This release came out of nowhere for me. It’s not exactly new, having been released in 2004, but since I just became aware of it, I figured it was worth a few words!

Bleed is a modern metal band that features the vocal talents of hard rock veteran Robin McAuley. McAuley has had a long career having been involved in such bands as Grand Prix and, of course, the McAuley-Schenker Group with legendary German guitarist Michael Schenker. McAuley’s tenure in M.S.G. lasted three studio albums and also gave us the landmark live acoustic release “Unplugged” in 1993. Since then not much has been heard from Robin with only one solo release in the form of 1999’s “Business As Usual.”

This 4-song EP, which in addition to McAuley, features Dave Bates and Bob Pace on guitars, Bjorn Englen on bass and Mike Taylor on drums, was recorded in 2004 and is what I would venture the most aggressive material McAuley has been involved with to date.

The EP opens with “Falling Down” which instantly lets you know this band isn’t messing around. With a heavy modern guitar riff, the song quickly turns into an aggressive rocker but once the song reaches the chorus there is just enough there to hold your attention. There is also an impressive guitar solo turned in on this song. It’s a good way to open the disc.

“Thrown It All Away” continues with the heavy modern sound but the chorus is even more accessible than the first track and it makes for a solid song. I’ve always liked McAuley’s voice and his vocals sound as good as ever!

The third track “Tail Of The Gun” is again a very heavy and aggressive track and it’s maybe the most modern of the songs to offer. The style is similar to something you may hear from the new Rob Rock (minus the keyboards) or the more recent Bruce Dickinson album. Once again, the axe work continues to impress on this song too.

The EP is rounded out with “We Breathe” and again features more of the same from band; Yet again, check out the guitar solo as it is quite ripping!

Bates, adequately and even impeccably, produces this EP (with co-production by McAuley) and the songs are strong but I would have liked to hear just a bit more variety in them. Of the four songs featured there is not really one track that sounds all that different from the others. The bands website doesn’t offer much in the way of news and happenings on the group but I wouldn’t mind hearing more from them at some point. For what it’s worth, you can check them out at www.bleedrocks.com and you can also order this EP from the site. If you’re a fan of McAuley or a modern metal fan this disc is worth looking into.