Artist: All Shall Perish
Title: “The Price Of Existence” (re-release)
Label: Metal Mind Productions
Release Date: 12/9/2014
Genre: Technical Grindcore/Death
Rating: 3.5/5
Originally released in 2006 on Nuclear Blast Records, the sophomore album by All Shall Perish was recently re-issued by Metal Mind Productions. The album now comes in a Digipak holder and features no additional tracks, so with that being the case my original thoughts on it remain the same. I have restated those views in the review that follows. The edition is limited to 2000 copies so diehards might want to act fast if interested in purchasing.
Oakland’s All Shall Perish might have something here with their interesting mix of traditional Death Metal along with Technical Grindcore as it allows a new view to be taken of a format that often has loyal fans on either side but seldom together. The band also shows a great level of musicality not often found in either extreme genre and they base this on their mutual love of bands like Opeth and At The Gates while at the same time enjoying Cannibal Corpse and Hatebreed. As you listen to some of the intricate changes during songs like “We Hold These Truths” you would think drummer Matt Kuykendall a protégé of Cryptopsy’s Flo Mounier. He was equally brutal on “The True Beast” and it’s evident that the strength in this kind of music falls to the drummer in most cases. The group has a new vocalist in Herman Hermida and he handles both the growls and the shrieks to speaker blowing levels. I had not heard the bands previous release “Hate, Malice, Revenge” so I cannot compare him to his predecessor and only felt that he handles the material they deliver very well.
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Artist: All Shall Perish
Title: “Awaken The Dreamers”
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Release Date: 9/16/2008
Genre: Deathcore
Rating: 4/5
Before I even begin the commentary about this Oakland, California Deathcore band known as All Shall Perish, I need those readers who might dismiss the group based on their genre to sit back, relax and read the article anyway. The reason for this request is based on the band transcending mere genre specific labels with their follow-up to “The Price Of Existence” for on “Awaken The Dreamers” we find intelligent Death Metal brutality seamlessly blended in with the “core” attitude and some over the top riffing and musicianship to make this a fan of many enthusiasts of the Extreme Metal demographic. Right off the bat the band shows that they have achieved levels of growth from the previous effort and yet not lost any of their overall heaviness and brutality since. There are a lot of different feels to absorb and it’s a tooth breaking affair when “When Life Meant More” begins and lures you into the bands grasp. The guitar work and drumming are exemplary as both musicians are playing at often break neck speeds. Kudos to Chris Story and Matt Kuykendall for their hard work.
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Artist: All Shall Perish
Title: “The Price Of Existence”
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Release Date: 8/8/2006
Genre: Technical Grindcore/Death
Rating: 3.5/5
Oakland’s All Shall Perish might have something here with their interesting mix of traditional Death Metal along with Technical Grindcore as it allows a new view to be taken of a format that often has loyal fans on either side but seldom together. The band also shows a great level of musicality not often found in either extreme genre and they base this on their mutual love of bands like Opeth and At The Gates while at the same time enjoying Cannibal Corpse and Hatebreed. As you listen to some of the intricate changes during songs like “We Hold These Truths” you would think drummer Matt Kuykendall a protégé of Cryptopsy’s Flo Mounier. He was equally brutal on “The True Beast” and it’s evident that the strength in this kind of music falls to the drummer in most cases. The group has a new vocalist in Herman Hermida and he handles both the growls and the shrieks to speaker blowing levels. I had not heard the bands previous release “Hate, Malice, Revenge” so I cannot compare him to his predecessor and only felt that he handles the material they deliver very well. The rest of the ASP lineup falls to Ben Orum (rhythm guitar), Chris Storey (lead guitar), and Mike Tiner (bass) – each of the players coming across as the tightest that the genre has to offer. Clearly this is not everyone’s cup of tea but if you enjoy Cryptopsy and find the need for that adrenaline rush level of Metal to get you going, All Shall Perish is a good choice to make. Other album highlights for me were “Wage Slaves” and “Promise” and I gauge this from the amount of head banging I was doing while trying to write this review. Check this one out if you feel yourself slowing down too much.
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