Bleed from Within have been to hell and back in the last two years but these Glasgow bruisers are no strangers to enduring hardship. When a global pandemic threatened to shut down the release plans for the band’s fourth studio album, Fracture, the lads responded by collectively raising five middle fingers and pressing on, despite facing pressures to postpone. If venues were unable to open their doors, Bleed from Within would find a way of delivering the headbang to the front doors of their fans instead.
Viral Hysteria, a full-production live stream event to promote the release of Fracture, was the answer, allowing the band to connect with their fans while the industry was shut down. Now available as a live album, the self-produced Viral Hysteria is a testament to the DIY ethics of the band’s individual strengths. Visuals and production are handled by guitarist Craig Gowans alongside vocalist Scott Kennedy and bassist David Provan, with Provan meticulously hand drawing the band’s artwork, too. Drummer, Ali Richardson, heads up the band’s marketing and management, while guitarist Steven Jones doubles up as a recording engineer and social media manager. To this day, all of their tracks are still self-produced.
It’s no surprise that this unstoppable riff machine continues to crush forward at such a frantic pace – there is no putting the breaks on the heaviest band to ever emerge from Scotland. The band’s reputation as one of the most formidable forces in modern metal has earned them tour slots with Megadeth, Lamb Of God, Testament and Heaven Shall Burn, to name just a few. And with over 25 million streams for Fracture, the Glaswegian metalheads are only growing stronger and more popular with every new release.
Their latest single, I Am Damnation, is the band’s heaviest yet, the culmination of two years hard work that embodies their artistic might. ‘True spirit like this is hard to find’, as Kennedy’s screams ring out in the verses. Armed with the learnings of evolving their sound over the last decade without ever losing sight of their DIY roots, this is Bleed from Within at their very best. With the backing of a new deal with Nuclear Blast Records and a new album on the way in 2022, there’s no denying the band’s inevitable next steps are world domination.
