Bleed The Vain Is Looking to Break Out This Year

Bleed The Vain is never going to be mistaken for a flamenco band, but the Denver five-piece certainly is not immune to the effects of the “duende” that’s so synonymous within the Spanish subgenre.

“It’s the spirit of the music that just takes you, and the music starts making itself,” explains bassist Adrian Montoya.

He admits indulging in the devil’s lettuce also helps, naturally, but the group stops just short of calling itself a metallic jam band, which out here is certainly well-defined and means something very specific musically.

“We just lock ourselves in a room for a couple of hours, write and see what happens,” says guitarist Nick Rich. “There’s nothing off the table. If we feel like doing it and we think it’s cool, we’re going to do it.”

“It usually starts with some hooks and some lines, and we just start building off of that, put a little theory into it,” Montoya adds.

Formed in 2022 from the ashes of several former local projects, Bleed The Vain initially introduced itself with a more metalcore sound, particularly on 2023 debut single “Blackened Lust,” but has shifted away from that with the addition of lead guitarist Brandon “Cotton” Daniels last year. “Failure To Thrive,” released in October, is indicative of the current direction toward thrash-influenced melodeath.

Currently, Bleed The Vain — which also features vocalist Payden Brown and Dennis Schaudt — is working on a trio of new tracks, including a cover of Testament’s 1997 “Demonic Refusal,” and a duo of EPs for this year. The first four-songer is going to be made up of remixed versions of previously put out songs.

“This year’s going to be a busy year for us,” Montoya says. “We’re all here to just max out ourselves on music, be the best versions of ourselves and just pushing it to see how many shows we can do. Just what a working band does and see how far we can get.”

The band’s next gig is Thursday, March 26, at Black Sky Brewery. Albuquerque act Negative Order and local newcomers Purified are also on the bill. Bleed The Vain — the name is essentially another way of saying “kill your ego” — is also opening for Kottonmouth Kings on May 6 at HQ.

“We’re firing on all cylinders,” Rich says.

The latest material is even shifting into death-prog territory, mainly in experimenting with longer song formats.   

“Nothing’s off the table,” Daniels says, mentioning influences can range anywhere from Pink Floyd to Eyehategod.

 “We don’t want to paint ourselves into a corner, so whatever we feel like, we’re going to go with it,” Montoya adds.

Brown, for example, “listens to just about anything,” he shares.

“I’ve always been very obsessed with music,” he says, while naming deathcore and dark rap have been part of his current playlist.

“But we’re always going to remain on the heavier side of things,” continues Daniels, whose Louisiana roots naturally give his guitar playing a sludgy sheen.

That means Bleed The Vain is down to play with anyone, too.

“You get a lot of people who would never normally see you in that setting then they’re exposed to a whole new horizon,” Brown says of mixed bills, such as the upcoming Kottonmouth Kings show.

There’s another yet-to-be-announced date at the Federal Theatre in the works for this summer, so keep an eye out for that. But for now, Bleed The Vain — again, that’s “vain” as in “vanity,” not “vein” like bloodletting — is focused on pushing out the good stuff.

“We want a lot of meat on that bone, create a happening,” Montoya concludes. “We’re really pushing our musical boundaries.”

Bleed The Vain, with Negative Order and Purified, 6 p.m. Thursday, March 26, Black Sky Brewery, 490 Santa Fe Drive. Tickets are $10 at the door.