DeathOfSeasons Is this album the biggest surprise of 2008? Quite possibly. After the excellent "Portrait of the Goddess", which contain a then unique blend of Melodic Death Metal and Metalcore, Bleeding Through followed the album up with what are considered as two sub par releases (both "This Is Love, This Is Murderous" and "The Truth"). However, Bleeding Through have returned and they sound more mature, aggressive heavier than ever before.

"Declaration" kicks off with the amazing intro, "Finis Fatalis Spei" (a symphonic epic that even contains a sample from the movie "300"!). This track is then followed up by "Declaration (You Can't Destroy You Can Not Replace"). "Declaration" begins with a very brief drum fill before Brandan Schieppati comes screaming in. The song contains very Melodic Death Metal influenced guitar work and some fantastic use of the keyboard (thanks to Marta Peterson) to create atmosphere. Once the song is over "Orange County Blonde and Blue" comes smashing out of the speakers. Containing a very fast and thrashy riff, the song is very energetic.

Track five, "There Was a Flood", is one of the many highlights of this fantastic album. Starting off with some light guitar work and beautiful keys (that are very effectively used throughout the whole song), the song soon retreats to the Metalcore sound, before coming in with an excellent riff and an amazing chorus which utilises clean vocals.

The second departure from Bleeding Throughs sound comes in the form of track nine, "The Loving Memory of England". Composed of nothing but Schieppati's clean vocals and some quite guitar playing, it's very effective in creating a moody atmosphere. But don't worry, Bleeding Throughs trademark sound returns quickly thanks to following tracks "Beneath the Grey" and "Seller's Market". "Seller's Market" in particular contains one of the greatest riffs Metalcore has ever seen.

However, the ultimate highlight of the album would have to be the epic and progressive "Sister Charlatan". Conjuring up a My Dying Bride atmosphere and containing parts similar to those found in Symphonic Black Metal, this song is absolutely beautiful. The keyboards are effectively used throughout the whole song, the drumming is frantic and the guitar is top notch. The vocals are very intense and quite emotional for the most part.

One of the highlights of the album is how far Schieppati has come as a vocalist. Whether it's the tough guy Metalcore yells of "Seller's Market", the emotive clean vocals used in "The Loving Memory of England" or the Black Metal shrieking of "Sister Charlatan", it's quite clear that he is very talented.

Surprisingly, the breakdowns don't pop out at every moment of the album. Most songs contain very few breakdown, and even then they're quite short, often lasting twenty seconds at max (with the exception of "Orange County Blonde and Blue" and "Seller's Market", both of which contain lengthy breakdowns)

Also, the production is perfect. It's not overly loud like most modern Metal releases, and the instruments can be heard perfectly. The keyboards and bass could be louder, but the album is mixed fantastically overall.

This is the album Bleeding Through have always been capable of making of. Exciting, fast, heavy and a tad progressive, any Metalcore fan would be crazy to miss out on this.

Download: Sister Charlatan, Seller's Market

For fans of: Parkway Drive, August Burns Red

(Originally written for Rate Your Music)