Mutoid Man Draws Blood with Bleeder, Playing Underground Arts Friday 8/14

Hardcore metal band Mutoid Man recently released their debut full-length album, Bleeder. The band consists of vocalist/guitarist Steve Brodsky (Cave In), bassist Nick Cageao, and drummer Ben Koller (Converge, All Pigs Must Die). Bleeder merges elements of hardcore, punk, and metal into a fire-breathing monstrosity full of mind-melting guitar licks, a barrage of drums, and a range of vocal deliveries that shift from piercing howls to fear-instilling growls.

Mutoid Man bubbles with intensity and fervor throughout the album’s thirty minutes. The band’s technical skill is apparent in their mathy riffs, odd-timed beats, and walls of intense complexity that come forward in every song. Brodsky’s and Cageao’s knack for precise shredding guide the album with deep, metallic tones that come through their dynamically vicious riffage. The changes between levels of fury are driven by the guitar lines as well as Brodsky’s disciplined control of his wicked voice, while Koller’s drums add a rhythmic layer of astonishing rigor. Mutoid Man collectively coax their music into more subtle moments, only to shortly later instigate it back into its beast like form. The vocal deliveries can come in high-pitched for the most of a track, and with the turn of a few measures they’ll return in the form of demonic tones.

“1000 Mile Stare” wraps all of the elements of the album into two and a half minutes. The song shines with metal influence from its opening notes, while changing it up with chugging riffs and darker tones further down the line. Brodsky howls with fervor, and later in the track he brings out some of his most deafening shouts that move quickly in time with startling instrumentals. Woven throughout their feverish music are feelings of picking yourself up and moving on, and the lyrics on “Dead Dreams” most clearly reveal those feelings. Brodsky cleanly sings “Your dead dreams telling the story, honey you’ll never forget,” while the track ends with him forcefully shouting “don’t sleep with dead dreams, cut all the deadweight.” Another cut where they get noticeably creative is “Deadlock.” Lightning-speed riffs and swift drum beats make instrumental sections sound techy and polished, while the verse takes a step towards slowing down to introduce a slower, mercilessly dirty chorus. The band shifts and changes speeds on a dime, and Brodsky hoarsely shouts in madness, “Let ’em play dumb, living in a spiritual slum!”

Bleeder is a ripper of an album that should appeal to fans of hardcore, punk, and metal. Mutoid Man uplifts their craft with experimental musicianship and a feeling of intellectual anger that makes the album heavy and thrilling. The music breathes with fire, but it is even more notable is that the band can tame their musical beast to the point where it sounds as savage as it does graceful. Pick up Bleeder via Sargent House here, download it via bandcamp, and stream below.

Mutoid Man is playing at Underground Arts this Friday, 8/14, with Sweet Cobra and Bardus. Get tickets here.

Featured image by Mitchell Wojcik via mutoidman.com.