After my conversations with BLOODCUM's George Heirro about these guys, I was pretty curious to hear THINE EYES BLEED. He told us that Johnny Araya was joining the band, etc. so I requested a copy. Usually, I just review whatever comes in, but this album seemed to glow with some mystique and just the right kind of credible recommendations.

The sound of the band is a long way from bunny slippers and crossword puzzles. Quite the contrary, this baby screams along the road, kicking up dust and knocking down mailboxes with speeding drums and riffs that grind tree trunks into mulch. All of this rests under ten layers of production lacquer, hot-sprayed and machine buffed. I found it all quite impressive upon first listen, but over time and repeat spins, it became apparent that the tunes were a bit on the hollow and one-dimensional side.

These guys have nailed down the sound of the later KREATOR and early AT THE GATES very well.. But there's a lot of room for growth, as these tracks never really grow branches and stretch out over time. Sure, the riffs in "Corpse You Up" and "Regret Your Fear" pack a nice sock to the gut, but that's where it ends. Justin Wolfe's lyrics, while dark and bold, are pretty standard fare for the genre. "Dive into the devil's sky / arms tied to withhold the lies / my hate is now the vein." Kind of typical, thematically; anger, betrayal, revenge, you know the shtick. Again, kind of hollow and just flashing by like the trailer for "Matrix III" or something like that. Overall, this band shows a lot of promise, but I found myself craving more, like I was trying to get a full meal out of the free cheeseburger I won with a game token/coupon instant winner thingee at Burger King. By the way, Araya doesn't play on the CD.

- Marchman

OFFICIAL SITE: www.thineeyesbleed.com

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