Florida deathcore outfit BODYSNATCHER will release their long anticipated new full-length, Bleed-Abide, on April 22nd via MNRK Heavy today unleashing the record’s artwork, track listing, and new single.
An epically unashamed demonstration of aggression, BODYSNATCHER’s music is dark, furious, and threatening. It’s a sound born from the burden of struggle and an unwavering commitment to continued survival against all obstacles. BODYSNATCHER puts the “core” back in deathcore. Bleed-Abide, the Melbourne quartet’s third album, crackles with rage and power.
Comments vocalist Kyle Medina, “Bleed-Abide is the ultimate culmination of what the band has been building for years, and I believe the best material to date. The instrumentals have matured and become heavier hitting and the lyrics dig deeper personally and more relatable than even This Heavy Void. There is something for everyone in this album: slam riffs, breakdowns, two steps, choruses that stick…”
“This album means more to me than any album I have ever been involved in,” adds drummer Chris Whited. “We all love [last album] This Heavy Void, but we weren’t the well-oiled machine that we are now. We know exactly how we all write together and what we are capable of now, and this album fully shows it. Every one of us put hours upon hours into this album throughout the pandemic. Hearing it all come together as one cohesive piece is amazing. I’m so proud of my brothers. This is the album I have always wanted to put out.”
In advance of the record’s release, today the band unleashes a video for the track “E.D.A.” “The song is about the feelings I dealt with from my mom’s passing,” elaborates guitarist Kyle Carter. “It talks about how I felt robbed and didn’t even know the real person she was because I was only twelve when she died. It talks about how it feels like her death has defined who I am in so many ways, but I don’t even remember her fully. It’s a tough subject for me even still, and it’s very frustrating and confusing. I feel very strongly about this song, and I hope it helps anyone who might feel a similar way.”
View the band’s previously released video for “Absolved Of The Strings And Stone” below.
Bleed-Abide’s thirteen punishing tracks were recorded by Chris Whited at 1776 Recordings with drums engineered by Neil Westfall and Bud Phillips at The Unicorn Room, and guitars reamped by Phil Pluskota at Sonic Assault Studio. The record comes cloaked in the cover art of Adam Burke.
Coinciding with the release of Bleed-Abide, BODYSNATCHER will join Dying Fetus for a month-long Spring tour. The journey runs from April 29th through June 5th. Additional support will be provided by Chelsea Grin, Frozen Soul, and Undeath.
Notes bassist Kyle Shope, “Bleed-Abide really showcases the band’s evolution as a whole and in writing through the past four years. I know each of us is extremely happy with the album’s outcome, and we really can’t wait to perform these songs live. A significant part of the writing process involves hearing the music from a live perspective and trying hard to make sure each track lives up to what we expect from it. Super excited for everyone to listen to these songs!”
See all confirmed dates below.
BODYSNATCHER w/ Dying Fetus, Chelsea Grin, Frozen Soul, Undeath:
4/29/2022 Baltimore Soundstage – Baltimore, MD
4/30/2022 The Canal Club – Richmond, VA
5/01/2022 Hooligans Music Hall – Jacksonville, NC
5/03/2022 The Underground – Charlotte, NC
5/04/2022 The Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
5/05/2022 Underbelly – Jacksonville, FL
5/06/2022 Jannus Live – St Petersburg, FL
5/07/2022 Revolution Live – Ft. Lauderdale, FL
5/09/2022 Warehouse Live – Houston, TX
5/10/2022 Amplified Live – Dallas, TX
5/11/2022 Come And Take It Live – Austin, TX
5/13/2022 The Nile Theater – Phoenix, AZ
5/14/2022 Regent Theater – Los Angeles, CA
5/15/2022 The Observatory – Santa Ana, CA
5/16/2022 House Of Blues – San Diego, CA
5/17/2022 The UC Theatre – Berkeley, CA
5/18/2022 Goldfield Trading Post – Roseville, CA
5/19/2022 Bossanova Ballroom – Portland, OR
5/20/2022 Modified Ghost Festival – Vancouver, BC
5/21/2022 El Corazon – Seattle, WA
5/23/2022 Metro Music Hall – Salt Lake City, UT
5/24/2022 Summit Music Hall – Denver, CO
5/25/2022 Granada Theater – Lawrence, KS
5/26/2022 The Lyric At Skyway Theater – Minneapolis, MN
5/27/2022 Pops – Sauget, IL
5/28/2022 Concord Music Hall – Chicago, IL
5/29/2022 The Crofoot Ballroom – Pontiac, MI
5/31/2022 The Opera House – Toronto, Ontario
6/01/2022 Imperial Bell – Quebec City, QC
6/02/2022 Corona Theatre – Montreal, QC
6/03/2022 Gramercy Theatre – New York, NY
6/04/2022 Theatre Of The Living Arts – Philadelphia, PA
6/05/2022 The Palladium – Worcester, MA
About BODYSNATCHER:
The alligator-filled swamps and burned-out tourist beaches of Florida were fertile ground for death metal when the late/great Chuck Schuldiner took his love of heavy thrash and crushed it into a new subgenre. The Sunshine State gave gruesome birth to genre pioneers like Death, Morbid Angel, Obituary, and Deicide. Morrisound Recording became the site where legendary bands summoned essential albums. Florida claims almost as many crucial hardcore, punk, and power-violence bands, including Poison The Well, Shai Hulud, Brethren, Assück, and Strongarm.
Kyle Medina (vocals), Kyle Carter (guitar), Kyle Shope (bass), and Chris Whited (drums) embody the hardcore spirit and cut their teeth in the tight-knit community. They are monikered after the nickname of one of history’s most notorious serial killers, Ed Gein, and represented by a triangular symbol steeped in alchemy and the occult. But BODYSNATCHER lyrics owe more to the horrors of domestic strife than the gore of their Florida-based forebearers in Cannibal Corpse.
The inception point came with the purest of intentions. “I was around seventeen,” Medina explains. “We were just going to be a band that was basically a ‘breakdown band’ for my friends to mosh to.” Eventually stabilizing with a lineup that overlapped at various points with beloved groups like King Conquer and Dealey Plaza, BODYSNATCHER released a quick succession of albums and EPs, most notably Abandonment (2015), Death Of Me (2017), and the utterly crushing This Heavy Void (2020). Combined with a blistering live show, this led to a deal with the MNRK Heavy label.
Bleed-Abide is the darkest offering yet from BODYSNATCHER, burning with an intensity derived from a further focus on sonic pummeling and truth-telling narratives. “Even as a pissed-off teenager, the first songs I wrote were about personal experiences and people who did me wrong,” Medina says. “The musicianship is more mature; there are still a lot of breakdowns but done in a much smarter way. It’s definitely still BODYSNATCHER. It’s like BODYSNATCHER on steroids.”
All of the guys contribute to the lyrics, resulting in multiple points of view and diverse insights anchored by common themes of catharsis and resistance. “Absolved Of The Strings And Stone” is a battle cry against the gaslighting and emotional abuse of toxic people. “Hollow Shell” delves into strained familial dynamics, where some family members live as virtual prisoners to others. “Wired For Destruction” confronts death anxiety. “It’s about the fear of the unknown, how all of us will move on,” says Medina. “Are we just going to return to dust? Are we just forgotten?” Even amidst the uncertainty and darkness, there’s an underlying positivity to be mined within. “Value Through Suffering” takes a proactive stance on hardship, a way to rebuild from the wreckage.
Too many bands resist genre classification in an aloof effort to distinguish themselves from every other band, inadvertently consigning themselves to talking points that sound like everyone else. BODYSNATCHER is, without apology, a deathcore band. There is no compromise in the cards. “Deathcore kicks ass. A lot of bands shy away from labels they don’t deem ‘cool’ enough. But we don’t give a fuck,” Medina says proudly. “We like what we like, and we play what we play. We all love hardcore and metal, so we’re going to play hardcore, play metal, and play breakdowns. And that’s how the band is going to be, forever.”
