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All Hail the Dead is the second studio album from metalcore/hardcore punk band Walls of Jericho.
Walls of Jericho had went on a hiatus after the release of their first album, as drummers Wes Keely and Derek Grant had left the band. The former left to finish school, and after only five months of touring, The latter went on to join punk band Alkaline Trio. Finally after two years, Alexei Rodriguez joined the band as drummer.
Despite the long wait and drummer switch, All Hail the Dead leaves off where the previous album left off for the most part. However, the thrash metal elements of the debut have been increased ten-fold, so much that I'm tempted to call this primarily both thrash metal and metallic hardcore. Just listen to songs like "Day and a Thousand Years", "Thanks for the Memories", "Fixing Broken Hearts", and the title cut and you'll hear some killer Slayer-esque guitar licks mixed with hardcore punk. "Thanks for the Memories" especially has guitar riffs that are total Slayer worship, and I mean that in a good way! Pretty much every song is made for headbanging and moshing, and there's no other musical combination that suits this like thrash/hardcore. "To Be Continued..." acts as a really nice mellow yet ominous closing track.
All musicians are in absolute top-form on this album, with the drums and guitar combining together into machine-gun attacks, and Candace Kucsulain's raw screams and snarls. In songs like "Jaded", all of these attributes combine and create chaotic walls of sound. There are still some crushing breakdowns, and also the occasional soulful clean vocal. Also, that album cover is an awesome painting that really paints a good picture of the album.
This is an album for both thrash and metalcore fans, a perfect album to get a metalcore fan into thrash or vice-versa. If you want a short ride of pure aggression and headbanging heaven, do yourself a favor and check this killer out. One of the greatest metalcore/hardcore albums I've ever heard. Hope you found this review helpful.
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