Devin Townsend is producing the new Bleeding Through album, titled Declaration, so I’m already about ten times more curious to hear it than I was any previous Bleeding Through album.

Still, the description of it as a concept album about life as a touring musician leaves me kinda underwhelmed. Blabbermouth reports that front man Brandon Schiepatti has this to say about the album in May ’08 issue of Revolver [via Blabbermouth]:

“Every song will be named after a different city or state… There are definitely places when we’re traveling where every time we go there, we’re like, ‘Fuck, why do we have to be here?’ Like, we’ll be in France and all of a sudden we’ll feel totally insignificant. You get the feeling that people’s eyes are just burining a hole through you.”

Schiepatti concludes by promising the new album will be Bleeding Through’s heaviest yet. What a shock: metal musicians never make that promise.

In any case, while I certainly sympathize with the hardships of being a tour musician (especially when your band isn’t Metallica-size and can’t afford private jets and five star hotels and yadda yadda yadda), I feel like making an album about how hard life on the road is will appeal mostly to people who a) are touring musicians themselves or b) don’t really listen to lyrics (To say nothing of the fact that it’s, y’know, kinda whiny – how many musicians do you think would kill to be in your spot, Brandon?). I mean, I’m sorry Bleeding Through don’t feel like they’ve really made any headway with French metalheads, but does that emotion really warrant an entire album? Can’t Schiepatti and company just take comfort in knowing that this is the same country that thinks Jerry Lewis is a comedic genius?

Now, before someone points out to me that Mastodon’s Leviathan is about the same thing, let’s note that Mastodon discussed the topic via a fairly profound metaphor that could actually be interpreted a number of different ways.

Let’s also note the fact that Bleeding Through ain’t no Mastodon.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

-AR