Band:	Bleed From Within
Album:	Fracture
Style:	Metalcore
Release date:	May 2020

01. The End Of All We Know
02. Pathfinder
03. Into Nothing
04. Fall Away
05. Fracture
06. Night Crossing
07. For All To See
08. Ascend
09. Utopia
10. A Depth That No One Dares

Sometimes a leopard does change its spots.

Fracture is an album I approached with great caution, being well aware of the chug-a-thons and breakdown-littered tracks of Bleed From Within's earlier works. I was never taken by the band's attempts to bridge the genres of deathcore and metalcore, with them managing to combine the worst elements of two to create an unwelcome chimera. However, the intervening years since 2013's Uprising have seen the band switch up their approach for the better; after enjoying Fracture, I sought out their prior release in 2018 Era and found this was not a one-off moment but the band growing better with each release.

The previously mentioned chimera has seen some reconfiguration, with a greater focus on groove and melody with technical metal-infused metalcore. Sure, there are deathcore elements sprinkled in here and there, but they are no longer the predominant creature in this beast. This hybrid creates a sonic template that tracks like "Into Nothing" and "Night Crossing" are born from; they may not be as hard-hitting as the band's prior work, but they are far more catchy and listenable in return.

What you have instead is a record that seeks to create memorable songs; rather than just breakdowns and double bass patterns underneath a growl, it seeks to combine all these elements into a workable track. As a result, you have tracks like "Ascend"; built around a chorus that is tailor made for festival crowds knee-deep in mud to sing along to, it contains the aforementioned elements, but they are utilized to serve the song rather than be the main focus of the track.

Bleed From Within seem to have benefitted from the arrival of Jones on guitar in 2017; whether his being there is responsible for the change of approach is unknown, but what is evidently known is the improvement of guitar quality. Tracks like "Utopia" feature hard-hitting groove-based riffs that make each song must listens and warrant repeated listens, while "Pathfinder" is just as captivating, though derives its quality from its use of effects such as a delay pedal. It is also massively aided by Kennedy's maturing voice; while it is not a big departure from his prior work, he is better to change between clean and harsh vocals to greater effect.

The band do come close to aping Architects' style a bit too much; on tracks such as "A Depth That No One Dares", the influence does supersede the band's originality somewhat, though it doesn't hinder Fracture's enjoyability that much. While it is an influence that sits in the back of your mind when listening to the album, it is only on occasion that it oversteps the boundary between influence and cloning.

Fracture is a massive step in the right direction for Bleed From Within and one that breathes a second life into a band I had written off long ago. It is rare that being proved wrong can be so enjoyable but thankfully the band make it worthwhile with this album of bangers.