Bleeding Through boasted an intriguing albeit guy-linered and slightly emo blend of hardcore and metal when it emerged from Orange County, California, in 2000. Following the rage surrounding Limp Bizkit and Korn, the band gained traction because of a heavily covered tour mishap with A Fire Inside: An equipment trailer somewhat fittingly exploded in flames after an accident on an icy road, and it was all caught on tape. Second, Bleeding Through added an attractive female keyboard player, Marta Peterson. Holy talking points, guys.
But Peterson isn't just eye candy; her keyboard adds crucial gothic edge and atmosphere to a band that sometimes feels frighteningly close to screamo, an unfair label for Bleeding Through. After evolving out of proto-screamo, the band removed metalcore and added more "metal into hardcore," guitarist Scott Danough once told Alternative Press. Sure, lead vocalist Brandan Schieppati growls about love and sometimes succumbs to mind-numbing emo vacillating between harsh and clean. But when at his best, his voice is dynamic and engaging. With the recent addition of guitarist David Nassie, formerly of No Use for a Name and Suicidal Tendencies, and Derek Youngsma's reassuringly aggro drumming, Bleeding Through has kept it together for six albums. Some snooty metal types even dig it — in spite of those pesky love lyrics.
