Continuing the increasingly incestuous relationship between Converge and Cave-In, Mutoid Man is the brainchild of drummer Ben Koller from the former and guitarist/vocalist Stephen Brodsky from the latter.
Economical in its 30-minute length but certainly not in ideas, their full-length debut builds on the promise of their 2013-released EP, Helium Head, adding more bite, a new bassist (Nick Cageao) and beefier production to their thrash, punk, prog and NWOBHM-informed sonic assaults.
Crammed with old-school Tom Araya screams, unusual rhythms inspired by eight-bit videogames, bluesy grooves and lightning-quick riffs, Bleeder is an instantly infectious slab of heavy metal thunder. Bookended by the glorious, galloping sludge-fest, Bridgeburner and the Dio-era, Sabbath-indebted doom-laden title track, the likes of Soft Spot In My Skull and the pummelling 1000 Mile Stare prove that this is much more than a vanity project and it’s as thrilling as anything they’ve put their names to in the past. Step aside Avengers, there’s a new supergroup in town.
