If you know anything of the seemingly “came out of nowhere” metal outfit Divine Heresy then you will know that its creator and founder is none other than everyone’s favourite fat Mexican riff machine Dino Cazares of former Fear Factory fame.

Artist: Divine Heresy
Title: Bleed The Fifth
Type: Album
Label: Century Media (EU), Roadrunner Records (US)

After mulling around for a year since his departure from Fear Facory in 2002 Dino hooked up with Vital Remains drummer Tim Yeung and newcomer vocalist Tommy Vext and began creating what has now become Divine Heresy’s first full length album Bleed The Fifth, out now on Century Media Europe and Roadrunner Records US. The album name is a play on the American judicial system Fifth Amendment (to plead the Fifth Amendment).

Logan Mader (ex-Machine Head) took on the role of producer for the band’s first release and as you can imagine it sounds like war using nothing but sound. With the years of experience from both Dino Cazares and Tim Yeung the guitars and drums are in perfect harmony from a tone perspective, the guitars sound like high calibre rounds being fired from a tank powered by the sun and the kick drums sound nothing short of the earth cracking under them. With such long serving metal veterans taking up two thirds of the band the introduction of Tommy Vext to the metal world has been a curious one, but he has truly earned himself some sort of Xbox style achievement! Throughout the album of ten metal chunks Tommy Vext shows a fantastic range of vocal styles including some surprising soaring clean parts such as the chorus from first single Failed Creation which will have you singing out of key at the top of your lungs in front of complete strangers on the bus to work.

On some levels with a name like Divine Heresy you are expecting some sort of iconoclast, anti-GOD type feel to the lyrics and the album as a whole, but thank Allah they have steered just clear enough of this very overused theme to keep the songs fresh and catchy from huge opening title track “Bleed The Fifth” to the slow yet crushing “Closure” to round off the album.

If you are looking for a sharp, modern, fast, catchy and enjoyable piece of metal then this album will most definitely keep your iPod and/or CD player happy for weeks to come. Those that felt the terrible loss after Dino left Fear Factory and they started churning out crap like an American at Christmas will be grinning into the night with this great piece of aggressive music that will definitely be worth your time, money and the huge amounts of hair that will spring from your body. Fat Mexicans will always be better on guitar than pretty much everyone.

LFTM Rating:
8.5/10

YOUR Rating:
(3 votes, average: 4.67 out of 10)