Bleeth – Marionette

by Mark 'Yeti' Richard · June 20, 2025

Bleeth is a stoner sludge/ noise rock band from Miami, Florida. Formed in 2015, the three-piece consists of Lauren Palma on guitar and vocals, Ryan Rivas on bass and vocals, and Juan Londoño on drums. They released their debut EP Re-Animator in 2015, followed by 2018’s Geomancer, and 2021’s Harbinger EP. They also have a couple of singles, 2018’s Divulging Souls and Blood Moon. Their latest album entitled Marionette was released on May 29th 2025 on Seeing Red Records. It contains ten tracks at thirty six minutes long.

Bleeth has a crushing post-hardcore/metal sound that explores heavy topics, as described in the record bio: “Marionette, explores themes of fear, control, and manipulation. It’s an emotional and sonic journey that delves into duality—the tension between light and dark, freedom and oppression. Drawing inspiration from Gloria Anzaldúa’s Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza, the album captures the lived experience of existing between worlds. Bleeth explores the complexities of identity, grappling with the fluidity of self. This includes navigating the intersections of cultural identity, gender expression, and sexuality, embracing the fluidity of being neither fully Cuban nor fully American, neither fully man nor woman, and the ever-shifting spectrum of queerness. It’s a reflection of our personal experiences, struggles, and the complexities of living in the borderlands, both physically and metaphorically.” The album matches the deep lyrical themes was heavy monolithic riffs and devastating and hammering rhythms, with the subtle undertones of beautiful melodies also.

“False Memory” starts off with a sequence of chorded doom pounding tones that erupt into a bulldozing riff with angry and spoken-esc vocals, courtesy of bassist Ryan Rivas. The sludge driving music bludgeons with layers of heavy fuzz, segmenting bursts of blast beats and noise rocking fury that eventually fades out. “Echoes Of Doubt” begins with clean guitar and builds up with snare drum taps into a heavy onslaught of destruction. Lauren Palma’s alluring voice takes control as the distortion kicks in and then returns to the clean guitars. Shifting back and forth between both dynamics, Bleeth scores some subtle leads into the mix and crank out a nice mid tempo rhythm. The third track “Medusa” kicks right in with Rivas returning on the vocals. The noise rocking elements return here with a menacing array of hardcore pounding and angst-fueled apocalyptic riffs.

“Devils Advocate” is next and begins with a percussive prodding and an ultra fuzzy bass riff. The aggressive and shouting vocals pummel with slabs of guitar chords and angular rhythms. The feel of this song is dark and uneasy as the haunting leads enter in. The six minute track has a torturous and harsh element to it. “Break Free” is a spastic punk expression of hardcore aggression and beat down riffs. Both vocalists are present on this harrowing song. “Placebo” further devastates with an old Kylesa vibe exploding out of the speakers. Discordant bass lines and siren guitar screams are all the rage on this song as the pile-driving rhythms don’t let up for one second. The music is an avalanche of unbearable tormenting, as further enhanced in “Pro Choice”. There is something so cathartic about the blazing hardcore riffing and the dense sludge rhythms. I like how the vocals trade off and collectively dominate together with these songs too. Bleeth are dishing out all kinds of blistering and nasty tones on Marionette. The evocative rhythms can transfer into some slower and diabolical tones like on “Snake Eyes”, in a moment’s notice. Palma’s voice has a haunting beauty to it at times which further expresses an emotional connection or breakdown.

“Reflections” pulses with bass and has a slow and eerie guitar sound, with a subdued tone, compared to the other songs. It’s a nice transition to give the listener a chance to come up for air and collect themselves from the musical obliteration. Marionette is a densely packed album of harsh sounds and this mellow instrumental interlude has a significant place on this record, I feel. It’s still heavy but in a visceral way, like a disruption in a deep inner sanctum of your soul. It really sets up the final track called “Monarchs” brilliantly. The song has a lumbering start with a doom metal swagger. It then transforms into a sludge rocker while changing speeds and singers in the process. Both vocalists are present on this track and each of them do a great job embracing the context of the song with the right blend of alluring and unique styles. It’s a wonderful closer to a totally mammoth sounding recording.

I have listened to this album a bunch of times already and always seem to gain some new insight or perspectives from it. It’s definitely a very expansive piece of musical art that should be experienced in the right mindset. The music can be abrasive at times but there are also moments of captivating beauty within these songs. Bleeth has created a truly unique and fascinating record with Marionette.