The Bled - Silent Treatment

The Bled's new twelve song album, Silent Treatment, dropped September 25th without much recognition. Although the Arizona band has recently received some new attention after touring on the small stage of Linkin Park's Projekt Revolution 2007 Tour, the band is still relatively unknown. In fact, the only song from 'Silent Treatment' that has its lyrics posted on the Internet do far is Shadtree Mechanics, the first song on the album and the first to be posted on the band's Myspace, a few weeks before its release date.

However, the lack of publicity surrounding The Bled or the release of their latest album cannot be attributed to a deficit of talent. The Bled is a heavy band with intelligence, and the lyrics and song titles on Silent Treatment are phenomenal. Although the lyrics are not always understandable when sung or screamed by vocalist James Munoz, they read like poetry, dark and meaningful sentiments infused with subtle puns.

Musically, the entire album is an enjoyable listen, from the dark opening lines of Shadetree Mechanics: "collect your bones. have you heard the news? the boy's back in town and he reeks of the blues", to the last notes of My Bitter Half. Better than in their previous two albums, The Bled balance screaming with singing, and intricate guitar melodies more than make up for when the raw vocals might seem hard to take.

'Silent Treatment' is, overall, one of The Bled's most professional albums to date, and it is a very worthwhile buy for any fan of hardcore music, or anyone willing to stray a little out of their musical comfort zone. Combing amazing lyrics with gorgeous guitar work and heartfelt vocals, The Bled deliver a fantastic record. Pick up 'Silent Treatment' and help give this amazing band the recognition it deserves!