboards was an unconventional move for a metalcore act as it brought some
black metal influences into the music.
[7] [8] Just as the album saw issue Born quit the band but a quickfire substitute was located in
Derek Youngsma of Cast in Stone repute.
Severing ties with both Eighteen Visions and Throwdown, Schieppati opted to pursue Bleeding Through as a priority upon completion of the
Indecision Records 2002 offering
Portrait of the Goddess
.
At this juncture the group comprised the guitar pairing of Scott Danough and
Brian Leppke, bassist
Ryan Wombacher (replacing Vijay Kumar who played on
Portrait of the Goddess
[9]) and drummer Derek Youngsma.
This record was far superior in engineering and production than
Dust to Ashes
, and Brandan's vocals were more diverse as opposed to the earlier death metal screaming.
[10]
This Is Love, This Is Murderous
and The Truth
(2003–2007)
After these two relatively underdistributed albums,
[11] Bleeding Through signed to a larger label,
Trustkill Records in 2003,
[12] releasing their third full length album in September of the same year. Promoting the
Ulrich Wild produced
This is Love, This is Murderous
they embarked upon US nationwide touring, opening for
AFI.
[13] These dates had propelled the band to national attention albeit for all the wrong reasons.
[14] Traveling from Utah to a show in Colorado the group's vehicle hit
black ice on the highway, spinning out of control and slamming into a truck that was already flipped over.
[15] A mobile TV unit, there to report on another crash, caught the entire incident on film as their equipment trailer rolled and exploded, showering their instruments and gear across the road.
Fortunately the band escaped with only minor injuries (Johnson had a minor cut on his head), but due to this accident they had to drop off the "Pure Hatred" tour with
Chimaira,
Soilwork and
As I Lay Dying.
The
KSL-TV footage of the accident taking place can be viewed in Real Media format on the channel's official site.
[16] The dramatic televised footage was broadcast everywhere from
CNN Headline News,
Good Morning America,
NBC News and even
The Weather Channel.
received generally favorable reviews from the mainstream media;
Allmusic reviewer, Eduardo Rivadavia wrote that "Bleeding Through's blindingly technical execution provides a constant source of entertainment",
[17] and Aaron Troy from DecoyMusic.com called it "the best metalcore release of 2003".
[18] The metal community praised it as well, even to a greater extent, with Deadtide.com calling it "a very mature offering from still a young band that will only get better and bigger in the future",
[19] Metalrage giving it an 85 score out of 100,
[20] The videos for "Love Lost in a Hail of Gun Fire" and "On Wings of Lead" became staples on
MTV2's
Headbangers Ball
and on
Fuse TV's
Uranium
as well.
[21] It is also Bleeding Through's most successful album to date with more than 125,000 copies sold.
[22]
The following year kicked off with the band's "Mutilation Tour",
[23] which culminated in a sold-out performance at The Glasshouse, near their Orange County home that was captured on a
live DVD,
the next major step in Bleeding Through's career was a spot on
Ozzfest 2004, sharing the second stage alongside headline act
Slipknot and fellow supports
Unearth,
Lamb of God,
Every Time I Die,
Hatebreed,
Lacuna Coil and
Atreyu.
[24] They earned the direct support position on MTV2's third "Headbanger's Ball: The Tour" in November, featuring
Cradle of Filth,
Arch Enemy and
Himsa as touring partners.
[25] In an unexpected move, Bleeding Through also donated their rendition of "
Rocket Queen" to the
Guns N' Roses tribute album
Bring You to Your Knees
released by Law of Inertia Records in March 2004.
A 2005 re-issue of
This Is Love, This Is Murderous
added three bonus live tracks, "Revenge I Seek", "Rise" and "Our Enemies", two music videos and a ten minute documentary.
[26] Following this, the band embarked upon European touring in February 2005, supported by Swedes
Cult of Luna.
[27] In April the group, working with
Rob Caggiano as producer, ensconced themselves in
Cherokee Studios,
Los Angeles to cut a new album billed
The Truth
.
As
This Is Love, This Is Murderous
passed the 100,000 sales figure in the USA,
[28] further touring found the band headlining the second annual "Strhess Fest" in alliance with
Darkest Hour,
Zao,
Misery Signals, and Fight Paris commencing early July.
[29] Upon completion of these gigs the group hooked up with the "
Warped Tour" tour for a two week stretch.
[30] November saw shows with Day of Contempt,
[31] before the group entered the recording studio to lay down cover versions of
Black Flag's "
My War", for use on a tribute album, and
Unbroken's "Proverb".
[32]
Bleeding Through's
The Truth
album was released on January 10, 2006 through Trustkill Records. The album was produced by Rob Caggiano, lead guitarist of
Anthrax. The band decided to rebuild their sound from the ground up, quoting to
Alternative Press
as "Taking out the Metalcore, and then adding the metal into hardcore, if that makes any sense." (--Scott Danough, guitarist). "I don't think this album sounds like anything else out there right now. We're very proud of that fact." says guitarist Brian Leppke.
Kerrang! magazine declared that "The Truth" "is about to tear 2006 a new arsehole" upon the album's release in a 4 "KKKK" review (out of 5) while Billboard Magazine hailed the album as "one of the most important" heavy metal albums of the year. A few smaller critics were not so kind: Vik Bansal of musicOMH.com described it as an album that shows "whilst they're not quite there yet, Bleeding Through do have the ability to become bleeding edge",
[33] Allmusic's Eduardo Rivadavia's opinion was that the band "played it safe" this time and emphasized their "infuriatingly one-dimensional reliance on victimized, self-pitying lyrics of a middle school maturity level".
[34] Although some critics praised the improvement of production, recording, and mixing quality by Rob Caggiano, and the melodic approach to song writing.
[35] The album entered the
Billboard 200 at No. 48,
[36] and No. 1 on the Top Independent Albums.
Promoting
The Truth
, the band opened 2006 with US dates throughout February and March backed by Every Time I Die,
Between the Buried and Me and
Haste the Day.
[37] The band also put in a significant appearance on the second stage at the
Tool, Guns N' Roses and
Metallica headlined
Download Festival in Castle Donington, UK on June 9.
[38] On July 18, Bleeding Through appeared on
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Stand-up comedian
Mitch Fatel joined the band for a song, Brandan Schieppati called this "surreal in the best possible way".
[39]
The group once again played on the second stage at the 2006 Ozzfest, now as part of the non-rotating lineup along with
Black Label Society, Unearth, Atreyu and
Norma Jean.
[40] In addition to their own headline dates, they also filled Ozzfest "off dates" with shows supporting
Disturbed,
Avenged Sevenfold and Hatebreed.
[41] The band members were on a day off from the festival passing through Medford, Oregon, when they pulled into a Taco Bell parking lot to eat. This resulted in a fan recognizing them and then calling over a bunch of his friends. The band talked with the fans, signed autographs, posed for pictures and also asked the kids if there were any shows happening that night they could participate in. They ended up doing a small club concert with local bands, with roughly 150 people in attendance. The show was a benefit with all proceeds going toward cancer research.
In April 2007 Danough left the band. "We felt that we had grown apart and it was time for both parties to move on", the band wrote in a statement.
[42] After his departure he wrote on his MySpace blog: "..Just know that when this all comes out don't think you've seen the last of Scott. I'm on to the next chapter very soon and I'm excited to see what the future brings."
[43] After Danough's departure he was quickly replaced by
Jona Weinhofen of Australian band
I Killed The Prom Queen - one of several factors that led that band to split up.
[44]
Bleeding Through headlined the Darkness Over Europe 2007 Tour with I Killed The Prom Queen,
All Shall Perish, and
Caliban from February to March.
[45] The band then toured as the opening act for the
Slayer and
Marilyn Manson summer tour.
[46]
Following that, the group embarked on a six-week stint across the U.S. and parts of Canada opening for
HIM, with the arduous year of touring finally reaching an end with shows in
New York City, on December 1 and December 2, 2007,
[47] while HIM was simply done touring North America and set to move on to Europe.
Declaration
(2008–present)
In March 2008, Bleeding Through announced
Declaration
as the title of its fifth studio release, a
concept album about the rigors of being away from home.
[48] The band's frontman and lyricist
Brandan Schieppati explained to
Revolver
in the magazine's May 2008 issue, "There are definitely places when we're traveling where every time we go there, we're like, 'Fuck, why do we have to be here?' Like, we'll be in France and all of a sudden we'll feel totally insignificant. You get the feeling that people's eyes are just burining a hole through you."
The group recorded
Declaration
between April and May 2008 in
Vancouver, Canada with producer
Devin Townsend.
On June 6, 2008, the band released a blog on MTV's
Headbangers Ball website. The blog addressed numerous disappointments the band had with
Trustkill Records. These disappointments included unpaid royalties, lack of funding for
Declaration
, and an unapproved re-release of their 2006 album
The Truth
. Despite Trustkill's website saying that the new album,
Declaration
would be released August 2008, the band stated that they did not intend to hand over the
master recording of the album, until they were paid the minimum fees required to pay back producer Devin Townsend, the band's management and Schieppati's father who loaned the band money for recording.
[49] In a followup blog on their
MySpace page, Bleeding Through stated that "Trustkill Records delivered the funds necessary to complete the album and to compensate everyone who had loaned [us] cash."
[50]
Following the recording of
Declaration
, the group appeared at the 2008
's
Download Festival, which was held from 13 to 15 June at
Donington Park, United Kingdom.
[51] During the festival, vocalist Brandan Schieppati spoke to
Rock Sound
TV about the group's dispute with its record label. During the conversation, Schieppati revealed that Bleeding Through has been contacted by a number of other record companies since the band went public with its Trustkill feud.
[52] In July 2008, Bleeding Through inked a European deal with German record label
Nuclear Blast for the release of
Declaration
.
[53]
The band performed in the US 'No Fear Music Tour' with
Bullet for My Valentine in August, and continued to support them throughout Europe with
Lacuna Coil in November and December 2008. They also performed in two countries for the first time in 2008: Mexico and Russia. They performed in
Mexico City in August as part of the
Warped Tour with
Underoath and
MxPx and headlined four Russian shows in December.
[54]
On September 25, 2008,
Machine Head frontman
Robb Flynn joined the band on stage at
The Warfield in San Francisco, and performed Bleeding Through's song "
Revenge I Seek".
[55] The next day,
Declaration
was released in Europe by
Nuclear Blast and September 30 in the US by Trustkill. The album sold under 6,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release
[56] to debut at number 104 on the
Billboard
200 chart.
[57]
Bleeding Through co-headlined along with
Darkest Hour the
Thrash and Burn European Tour between April and May 2009.
[58] They will also headline "The Declaration Tour" in 2009 along with
As Blood Runs Black,
Impending Doom,
The Acacia Strain.
[59] In late May 2009, Bleeding Through announced that Jona Weinhofen would be leaving the band and
No Use for a Name guitarist Dave Nassie would replace him. Jona cited that while he loved his time in Bleeding Through, he decided that he should leave the band and return home to Australia with his family and friends. Jona has recently joined
Bring Me The Horizon.
[60]
The band will embark on a special West Coast tour in August to celebrate their ten-year anniversary, with supporters
Carnifex, Miss May I, and Motionless in White.
[61] In early June 2009, Bleeding Through inked a deal with the
Portland, Oregon-based independent record label
Rise Records. Insinuating about the band's previous dispute with its former label Trustkill, Schieppati said, "We're very excited to align with a record label that has so much momentum and is growing when many seem to be faltering, dropping bands and firing employees."
[62]
Musical style and influences
Like many
metalcore-labeled bands, Bleeding Through shows a trace of the
Swedish melodic death metal influence.
[63] [64] It is the most apparent on
Dust to Ashes
, while with time the band's music got gradually more and more melodic, with
The Truth being the most melodic to date, even containing a
power ballad, a novelty for the band.
[65] A keyboard player was introduced shortly before the band began performing as an unsigned act. According to former guitarist Scott Danough "it adds a different element" to their music.
[66] Although the band is often labeled as simply metalcore, when Brandan Schieppati was asked if he considers Bleeding Through a hardcore band, he said: "I think we're a hardcore band and I'll never say we are a metal band, we're all hardcore kids and we came from the hardcore scene. Ours is just a different version of hardcore, we're trying to do something which adds a different variety to the hardcore scene, which has been sounding the same way for so long."
[67]
Former Guitarist Scott Danough has said that he is influenced by
metal and
hardcore, bands like
At The Gates,
Slayer,
Cradle of Filth,
Integrity and
Earth Crisis.
Vocalist Brandan Schieppati has also mentioned American
thrash metal bands as an influence on Bleeding Through,
e.g.
Testament or
Exodus.
[68] In an interview, guitarist Brian Leppke added
Cro-Mags,
Entombed,
Crowbar and
Pantera as well to the list of influences.
[69] Lastly, keyboardist Marta is the one who brings
industrial, symphonic black metal, and
goth inspirations to the band's sound.
[70]
Band members
Current members
- Brandan Schieppati – lead vocals, occasional guitars (1999–present)
- Brian Leppke – guitars (2001–2009)
- Dave Nassie – guitars (2009–present)
- Ryan Wombacher – bass, backing vocals (2001–present)
- Marta Peterson – keyboards (2004–present)
- Derek Youngsma – drums, percussion (2001–present)
Former members
- Marc Jackson – bass (1999–2000)
- Troy Born – drums, percussion (1999–2001)
- Chad Tafolla – guitars (1999–2001)
- Vijay Kumar – bass (2000–2001)
- Molly Street – keyboards (2000–2004)
- Scott Danough – guitars (1999–2007)
- Jona Weinhofen – guitars (2007–2009)
Guest musicians
- Mick Morris - Bass (Studio Fill-In)
- John Pettibone, Himsa (feat. on "Rise" on album Portrait of the Goddess
)
- M. Shadows and Synyster Gates Avenged Sevenfold (feat. on "Savior, Saint, Salvation" on album Portrait of the Goddess
)
- Ryan Downey, Die Die My Darling, ex-Burn It Down (band) (feat. on "City of the Condemned" on album This Is Love, This Is Murderous
)
- Nick 13, Tiger Army (feat. on "Dearly Demented" on album The Truth
)
- Ben Falgoust, Soilent Green (feat. on "For Love and Failing" on album The Truth
)
- Tim Lambesis, As I Lay Dying (feat. on "Declaration" on the album Declaration
)
- Dave Nassie, No Use For A Name (feat. in guitar solo on "Beneath The Grey" on the album "Declaration")
Discography
Studio albums
| Year
| Album
| Label
| Chart peaks
|
| US [71]
| US Indie | UK [72]
|
| 2001
| Dust to Ashes
| Prime Directive Records
| —
| —
| —
|
| 2002
| Portrait of the Goddess
| Indecision Records
| —
| —
| —
|
| 2003
| This Is Love, This Is Murderous
| Trustkill Records
| —
| 43
| —
|
| 2006
| The Truth
| 48
| 1
| 153
|
| 2008
| Declaration
| 104
| 16
| —
|
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart.
|
DVDs
- This Is Live, This Is Murderous
(June 15, 2004, Kung Fu Records)
- Wolves Among Sheep
(November 15, 2005, Trustkill Records)
Appearance on compilations
- MTV2 Headbangers Ball: The Revenge
- "Kill To Believe"
- The Best of Taste of Chaos
- "On Wings of Lead"
- The Best of Taste of Chaos Two.
– "Love In Slow Motion"
- Bring You To Your Knees|Bring You To Your Knees: A Tribute to Guns N' Roses
- "Rocket Queen"
- Threat: Music That Inspired The Movie
- "Number Seven With A Bullet"
- Threat: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Soundtrack)
- "Number Seven With A Bullet"
- Amp Magazine Presents: Volume 1: Hardcore
- Blood, Sweat & Ten Years
- "On Wings Of Lead" and "Love Lost In A Hale Of Gunfire"
- MTV2 Headbangers Ball, Vol. 2
– "Love Lost in a Hail of Gunfire" (censored)
- Fighting Music 2
- Our Impact Will Be Felt: A Tribute to Sick of It All
- "We Want The Truth"
- Trustkill Takeover, Vol. II
- "One Last Second"
- 2005 Warped Tour Compilation
- "Love Lost in a Hail of Gunfire"
- Punk Goes '90s
- "Stars" - Hum Cover.
- ''Black On Black: A Tribute To Black Flag - "My War"
References
- Metal Underground.com – Metal News - Bleeding Through Performs w/ AFI, More HBB Dates
- 25 to Watch: Bleeding Through
- Interview with Scott Danough
- MusicMight - Bleeding Through Biography
- Metal Underground.com - Bleeding Through Biography
- Lambgoat - An interview with Bleeding Through
- Not Popular Dot Com - Bleeding Through / Portrait Of The Goddess
- Live-Metal.Net - ‘The Truth’ according to Bleeding Through
- iSOUND.COM - Bleeding Through Biography
- Lambgoat - Portrait Of The Goddess review
- Loudside.com - An interview with Brandan of Bleeding Through
- Punknews.org - Bleeding Through signs to Trustkill
- MTV News - Next Up For AFI: New Single, Electronic Side Project, Fall Tour
- Blabbermouth.net - Bleeding Through To Discuss Van Crash On 'Inside Edition'
- Blabbermouth.net - Bleeding Through Drop Off Chimaira Tour Following Van Accident
- KSL News: Highway Patrol Urges Drivers to Slow Down on Icy Roads
- Allmusic - This Is Love, This Is Murderous review
- DecoyMusic.com - This Is Love, This Is Murderous review
- Deadtide.com - This Is Love, This Is Murderous review
- Metalrage - This is Love, This is Murderous review
- Blabbermouth.net - Bleeding Through Begin Recording New Album
- AbsolutePunk.net - Bleeding Through - The Truth review
- Loudside.com - Bleeding Through Biography
- Blabbermouth.net - Ozzfest 2004: Lineup, Tour Dates Announced!
- Metal Underground.com – Metal News - Headbanger's Ball III Tour Dates Announced
- Trustkill Records - Bleeding Through "This Is Love (Limited Edition Double Disc)" CDx2
- Metal Underground.com - Metal News - Bleeding Through and Cult Of Luna European Tour Dates
- Mammoth Press - An Interview with Derek Youngsma, drummer for Bleeding Through
- Metal Underground.com - Metal News - Second Annual Strhess Fest Tour Dates
- Trustkill Records - Bleeding Through Journal - March 7, 2005 @ 1:05 p.m. EST
- MTV News - Metal File: Children Of Bodom, Bleeding Through & More In This Week's Hard News
- Blabbermouth.net - Bleeding Through Lay Down Black Flag, Unbroken Covers
- musicOMH.com - Bleeding Through - The Truth album review
- Allmusic – The Truth review
- Stylus Magazine– The Truth review
- Blabbermouth.net – Bleeding Through's 'The Truth' Enters Billboard Chart At No. 48
- Ultimate-Guitar.Com - Haste The Day: New Singer, Tour Dates
- Metal Hammer - News Article - Download update
- Blabbermouth.net - Bleeding Through To Appear On 'The Tonight Show With Jay Leno'
- Blabbermouth.net - Ozzfest 2006: New Kick-Off Date Announced
- Blabbermouth.net - Bleeding Through Play Impromptu Show After Meeting Fans At Taco Bell
- Blabbermouth.net - Bleeding Through Parts Ways With Guitarist
- MySpace of Scott Danough
- Blabbermouth.net - I Killed The Prom Queen Calls It Quits
- Trustkill News Entry - FEB 8, 2007 @ 5:04 p.m. EST
- Blabbermouth.net - Slayer And Marilyn Manson Co-Headline Summer Tour Dates Announced
- Metalmaniacs.com - Bleeding Through & HIM: At Least It's Not Two Separate Tours
- Bleeding Through: New Album Title, Concept Revealed
- Guest Blog: Bleeding Through Reveal Truth About Trustkill Records, Announce Song Titles For New Album
- Bleeding Through: New album 'is the one that makes us feel the most proud'
- Bleeding Through interviewed at 'Download Festival'
- Bleeding Through shoot the shit and talk record company schmoozing
- Bleeding Through signs European deal with Nuclear Blast Records
- Bleeding Through announces dates in Russia, Mexico
- Machine Head frontman performs with Bleeding Through
- Bleeding Through: 'Declaration' lands on Billboard chart
- Bleeding Through > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums
- Bleeding Through, Darkest Hour to team up for 'Thrash and Burn European Tour'
- Bleeding Through announces U.S. headlining tour
- Bleeding Through parts ways with guitarist, announces replacement
- Bleeding Through Announces 10-Year-Anniversary Tour
- Bleeding Through signs with Rise Records
- Unbound Zine.com - This is Love...This is Murderous review
- Trustkill Records - Pit Magazine Album Review - This Is Love, This Is Murderous
- Metalrage - The Truth review
- Hammerock - Spiritribe - Bleeding Through Interview
- Saveyourscene.com - Bleeding Through - Interview with Brendan (singer)
- Crave Magazine - Interview with Brandan Schieppati of Bleeding Through
- Metalrage – Bleeding Through - A chit chat with Brian Leppke
- Shut up! Magazine - An interview with Marta of Bleeding Through
- "Artist Chart History - Bleeding Through" ''Billboard.com''. Retrieved on October 27, 2008.
- "UK Chart Log - 'B' Index Search" ''Zobbel''. Retrieved on October 27, 2008.