In the Wake of Separation

In The Wake Of Separation’ hits the listener like an oncoming freight train and doesn’t let up throughout the albums punishing, excessively brutal nine tracks. This is nothing that you would have expected from bandleader Jeff Phillips who was the fill in guitarist in Kittie when Fallon Bowman exited the group. The band combines massive, technical riffing, speedy yet varied tempos and a diverse array of metal influences on this record, often sounding like a cross between some badass black metal and what is by leaps and bounds, some of the most excellent thrash metal out there. It’s really hard to place Thine Eyes Bleed’s music into a specific sub genre of metal, but if there was a sub-genre called ultra furious, smash-your-head-in metal, that’s where it rightfully would end up.

Think Coroner with an intensity that reaches an exponential factor of 10 and that about sums it up on key tracks like ‘Cold Victim’, ‘And Since Forgotten’ and ‘Live To Die’. The assault is purely relentless, with Johnny Araya showing that his skills on bass measure up to his brother Tom on the blazing ‘Corpse You Up’, a track emphasized by biting pinch harmonics and the rabid vocal manipulations of Justin Wolfe. Phillips and Derek Ward trade off razor sharp licks on ‘Innocent Mind’, a blistering, blasting track which is driven by the precise double kick pounding of drummer Darryl Stephens. Throughout the record, Stephen provides a plethora of rumbling beats that give the band their insanely chaotic up-tempo feel.

‘Sliver’ is a track that has a darkened feel, Wolfe sings in a more straightforward manner here, which really works for the song. Of all of the cuts on this record, this one is likely the most accessible. This is a shockingly fantastic debut that captures the spirit of everything that is makes extreme metal exciting to listen to. Thine Eyes Bleed have positioned themselves as one of the predominant rising talents in the metal scene and “In The Wake Of Separation’ is nothing less than mandatory listening.

Many bands have fallen into the world of melodic death, but few remain as talented and memorable as Thine Eyes Bleed. Hailing from Canada, Thine Eyes Bleed issue a great debut that expands the limits of melodic death metal.

The guitar work is the typical style of melodic death. The riffs are filled with strong amounts of melody, but are incredibly fast, especially when being compared to the usual melodic death band. Every now and then, there are strong elements of thrash, but these thrashy riffs don't last for very long or aren't very memorable. Unlike several other melodic bands, there are solos, lots of them. The solos are probably the highlight of the album, mainly because they aren't boring and they are always technical and last for a decent amount of time. Guitarists Jeff Phillps and Derek Ward issue a relentless guitar attack that doesn't stop for the entire album. The drumming stands out on this album as well. Drummer Darryl Stephens displays fantastic drumming as he constantly double basses and makes fantastic changes in his drum patterns. The best example of his drumming is on "Cold Victim," were he is pulling off insane hits on his drum set while double bassing at incredible speed.

At first sight, vocalist Justin Wolfe is just another bland singer of the melodic death field, but he proves he isn't. His screams are loud and furious, and so are his growls. The main thing that separates Wolfe from a remainder of the singers in the melodic death area is his ability to narrate during songs. During the final minutes of "Live To Die," Justin narrates the lyrics in haunting way, its like he's telling a story!

I didn't expect much from this band, but Thine Eyes Bleed proved me wrong. "In The Wake Of Separation" is a great debut and I can't wait to hear some of their future material. Thine Eyes Bleed are just a young band, and this album shows they can already make incredible music at such a young age where most bands fail to do. Give this a chance, you won't regret it.