Bleed Someone Dry
PostMortem | Veritas

In this new work by the Tuscan band Bleed Someone Dry, the first thing that stands out is the quality of the product, in every aspect. The attention to the album's concept, the meticulous quality of the songwriting, as well as the effort to appear as varied as possible in terms of vocals, the captivating graphics, and finally, the targeted choice of producer and guests are all evident. In short, we could define this "PostMortem | Veritas" as the classic all-inclusive travel package that's really hard to refuse if you're interested in the offering. After all, the band has been around since 2007, starting with a sound that was initially metalcore-oriented, which has, over the years, evolved to the point where I would now describe it as a hybrid between death metal and deathcore. This latter term seems to be the most cherished by the quartet from Pistoia, but honestly, I see in them a more structured sound that's inclined towards the former genre mentioned. A case perhaps similar to that of the Australians Thy Art Is Murder, who are also champions of deathcore 2.0 but nowadays actually seem to have more of the typical characteristics of a classic death metal band. And speaking of them, within the first single "Our Martyrdom," we find their frontman CJ, whose performance perhaps goes a bit too unnoticed, playing a supporting role in the track itself (a good thing if you want to highlight the group's work, rather strange if you consider having an international name that could give visibility to the single), while also featuring as a guest is Luca T.Mai of Zu in "Ora Pro Nobis." Returning to "PostMortem | Veritas," the album is musically balanced in every situation, showing itself to be very interesting thanks especially to the great work done on the guitar parts and the rhythms, capable of overturning the entire game structure multiple times within the tracks. Chris Donaldson brought groove and heaviness to the mix, a producer who has already worked with people like Cryptopsy, The Agonist, and Beneath The Massacre, and here he has given clarity and the right approach to compositions that are, in some ways, off-limits. The vocals are perhaps the only aspect that hasn't fully stuck in my head while listening to this album: despite efforts to make everything as varied as possible, it is undeniable that it has been quite complex for the singer—as well as for the backing vocals—to provide new inputs to the tracks, almost never going beyond a decidedly solid yet not particularly thrilling performance. In conclusion, we could say that for Bleed Someone Dry, this "PostMortem | Veritas" represents a step forward in terms of quality and artistic maturity, but the album perhaps feels a bit too "packaged" due to the excessive care taken. In short, to put it clearly, what's missing is that spark, that moment of gratuitous boldness that makes you remember an album even after a single listen.