Sort of being on the
Suffocation roll I thought reviewing
Internal Bleeding
next would be very appropriate. Similarities abound. Both bands
originated in the underground NY death metal scene. Both started their
careers in the early 90s and issued some very influential cult
demos/albums. Both had long layoffs away from the field. Both maintain
an underground cult status trying to regroup and come back these days.
For me personally, however, the difference lies in the fact I have never
heard
Internal Bleeding before, unlike
Suffocation, whose old albums represent the classic of the genre for me. Well, having listened to
Souls to Deny vs.
Onward to Mecca,
I would have to say those paths have diverged in more ways than one.
And, no, I am not trying to compare and say that one album is better
than the other. It is just
Internal Bleeding is not even pure
death metal anymore. Hardcore influences permeate the essence of the
album through and through. Deathcore label is very suitable and might be
even welcomed by the band’s fans.
One thing about a large number of tracks on
Onward to Mecca –
the approach is quite formulaic. What starts out with a kick, fast and
brutal, very much along the lines of NY death metal school, tends to
break down a minute or two into the song to become very rhythmic, but
way slower, riff chugging.
Siege in the Clouds,
Far Above You,
Contamination
are all prime examples of the former. Just when you settle in with the
fast and the furious and expect a further kick in the pants on
Contamination, the band pulls the throttle back and the chug begins.
Internal Bleeding,
for better or worse, has mastered the hardcore breakdown art. For
better, as this stuff really goes over well for moshing crowds, for
worse, as I am wondering why this does not appeal to me as much. Further
dichotomy lies in the fact the band can be outstanding technicians and
make the listener dizzy with supertechnical, very
Suffocation like, guitar runs and solos (
Far Above You,
Arm Our Youth). Yet rhythmic simpler pounding seems to be very much what the band prefers. At times, the tempo is slowed down to a crawl (
Hateful). One thing
Internal Bleeding
has on many hardcore bands is their slow music sounds much darker and
more ominous, just like the end of Intolerance. This is not some
adolescent angst, but manly anger. The only track, and you could have
guessed it is my favorite, where groove is kept without sacrificing the
technicality or the speed is
Infidel. Another cool, but very non-typical part, is the acoustic outro on
This Day I Fight.
Jerry Lowe’s vocals are an image of the direction the band chose. He
vocalizes mostly over the slower parts letting the instrumentalists in
Internal Bleeding
to take the center stage in the faster portions and dazzle us with
their abilities. Jerry’s vocals are equal part death grunt and hardcore
screams. The grunts aren’t very low, and the screams are not very high
pitch, so both styles tend to blend. Bill Tolley’s drums sometimes sound
hollow on the snare (
Bleed by Example), but the juiciest bass by Andrew Hogan offsets that.
I don’t have the lyrics in front of me, but just looking at the
song’s titles and the cover art my guess is the concept is a little less
than politically correct. Kudos to that, you say what is on your mind.
In the end,
Onward to Mecca panders a little too much to the
younger crowd, much more hardcore inclined NYC population. Certainly the
precalculated direction, this may keep the old fans on board and get
new converts. Truthfully, I wasn’t a fan due to the lack of knowledge,
and I am not going to become one here as the style just veers in the
‘core direction way too much. Trying to restrain myself from the
Suffo comparisons, inevitably I can’t, so if I only gave 71 to
Souls to Deny, this can’t be more than …
tags: ride, nowhere, 1990, flac,
