From the beginning of the genre, heavy metal bands have always been accused of being derivative of one another. Testament caught flack for sounding like Metallica, Gruntruck was equally ridiculed for their resemblance to Alice in Chains, and so on and so forth. But few artists have ever been as blatant about it as Dischange, who resemble U.K. punk metal pioneers Discharge in sound, album design, and even name. As bad as that might sound, the group apes their heroes so well that the album they produced could actually pass for a lost album by the legendary British punks. A nonstop barrage of ugly guitars, chugging blast beats, and hoarse screaming assaults the listener from the first moment and doesn't let up until the very end. Meanwhile, the lyrics are the same sort of apocalyptic warnings and political criticisms that made the original group such revolutionary thinkers in the U.K. hardcore scene. The album is all ruthless aggression and blistering tempos, with no real variety to differentiate the songs. On one hand, this adds up to a very visceral listen that can fuel a bad mood like few other albums. On the other hand, the one element they didn't take from Discharge was their ability to turn brutal repetition into hooks, meaning that you have to be in a very particular mood to truly appreciate what's going on here. All of the above elements also make it a very specialized album, and curious listeners should know how dark, brutal, and derivative Seeing Feeling Bleeding is before giving it a listen.
