Thine Eyes Bleed… and so will thine ears
I think highly of The End Records and so I was curious when I saw they released Thine Eyes Bleed's latest album. Formed in 2002, Thine Eyes Bleed are from Ontario, Canada and play thrash/melodic-death metal with some twists, but nothing too shocking (at least to my standards). It had been a while since I heard a good album in this style, so I was eager to hear what they had to offer.
Thine Eyes Bleed is a nice slice of thrash-influenced metal, with a highly energetic and no-nonsense attitude that goes straight to business as soon as each song starts. Vocally, this lies somewhere between the hardcore and death metal camps. The music is poignant and will satisfy both the melodic death metal and extreme thrash fans. As for myself, I wasn’t disappointed, but that is because I wasn’t expecting much… What I actually heard on this album wasn't very far off from how I thought it would sound.
For an album of its kind, it does deliver the goods, but if it’s variety you’re after, not much of it is to be found here. The band plays very well and knows how to create effective songs in this style, but so do many other metal bands. There’s not much to distinguish them from the rest of the pack and make them stand out. If they develop some of the interesting twists they have here and there, such as towards the end of the song "Shallow Skin" then I would be more inclined to listen more often. In "Truth In Evil" they showcase a somewhat different perspective, in which they play at a slower-than-usual pace and utilize a sludgier feel. This in particular is an interesting and well done song; it shows that Thine Eyes Bleed can achieve more than what the album shows us. However, even in this one shimmering glimpse of the possibilities we see here, the band seems to restrict the amount creativity they allow themselves. Unfortunately, this prevents the piece from developing as it could have.
Right now, there’s not much in this album that makes me want to go back for more. And in the end, that’s the ultimate test for an album: Is it a worthwhile listening experience or not? Thine Eyes Bleed is definitely a good (though ordinary) piece of metal, but does not manage to distance itself from others in the field.
| Reviewer: Assaf Vestin Added: April 30th 2008 |
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