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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 commit- ment to continued survival against all obstacles. Bodysnatcher put the “core” back in Death- core.

Bleed-Abide, the Melbourne, Florida quartet’s third album, crackles with rage and power. As seen on tour with Chelsea Grin, Lorna Shore, and Slaughter To Prevail, and in a series of increasingly packed, sweaty, and electrifying club shows, Bodysnatcher music, lyrics, and imagery already inspired several tattoos and proven transformative to deeply connected listeners.

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) em- body 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 represent- ed 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 17,” 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 in- sights 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. “Hol- low 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 forgot- ten?” 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 ev- eryone 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.”