Pass the Flask

Of The Bled's four records, I enjoy this one the most. They don't really do anything new, but they do it very well in my opinion. This is a re-release of the 10 tracks on their debut record as well as 11 bonus tracks from previous material, and I think there's one or two previously unreleased tracks. I'll first focus on tracks 1-10 from the original Pass the Flask release. In what I think is a surprisingly mature debut, The Bled meld hardcore, screamcore, and mathcore into a relentless opening 10 tracks that for some reason have a fun, playful feel to them. That's only my opinion, but I think it comes from the song lyrics and titles, which are reminiscent of Every Time I Die, to whom they've often been compared. They move between catchy melodies and hardcore riffs with frequent tempo changes and the occasional heart-stopping breakdown. There are a couple of times where they slow the tempo just before a crushing breakdown, which I find awesomely brutal! Again, it's not something new, it's not some uniquely creative breakdown a la Converge - it's the way The Bled structure the build-up to the breakdown. Check out the opening track, "Red Wedding" and track 4, "Ruth Buzzi Better Watch Her Back" - both have similar parts around 2:10. Another interesting track is track 9, "We Are the Industry." Here they back off into a guitar only melody around 2:50 for about 45 seconds, after which a cymbal kicks in and James Munoz begins to whisper "The Birth and the Death." The base then joins in as James slowly grows louder to the point where he's wailing with all he's got, to pretty cool effect. Track 6, "Porcelain Hearts and Hammers for Teeth," is similar in that it is pretty slow and subdued until midway through when it suddenly bursts into hardcore riffs with some cool tempo changes and some of James' most intense screaming vocals. The song then does the same slow/soft to harcore pattern once more, but with different guitar parts. I think James Munoz does a great job with the vocals on this record, consistently infusing great passion into the screaming vocals as well as some of the clean vocals. There's a slight screamo element to the record, which isn't my thing - but mixed in with everything else it works great for me. The songs don't strike me as whiny or completely self-absorbed - just passionate, like they're desperately trying to get something off their chest as they share their cathartic artistry with the listener. Then there are 11 bonus tracks, which are quite different from the first 10. For one thing, James Munoz' vocals sound more like Daniel Weyandt from Zao. And there is much less melody and constant tempo changes, which I might compare to early ETID (Last Night in Town and Hot Damn!). I haven't listened to these tracks as frequently but they are solid when you're in the mood for that frenetic type of hardcore that just continues from track to track. While I'm mentioning it, it seems pretty clear that Dillinger Escape Plan influenced The Bled quite a bit. One example is track 7, "Get Up You Son of a Bitch, Cause Mickey Loves Ya'," where there are some cool mathcore tempo changes. I could also see comparing this record to a more hardcore (as opposed to metalcore) It Dies Today's "The Caitiff Choir." I hate making comparisons, but just wanted to give you something to help give you a picture of the overall feel of the record. If some of these descriptions sound intriguing to you, I recommend you pick up this record. It's a lot of material for the money, and again - my opinion is that The Bled does a great job of structuring the songs to make them a great listen that is never static and never boring. I swear, it seems that some parts of this review contradict other parts, but that's what this record does - it comes at the listener from different directions, keeping them guessing. I never skip a track on 1-10 (the original Pass the Flask). The record grips me from start to finish, and I hope it'll crush you just as mercilessly.

Amazing Deal. Amazing Album. So worth the purchase. You are a baller for providing this. I only hope you still have a copy for yourself!!!!!!!!!

These guys are really great. A solid mix of breakdowns, slow, fast and technical, with some melodic stuff thrown in as well. Great feel for the kids into hardcore from the late 90s, though I think this cd came out in the early 2000s.

I bought this album because i wanted to get into some new bands in this genre. This band has blown me away with how heavy there stuff is. If you like Hard hitting, loud, in your face hardcore metal BUY THIS ALBUM!

It plays . And it came on time

classic

Alright, this is probably one of the the 5 greatest albums ever created. Now, i don't mean just hardcore CDs, i mean ALL CDs. This is truly a masterpiece of music. I bought this CD after reading a bunch of reviews and hearing them being compared to Every Time I Die (Hot Damn! is one of the best CDs ever as well). So, i picked them up and, well, let me take you through the journey i went through when listening to this CD.... Red Wedding (5/5) This really starts the CD off very good. It gets you pumped up and when the "the queen is beckoning, so get on your knees and pray for life" part comes and that breakdown comes in after you feel your heart speed up and you begin to jump around, vicously. By the time the "You will pay the price, close your eyes and die" part comes in you go completely nuts. You Know Who's Seatbelt (10/5) The best song on the CD. There is no way i can describe it, It is perfect in every way, i would suggest just listening to it for yourself. I Never Met Another Gemini(5/5) Starting to notice a pattern in my ratings. Well, this song i just great. Not as good as the first two, but still amazing. By this time your reading to absolutely lose it. Your so pumped up, your heart's beating like crazy, you've realized this is no ordinary CD. Ruth Buzzi Better Watch Her Back (4.5/5) A decent song and i really like it, but it doesn't live up to the first three. By this time, you begin to calm just a little, but that won't last very long..... Sound of Sulfur (7/5) Alright, i just love this song. It's one of my favorite on the CD. The way song just transitions is just great. By the time it hits "You will run form familair arms, into their embrace" part, you'll be jumping all over breaking things, just going nuts. And when it concludes with "I hope they love you like i did when you needed me and i came for you that night" You'll have lost it completely lost it. Porcealin Hearts and Hammers for Teeth (10/5) Wow, wow is all i can say. Starts off soft and slow, then just picks up and knocks you right off your feet. During your first listening after this song is over you'll probably pass out because the song is just so perfect, especially stacked up with the first 5. It's track 6, so when you come to, go to track 7 Get Up You Son of a B****, Cause Mickey Loves Ya (4.5/5) Good song, lets you ease back into things after that last one. Spitshine Sonata (5/5) Another great song. These guys can do no wrong. You'll start getting pumped again and will start to go nuts. Don't stop now, there's still two more. We Are the Industry (5/5) Another great song (Like you think i would say this one is bad or something). Your just going to keep going nuts, especially at the "We are the industry" part at the end that slowly builds up. Wow, they're just great. Nothing We Say Leaves This Room (5/5) What a shocker. Alright, they end it on a good note. Actually the whole CD was a "good note" a "very,very good note". Alright, after this one you'll probably pass out on the ground again, just because it's that good and you'll be in shock of how good the CD was and still is. Alright, i think i made my point. The Bled are the best band out there right now and "Pass the Flask" is the best CD out there right now, it even rivals "Hot Damn!", believe it or not. So, go pick up about 5 copies of the CD just because you can and go see them live, every chance you get. These guys are truly the best and deserve every bit of praise they get, trust me on this one. Final Score = (..../5) No numbers can describe how good these CD is.

Listeners who come to The Bled's first official album, "Pass The Flask" (which was originally released in 2003, and re-issued in Ought-seven) expecting to hear a melodic and/or post-hardcore album will be sorely disappointed. Despite featuring a distinctly metalcore-esque moniker, and releasing a record at the same time that said genre was booming in popularity, The Bled actually have more in common with grinding mathcore than any other genre. What this means is, you should come to "Pass" expecting to hear lots of dissonance, tight musicianship, jarring tempo changes, and throat-shredding vocals. From the very Botch/Dillinger Escape Plan-lite opener, "Red Wedding," which is filled with dissonant, visceral screams, to the booming album closer, "Nothing We Say Leaves This Room," a breakdown-happy mosher with plenty of thunderous double bass slamming, the malice almost never relents. Almost. The onslaught does take a brief oasis in the form of a track called "Porcelain Hearts And Hammers For Teeth," which begins sounding like a ballad for its first two-and-a-half minutes or so, what with its minor-key acoustic strumming and ominous, looming keyboard lines. But then the rest of the band comes screaming in, and the song careens out of control for about a minute or so. Standouts found elsewhere include the very Poison The Well-esque "You Know Who's Seatbelt" (albeit an abnormally heavy PTW song with unusual amounts of forceful and muscular double bass'ing, chugging hardcore riffs, and lurching breakdowns.) And others are the explosively heavy "I Never Met Another Gemini"; the bludgeoning "Sound Of Sulfur" (which boils over with more complex guitar and bass lines, as well as brutal, chugga-chugga rhythms, and thumping, crashing drum fills); and the oh-so-Converge-esque, ninety-second long blast of noisecore that is "Get Up You, Because Mickey Loves Ya." Again, do not expect "Pass The Flask" to sound like a Killswitch Engage cloning, nor it to be like the sister album to The Red Chord's "Fused Together In Revolving Doors." It is a little more unique sounding than that. So while it might not be the most groundbreaking and/or revolutionary metal record out there, it is always a little refreshing to hear a band not take the easy way out by opting for a commercially-accessible emocore sound, but instead choose a more challenging approach, and one that is sure to please most mathcore aficionados.

Perfect and cheap!