Containing thirteen beautifully (and brutally) metal tracks, Mouth for War’s sophomore album Bleed Yourself isn’t shy on crushing breakdowns thanks to sturdy riffs and discernible drumming. Released on 27th October, the album holds a true metal sound which had my head bobbing, and my mind excitedly wondering how the energy of the songs would translate to a live show.
Most of the songs on Bleed Yourself don’t pass the three-minute mark, with the exception of The Plight of Those You Left Behind, The Devil, Saturate Me and Bleed Yourself. Each song is full of energy, and most contain epic breakdowns that are worth the wait. Some contain samples/clips, while others are just metal songs that waste no time getting into the gritty distortion and harrowing screams. In Lieu of Flowers is soft and acts almost as an interlude. There’s a slight mumbling in the back of the sound, but it’s mainly just a drum beat and repeated riff.
The placement of tracks is done well, although I feel it’s down to coincidence. Most of the songs have quite abrupt starts and ends, some are in a way that allows tracks to flow nicely. For example, Taste of Steel nicely follows No Grace. Similarly, Shattered Self is a good follow-up for Talking to God. The title track is a perfect way to end the album, especially as Bleed Yourself has such a strong and clean ending. It doesn’t just finish and leave you in silence, it softens and then stops. If you’re listening to the album on repeat, it tidily goes back into Roses in Place of Your Ashes.
As a metal album, Bleed Yourself is incredible, for fans of Knocked Loose, Hatebreed and Terror. I would imagine the experience of these songs would be incredible, with an amazing atmosphere. At the moment, their only show is 25th November, and in Colorado. I look forward to a possible opportunity to hearing these live.
Out 27th October, Bleed Yourself is an album for metal fans to look forward to!