01. Gallows
02. Our Brand Is Chaos
03. Dead, But So Alive
04. Hail Destruction
05. Lost In Isolatio
06. Last Breath
07. Path Of Our Disease
08. I Am Resistance
09. Emery
10. War Time
11. Unholy Armada

Love lies bleeding.

Having cut their teeth in the crowded metalcore scene of the 00s, Californian metalcore makers Bleeding Through have never quite hit the same heights in terms of quality and success as they enjoyed with 2003's This Is Love, This Is Murderous, and, with the release of their latest record Nine, it's evident as to why. While it is not a bad record by any means, it is one that certainly lacks in much in the way of anything memorable to rise above the chug, though does improve with persistence.

Perhaps the most enduring impression Nine left upon me was how many relistens were required before any individual track made any lasting impact upon me, with much of the album blurring into one generic mix of chugs and harsh vocals. To give an insight into the extent of this isue, on my first experience with the album, I was halfway through my second relisten after it had looped before I realised that the record had ended and I was unknowingly listening to the same songs again. The lack of hooks or difference in approach between tracks does lead to a malaise that sees the album persist in unremarkable fashion.

One of the main causes of this is the production work; while everything is audible and balanced, Nine sounds very narrow and crowded, with each element just turned up in the mix rather than given its own niche to stand out in. The result of this is the flourishes and unique moments in a track rarely get a moment to breathe and leave an impression upon you. The opening keyboard motif in "Emery" is slowly buried beneath the familiar guitar parts and harsh vocals that constitute much of the album, stifling the few moments of variation. The use of guest artists could ameliorate this, but their poor utilisation meant that I actually didn't realise their appearance until I looked into it.

That said, with re-listens you do gain greater appreciation for certain tracks and moments, with "Dead But So Alive" burrowing its hooks into you slowly but surely, while "Lost In Isolation" follows in quick succession. You can hear the evident talent on show and at the band's disposal; it is the lack of quality in utilising it that prevents Nine from hitting much in the way of heights. It is perhaps because she is often relied upon to give each track its unique component, that Marta Demmel shines the brightest out of everyone in Bleeding Through across the album.

Not reaching its potential, Nine is a challenging album, one that will somewhat reward persistence, though one that isn't commensurate with the effort it takes to unearth it. While not an album that is off-putting, it is one that will pass you by and largely leave an impression on you as a result of how little of an impression it leaves on you, at least on the first few playthroughs.

Performance:	7
Songwriting:	5
Originality:	6
Production:	6