Bleeding the Fifth

In 2000, Andy, Dan, and Nick got together to form their first band together. That band was called The Neil Grantz Band and was named after one of their high school teachers. They were together until 2002 when Nick left for Marine Corps boot camp. Upon Nicks release from active duty in July of 2007, the 3 of them got back together to start making music again. They were only a trio though. After playing in the Kent State University Battle of the Bands, they decided that they needed to revamp their sound. They needed something heavier so they strayed away from Andy's classical vocals, which he has acquired a Master Degree in, and found front man Anthony Shields who's guttural vocals steered the band in the direction they craved to go in. Next up was Josh Shaffer, another guitarist, who Dan had grown up playing with. The final piece was their bass player, Dave Holland. The band was now whole. Immediately they got to work writing new music, and within a month and a half, they had their first three song demo cut. Since then, they have been working tirelessly writing new music and playing shows around Northeast Ohio every weekend. They have played with bands like Rose Funeral, Bring Me the Horizon, The Faceless, Abigail Williams, and Veil of Maya to name a few. They have only been on the scene since mid September of 2008 and have already made a name for themselves with their intense live show and their new style of metal. They bring elements of Grindcore, Hardcore, Death Metal, Classic Rock, Metalcore, and Classical music to form their unique sound. They can go from an intense breakdown to a melodic, three part guitar harmony with the greatest of ease. With influences like Children of Bodom, Between the Buried and Me, Job For a Cowboy, and Pantera, it's easy to see where this extremely talented band came from. A lot of Metal bands these days like to pick a metal genre to play in and stick with that format. Not Bleeding the Fifth. They view all the genre's of metal as different colors on an artists palate, and their songs reflect that. In their song Stand Strong for example, they start off with a melodic three part harmony; into a grindcore transition; followed by more melodic three part harmonies; a metalcore breakdown; more three part harmonies; into a thrash metal section that eludes to a grindcore finish. A black and white picture can be beautiful, but it truly comes to life when you add colors. Already with a following in Northeast Ohio, that is quickly blossoming in other areas of the world via Myspace, Bleeding the Fifth is a band that if you haven't heard of, you will in due time. They're set to release their first full length album entitled Bled Since Birth in mid December; an album that has been wondered about, and requested from not just the bands and fans in the local area that have seen them, but from people all over the world in places like Germany and Paraguay. These boys have only been together for five months, but it sounds like they have been together forever. See them play like hundreds of people have already and you'll understand why. "Beware the lollipop of mediocrity; lick it once and you'll suck forever."
- Brian Wilson