Guttershark: Revisiting The Bled’s 2005 album “Found In The Flood”

Though the band broke up a few years back after 4 honestly great hardcore/mathy/what have you records, The Bled was a band that made few mistakes musically. While their debut album Pass The Flask is generally regarded as their best work, all 3 of their subsequent records are worth listens as well. Especially 2005’s Found In The Flood, the Mark Trombino-produced record which really should have seen the band hit the heights that bands like Underoath or Glassjaw hit. That doesn’t diminish their overall impact, though. The Bled are one of the rare bands you can think of that would make a great comeback album, though it’s unclear if they ever will.

Still, Found In The Flood is a frankly overlooked record. I’d go so far as to say the band and album were so innovative, that The Bled deserve to be put alongside the greats. This record is where they really carved out their own niche in the post-hardcore scene, eventually touring with Linkin Park’s Projekt Revolution Tour. That’s a big, big deal.

This album is a bit ridiculous, though. In a good way. I’m talking tracks like “Last American Cowboy”, which instantly moved rooms of people not so long ago. Dissonant breakdowns and the uniquely talented vocals of James Munoz really drove this band too, but so too did a great rhythm section and great songwriting. There’s also even bigger, more shocking moments. Like the out of nowhere breakdown at the end of “Daylight Bombings”, which really stuns the listener, and the chaotic yet hook-laden melodies of “Guttershark” that really showed an evolution in the band from their debut.

It’s a shame that The Bled aren’t more well-known. Found The In Flood is really a groundbreaking record in a lot of respects. There’s plenty of reasons it’s a memorable record for today, and forgetting about it would certainly be a mistake.