Bleeding Through and Snot

Orange County’s Bleeding Through have a truly individual sound and, considering how devastatingly heavy they, it’s surprising they ever found the level of commercial success they did with their albums. That being said, the metalcore fusion band never lost touch with their underground roots and their live tours have tended to be in club venues or as a support act, especially here in the UK. The first time I saw them was supporting Machine Head at Brixton Academy, London, in 2010. Over the years, since their formation in 1999, the band have evolved their sound to balance standard US metalcore, hardcore punk and melodic death metal, embellishing their fast-paced racket with occasional clean vocals and heavy washes of keys. My favourite albums were their trio of Trustkill Records albums: This Is Love, This Is Murderous; The Truth; and Declaration. When I saw them in London their set leaned heavily on these records, with Brandan Schieppati’s vocals effortlessly switching between demented guttural barking and eerie melodic vocals. The guitars were incredibly frantic, featuring chugging metalcore riffs, Slayer-fast solos and interesting black metal-type shredding. They were just as good as I could’ve hoped, if not better; in fact, their songs had much more impact live than on CD.
I heard that Bleeding Through might be calling it a day soon, which would be a real blow to both the heavy metal and hardcore scenes!

Southern California punks have had a troubled history, releasing only 1 album with original vocalist Lynn Straight, before his tragic death in a car accident. In their new form, a second reunion, following one in 2008, they still pack an impact live. While punk music doesn’t pride itself in a particular ‘skill’ at music, it is clear the members of Snot know what they can play and know how to play it well. New vocalist Tommy ”Vext” Cummings does a good job filling in for Straight, instead of trying to imitate Straight exactly, he brings his own style and experience to it, while still making the songs sounds unmistakably like Snot. This current reunion is also evidence that while haven’t got ‘better’ with age – their sound needs a certain youthful energy – they haven’t by any means got any worse, with all members of the band constantly moving throughout the set, keeping the live energy, while still playing their songs with ease and skill. Their brand of aggressive hard core punk and metal most definitely isn’t for everyone, but if you are looking for a band you can jump around and mosh to, Snot are ones you should definitely check out.