BLEED THE SKY ‘Paradigm In Entropy’
Nuclear Blast(2005)
One very interesting band that I've only just recently discovered is Bleed the Sky - a sextet form Orange county/California. The band was first put together during the fall of 2002 by singer Noah Robinson and guitarist Kyle Moorman, and is "supposed to be" part of the ever-growing 'metalcore' scene (I will explain what I mean by "supposed to be " further along). They performed their first ever show that same year, opening for the amazing Opeth, and since then they have been touring round the US non-stop.
While touring the West Coast, supporting the metalcore outfit Integrity, they were spotted by Nuclear Blast's A&R people. Soon after they were offered a contract, the band started recording the ten compositions that put together their debut album "Paradigm in Entropy" which I now hold in my hands. For the recording sessions of this album, the band chose to use the expertise of Ben Schigel, a producer who has also worked with bands like Integrity (can you see the connection now?), Chimaira and Drowning Pool - bands whose music incorporates elements from both hardcore and Metal music. Well, the album is now ready, so let's see what Bleed the Sky have prepared for us here.
The album kicks off with "Minion" - a song that was also chosen from the band as their first ever video. The band is in a really aggressive mood - a feeling that comes across from the very beginning. Noah Robinson's screaming vocals along with Wayne Miller's and Kyle Moorman's screaming guitar riffs are the driving force behind this album. It is true that the majority of the elements that metalcore bands use in their music are present in this album, but the songs are far from being straightforward. It sounds like the members of Bleed the Sky have invested a lot in their music, having made their songs not only catchy but also technically interesting.
That's what the first five songs of the album have to offer. Things will become quite different, and in my humble opinion more interesting, after you listen to the first notes of "The Martyr". That's when the members of Bleed the Sky decided to become a little bit more emotional - influenced by the time they spent with Opeth, I would assume. "Gated", the following track, has also been composed under the same guidelines and sounds equally interesting in my opinion. The last three songs of the album see the members of the band returning to their original 'metalcore' mood, and bring a dynamic finale to this forty one-minute release.
I don't believe that you will really understand what this album is all about before you get to spin it a couple of times. The one thing that is quite obvious and made me respect the members of Bleed the Sky for, is that they have made a conscious effort to create something different within the "limits" of their musical preferences. "Paradigm in Entropy" is a very interesting debut album, which shows that the members of this band are trying to establish how they want to sound - something that will probably become clearer with their next studio release.
***½
Review by John Stefanis
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