ALL SHALL PERISH

Awaken The Dreamers

Nuclear Blast/ CD

Damn me. Deathcore commando from Oakland really surprised me. The successor to quite decent "The Price of Existence" may be seen be the one of the most interesting modern metal albums, which were published in 2008. 12 compositions packed in the third, full-length album from California team may be called a deathcore hit parade. ALL SHALL PERISH decided to build their new stuff upon melody and diversity.

Take a closer look at "Memories of a Glass Sanctuary" - a delicate acoustic ballad with Eddie's clean voice lives just next door to raging like a Gustav hurricane "Stabbing to purge Dissimulation", which rapes the land of musical tenderness. Matt acts like crazy, while his drum machine accelerates to combat speed. Of course we have some typical ASP's musical ingredients. So the old fans wouldn't feel lost. There are typical thick riffs and breakdowns. The guitarists whoosh on teh guitar's neck, wringing arpeggios at a speed of light. But at the same time the impetus of new elements is really impressive. Melodies reminding of the classic AT THE GATES works and vocals - sic! - taken from heavy metal arsenal stand here side by side with riffs taken from Dimebags's closet. When talkin' about vocals, Hermida really expanded range of his voice. We have malicious squawk, falsetto and guttural growl. The guy is trying to diversify his work. And he's good at it.

I don't know how will die-hard fans react to this delicately commercialized stuff. Some will probably have trouble with accepting the new face of this band. Songs like "Misery's Introduction," or even "From So Far Away" - interludes that let the listener catch a breath between the strikes of unfettered aggression - probably will be seen as a symbol of selling out. But I have no problem with this. The courage in crossing borders of musical genres shown by ASP musicians makes me want to express the respect for their approach to creating. On the other hand, we still have lots of full power stuff. Just bang your head along with "When Life Meant More..." and "Gagged, Bound, Shelved and Forgotten" and you'll know that it's still very dangerous beast. Closing the whole album "Songs For The Damned" simply touches me deeply. Sadness that emanate from this work is simply authentic. And for me the true emotion is always more important in the perception of music then the voice of reason and cool calculation. Sound gained under the eye of Zach Ohren highlights the advantages of that stuff. Heavy weight guitar wall is surrounded by outer space of floating melodies.

Albums like this can be expected from those who create trends, rather than follow them. An excellent example of how it’s possible to find a niche in a place where hundreds of bands have already been to. And even if it won't be a completely new and unique, it will be at least a class above the masses.

9/12