Emerging from the increasingly-cluttered realm of Orange County’s hardcore scene, BLEEDING THROUGH have savagely gouged the competition with This is Love, This is Murderous, a dangerously heavy and visceral new album. Though having been lambasted by some in the past for trying to be Swedish or having a Hot Topic image, BLEEDING THROUGH destroys any negative criticism from the second you hear the voice of Willem Dafoe’s character from the film Boondock Saints on the first track, “Love Lost in a Hail of Gunfire.” From that point on, tempos shift, breakdowns blast, and vocalist Brandan Schieppati emits some of the most enraged throat-bursting snarls this side of Howard Jones. The biggest point of interest found in these 12 tracks, however, is the number of influences the band proudly wears on its sleeve. The keyboards reflect recent DIMMU BORGIR material, the guitarists churn out pounding riffs akin to what you’d hear in a POISON THE WELL vs. KILLSWITCH ENGAGE impressions contest (as do the mentioned vocals), and the drums are some of the fastest and most precise in any record in recent memory. The crushing intro to closing track, “Revenge I Seek,” captures all members of the band in their prime, despite the fact that the lyrics to this one do little to defend accusations of a Hot Topic image: “Fuck you forever/I’ll despise you for the rest of these days/Fuck you forever I’ll fucking hate you for the rest of my life/Why the fuck did i let you into my heart.” Despite the over-the-top vibe, albeit sonically crushing brutality, of the closing track, the other 11 tracks are a metalhead’s dream – most noteworthy are “On Wings of Lead,” “Dead Like Me,” and “Number Seven With a Bullet.” With this album, BLEEDING THROUGH harnesses the power and fury of metal in its purest form, kicking serious ass and taking no prisoners. (Trustkill Records)