Whose redemption is this?

Oh boy, I really didn’t have a lot of nice things to say when I reviewed The Bleeding‘s last album some two years ago. However, while I was pretty harsh on Morbid Prophecy, I wouldn’t have written about it at all if I hadn’t seen some promising qualities. Likewise, I wouldn’t be talking to you today if “Screams of Torment,” the first single from follow-up Monokrator, hadn’t already indicated that things have taken a significant turn for the better.

Having since heard the full album, I’m happy to report that this is not a fluke. Not only is the production pretty dang tasty, coming off way more meaty and well-rounded with a nice bit of grit, but the songwriting has become way more interesting, as well. Time and time again I found myself smiling (like some kind of poseur!) at neat little curveballs and sections that were just plain fun. It’s therefore my pleasure to present second single “Chainsaw Deathcult” today, which nicely demonstrates what I’m talking about.

First things first: their strengths have remained strong. That bass guitar, while less prominent overall, still sounds absolutely sick, and their vocalist still brings the brutality. Both come together to kick the song off, which immediately proceeds to grab you with merciless forward momentum. After a quick little guitar lick, we’re thrown right into the middle of some absolute death/thrash carnage that does its best to evoke the titular woodworking tool with palm-muted shredding and rapid-fire delivery of the verses.

My personal highlight comes at the end of the slower bridge section, where the menacing delivery of the line “there will be nothing left… to exhume” starts an absolute barrage of cool shit happening. Maniacal cackling? Sign me up. Launching into an insane guitar solo by shouting “GO!”? Hell yes. Going into a half-time section for the second half of said solo before firing the motor back up for the final verse? Hot damn, this rules.

In short, this track alone kicks enough butt to almost make me regret what I said in the past, and there’s plenty more where that came from. On Monokrator, The Bleeding did exactly what I hoped they would do: focused on what strengths there were on Morbid Prophecy, built on them, and significantly upped their game in the process, delivering a serious contender for any other thrash record that steps into the arena this year.

Monokrator will be released on June 9 via Redefining Darkness. Get your pre-order here!