Search - Bella Morte :: Bleed the Grey Sky Black

Bella Morte:Reborn

EerieVonEvil | The Rabbit Hole | 10/20/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've been listening to Bella Morte since the days of Where Shadow's Lie, and I have to say that they started to get a little bland once they started doing As The Reasons Die. As The Reasons Die just didnt have any songs that stood out as original and came off sounding like The Quiet Part II. A change was needed to spark some more originality in the band's music. Well, they have made that change big time, because Bleed The Grey Skies Black is a fantastic album. There are several new elements to the Bella Morte sound. For one, the bands is WAY heavier now. The guitar's have been upped a notch or two and now stand out from the Keyboards, although the Keys are still a big part of the album. Andy Deane expands his vocal style to a minor growl/yell on some songs, but still sings in his classic melodic/goth vocals. He is an amazingly good singer. Another big change is the addition of real drums. Their drummer Jordan first recorded with the band on the Songs For The Dead e.p. The drums add a great organic precision to the songs making them more energetic. There is even some double bass on this record! I think long-time Bella Morte fans are going to flip when they hear this record because it is such an exciting and fresh direction for them! This would also be a good starting point for new fans. Its has all the elements of The Quiet/Where Shadow's Lie, but adds a fierce punk rock crunch to the songs. Songs like Ghost Land and On The Edge have a dark and heavy edge to them with killer keyboards and guitar. Torn is great too with a fast punk beat and a killer chorus. The Alone has an awesome dancy sound to it with crunchy guitar. Haunted is a great melodic anthem with shouting choral vocals. There is also a cover of the classic 50's song "Earth Angel", which they pulled off great. I was totally surprised by their choice of a cover song and it further illustrates their varied tastes. This album blows As The Reason's Die out of the water. Bella Morte has become a great Goth Rock band and this album proves it. I also recommend getting the Songs For The Dead e.p. which also has some unique experimentation in jazz/punk/goth/rock."

These guys can bleed my grey sky black any day.

Ross Campbell | Rochester, NY | 10/14/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"it would definitely be tough for the Bella boys to top their previous full-length record As The Reasons Die and their last EP Songs For The Dead, but i'd heard samples and a couple full songs online from Bleed the Grey Sky Black before its release, and i was pretty sure the material was Bella Morte's best thus far, and upon listening to the album it was confirmed. with every album they get better and better, every outing brings something new and different to the table and shows a new facet of the band, and Bleed the Grey Sky Black is Bella Morte the likes of which we have never heard before, yet still familiar: harder, heavier, darker (they haven't arguably been this dark since Remains), with more rock and metal elements. it's less "synthy" sounding than any of their previous releases, per se (aside from their two deathrock-styled EPs), which isn't a bad thing at all, and the catchy synth riffs are still there and ever-present as always, combined with amped-up rockin' guitar (courtesy of Tony). drummer Jordan Marchini, who previously only performed at live shows and on Songs For The Dead, makes his full Bella Morte debut here, and he rocks out. there are a couple tracks with drum-machine-sounding synth-beats or whatever, but Jordan is definitely the star here and his skills give the band's sound something it's never had before and pushes the new album even further into the realms of awesome. vocalist Andy Deane even does some dry/growling vocals on a few of the tracks, and also some yell/group vocals too, and while there was a little growling on As The Reasons Die's "Awake," never as much as this and it's frickin' awesome. Lauren Hoffman pleasantly joins the band again for a couple tracks, which is always great. the band also includes their cover of The Penguins' "Earth Angel" on the album, an awesome, almost humorous intermission from the horror and gloom on the rest of the CD. highlights include all the songs, really, this is totally Bella Morte's best stuff. totally solid. pretty much the best album ever, probably. it's all here. get it now!!"