Several years removed from their impressive third album, Monokrator, unheralded UK act The Bleeding return with fourth LP, Godless Communion. Time between drinks rings in a significant period of change, with all-bar guitarist Tasos’ newish additions to the line-up. The charismatic, thrash-infused screams of departed longtime vocalist Germ (barring some strategic guest spots) are replaced by the thickly expressive growls of Craig Land, former frontman of powerhouse death metal veterans De Profundis. While still wielding a violent, beefy modern death-meets-old-school aesthetic and thrashy crunch, Godless Communion feels and sounds like a fresh interpretation of The Bleeding sound. The change in vocalist offers a notable contrast from its predecessor, shifting the sound deeper into traditional death metal realms, without neglecting their thrashier roots. Can The Bleeding make good of the switch and up their songwriting game to go head-to-head with 2026’s heavyweight death metal releases?
Unleashing their trademark thrashy death metal energy, while leaning more into Floridian influences and obvious appreciation of the legendary Swedeath scene, The Bleeding charge forward with belligerent intent. Land’s chunky vox hit the spot for traditional death metal enthusiasts; the significant stylistic change to his predecessor almost makes The Bleeding sound like a whole new band. The impact of this change will likely vary depending on individual listeners’ enjoyment of their previous works and preference for one style over the other. Regardless, Land’s is a top-level replacement and makes his own forceful impact, shifting the general tone of The Bleeding’s sound, without squashing their established character. Adding extra spice to the vocal onslaught are the various guest spots featured, including Sinister drummer-turned-vocalist Adrie Kloosterwaard lending his grizzled pipes to the robust grooves and pummeling intensity of “Bestial Bloodlust.” Elsewhere, Ryan Howes (Sodomized Cadaver) lends an extra brutal vocal touch to the faithful yet blistering cover of Cannibal Corpse’s classic “Born in a Casket,” closing the album with a nasty bang.
Clocking a lean and efficient 35 minutes, Godless Communion doesn’t fuck around, cranking the energy, speed, and intensity, supplementing these elements with songwriting that punches hard and shoehorns catchier riffs and blood-soaked grooves into the equation, such as the bruising, Bloodbath-esque midsection of “Death Eternal.” The aforementioned track throws a curveball towards its conclusion via the inclusion of operatic vocal chants, adding an eerie charm to the overlaying growls at the song’s dramatic climax. Older and new elements of The Bleeding’s sound converge on the Germ-led, thrash-laced attack of “Praise the Succubi.” It’s a vitally punchy, venomous ride, highlighting Germ’s unhinged style that stood tall on previous offerings. Explosively meaty cuts, featuring lacerating grooves and roid-munching riffs propel the ripping “Altar of the Ram” and equally potent, chaotic throes of “Sacrificial Onslaught.” Momentum fluctuates to slight degrees; however, the material rarely drops below offering solidly headbangable death metal tunes.
Performances are on point. As previously stated, Land’s makes a sizable impact with his authoritative growls lending the album a gruesome, gnarled edge, backed to the hilt by The Bleeding’s pulverizing rhythms, wild solos, and chunky riffs. Tasos lands killer blows through a lively collection of thrashing, grooving riffs and rabid, chaotic soloing cutting nasty swathes of jagged melody through the fleshy exterior, spearheading a more laser-focused death metal attack. Thrashy elements remain yet are not as prevalent as previous albums. Despite an efficient runtime and solid songwriting throughout, a couple of less impactful songs, including the respite-giving but ultimately disposable instrumental “Through the Morphean Gate,” bring slight drawbacks to the final product. And pushing aside Land’s fine performance, Germ’s ragged vocal style and the thrashier edge of their prior incarnation leaves a hole, despite Godless Communion’s undoubtable strengths.
Yet Godless Communion remains an energetically solid reset from The Bleeding, breaking in the beginning of a new sound and era. Initially jarring for fans of their previous work, Godless Communion stands apart as a rock-solid modern-meets-throwback death metal platter, indebted to the past, without shamelessly falling into derivation or generic songwriting. It also feels somewhat transitional and perhaps, with more time for the new line-up to fully find their voice, greater things may well be in store on the next go around. Until then, Godless Communion is a fun ride and an efficiently potent death metal platter.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Redefining Darkness Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: September 18th, 2026
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