Awaken the Dreamers

I'd like to start out by saying that I'm a huge All Shall Perish fan. I consider "The Price of Existence" a damn-near masterpiece. That being said, I had huge hopes for this album, and all of them were summarily dashed. This album is nothing that TPOE was. Sure, the heaviness is there and sure, they've bumped up the "shred" factor. But in the end, all it results in is a lifeless, boring shred fest over breakdowns. The band has progressed technically, but sacrificed all semblance of song writing. To break it down? There are 12 tracks on this album. 4 of which are interludes, another 4 consist of nothing but breakdown beats with varying solos and "melodic" sections over the top, while never rising above 70bpm (literally) and the other 4 are made up of 2 riffs and then breakdowns with sweeps over them. This is not a "masterpiece of complex technical metal that will revolutionise the industry". This is a boring, uninspired, stock, generic waste of time. I'm so sad to see one of my favourite bands go downhill so far.

Eddie's vocals are the only real continuing quality from the last album, expanding on his already formidable vocal talents with some cleans and even a power metal-usque scream in "Black Gold Reign". His lyrics remain interesting. Not great, but above average. During "Songs for the Damned" however, he slips in a few classic phrases that any metal head will get a chuckle at. Including;

"Our...black metal hearts drown in black water parks
Damnation...delivered us back to the start
Are my arms your hearse if these metaphors stop?"

Subtle.

Compared to ASP's other albums, this is a step back on so many levels. The passion is gone and the music is dull. Another fact that this work does not have a higher score is the first margin result that should always be left to young bands for improvement and the lack of deepening in lyrics that this one suffers. I mean, something that hooks you from beginning to end is complicated to find here since we often won't know if the song is finished or we're still in it. These constant speed changes confuse the listener a lot as getting hooked results complicated... Others will say this is a frenetic album, especially if you like core or good tech death; maybe it’s more restrained on the brutalness than its predecessor yet finally limits itself to representing a style that has been vilified by plagiarism and saturation. I saw this for sale in my local CD store, and I picked it up, stared at it for a few minutes, sighed, shook my head and put it back on the shelf. It's not worth the money. Save your cash and got get "The Price of Existence", you won't regret it. The album got an extra 15 for Eddie's vocal talent. It's just not worth your time in the end.

Unfortunately, the majority of instruments in a band are dedicated to rhythm and with this album having such boring rhythms, the quality is pulled down. Nothing about the drumming, rhythm guitar or the bass stands out or is memorable. Sure the double bass drums can get speedy but other than that there really isn't anything there. The bass is hardly audible so I can't even criticize it properly and the rhythm guitar follows the drumming's simplicity. Very little is there other than some chords being chugged in the background.

However despite half of the band lacking what is needed to make the album complete, there are things to redeem it. Eddie is a vocalist that doesn't entirely fit the bill for the typical deathcore band. His range is fairly impressive and his highs are what really sets him apart. Unlike a lot of deathcore bands that have ranged vocalists, Eddie pulls off some pretty wicked highs that accent the music quite well. The lows aren't anything too impressive but do go relatively deep.

The lyrical content can get a little cliche as it is almost entirely political and social commentary. As much as I agree with most of their message, it isn't something I want to hear continuously throughout their entire music career, and that seems to be the case so far. Despite all of that, the lyrics are fairly direct and avoid using pointless metaphors to convey a point. With what they are trying to do, they are doing a good job at it but some other lyrical topics would be nice.

Finally, I come to the lead guitar. The lead guitar in this album is very in your face, "look what I can do," styled. The speed is quite impressive and most notable in "From So Far Away," however the song was not played by Chris Storey but in fact Rusty Cooley. However Chris does have some pretty decent speed and does so quite cleanly. Instead of playing something he simply can't, he plays what he can and does it well. Unfortunately his lead guitar playing seems a little too...improvised. The lead guitar seems like it wasn't exactly written and was instead just a recording of Chris fooling around.

At the end of the day I would say this album is definitely worth listening to, and will be something that can be remembered, but the lyrics and the lead guitar are the only things that will be remembered.

Awaken the Dreamers is an earnest attempt to smother the chugging fundamentals of its medium into something so heavily glazed with ideas that it would impossible for me to dislike it; even if I face the nagging realization that, stripped bare of its melodies or 'toppings', I'd be left with one boring pizza pie of slogging palm-muted grooves that add absolutely nothing of value to the deathcore spectrum. That goddamn awful logo unfortunately remains on the cover, almost like a reminder of the ghetto brickwork 90s mosh mentality All Shall Perish seems to consciously or unconsciously champion despite its more musical leanings, but otherwise I'd have to say I enjoyed the artwork more than their other efforts, with its (literally) six-gunning Statue of Liberty and the symmetric clouds of jet fighters that flank it. If only the middle of the picture was vomited upon by this generic relic of a logo, we'd be in business at last...

Musically, though, All Shall Perish and I are just about to seal the deal, our right hands skin on skin without yet giving a firm shake. The effort put into this record is laudable, despite its faults, which almost all center on the continued overuse of warlike Earth Crisis chugging rhythms that structurally go nowhere interesting. It wouldn't be difficult for musicians of this caliber to find a solution...for instance, kicking the bland chords or adding some dissonance second and third notes to the palm mutes, you'd instantly get something deeper than the deathcore (and previously metalcore) breakdown status quo. Fortunately, the guitarists compensate with a bewildering amount of higher string exercises that range from modern Swedish melodeath sequences, or tapping patterns that often remind me of 8-bit video game classics if they were being arpeggiated by crack whore shredders, or just flashy scale-work that just seems to fit over the banal foundation well enough that you, as the listener, can consign the rhythm guitars to another piece of the percussion kit. Which I think was the Californians' intent, to continue pushing themselves without alienating the fistfighting anthems that spurred on its original audience.

There are slick, jazzy breaks, and segues where All Shall Perish seem to flirt with metal inspirations of a more progressive nature, but to be honest these often feel like they're just abrupt transitions in which they're attempting to throw a surprise left hook at you when they really need a more impactful uppercut. Don't get me wrong: it's a joy that they see fit to expand themselves without losing that violent core, but occasionally these metalcore/deathcore groups seem as if they've just put together their tracks piecemeal, and even on this solid album you could probably switch off a lot of the riffs and breaks between different songs and come up with a similar result. It's more modular than built of strong individual songs, and so there aren't a lot that I found enjoying in full...I simply could pick out a lot of smaller passages within them that were pretty cool, and yes many of those were melodies or leads. The bass playing continues to count here, with loads of groovy fills in tunes like the title cut that keep the music multi-faceted without detracting from the busyness of the guitars. Matt Kukyendall's last studio performance with the band is likewise fit: flawless footwork, no shortage of fills and a clean capacity to match the jazzier tempo shifts that populate the experience.

As for Hermida's performance, it's pretty much on par with the sophomore album, only he brings in some cleaner emotional vocals that remain fortunately subdued rather than reaching for that radio accessibility so many of these bands shot themselves in the arse for. I was quite shocked to hear Cam Pipes of 3 Inches of Blood add some screaming harmonies to "Black Gold Reign". I am nowhere near a fan of that band, who I find to be corny, ironic and not the least bit funny...but even I have to admit that in this context, it creates a more compelling texture against the expected chugging of the rhythm guitar, and I almost wished that they would have used him more throughout. That said, Hermida himself continues to show some promise as he continues to evolve towards that status of 'distinct deathcore frontman' (which sadly it seems he will be cultivating further in another band). The lyrics are admittedly the bland, personal stuff you'd expect out of 90% of 90s hardcore, nu-metal and so forth, eliciting zero curiosity and painfully little standout imagery that you couldn't find on even the least interesting Converge record, but the delivery is at least genuine.

I really enjoyed the 'experimentation' like the lush ambient/acoustic guitar pieces "Misery's Introduction", "The Ones We Left Behind", or "Memories of a Glass Sanctuary" (with vocals!), which flow surprisingly well into their more brutal neighbors, but I don't think in the end I came away from Awaken the Dreamers with the impression that it was a truly memorable outing...just a damn polished one that plainly exhibits a mutual musical advancement among the membership and a willingness to embrace external ideas without shafting those that have stuck with them since the beginning. Aesthetically I prefer the more clinical/brutal death metal exhibition that Job for a Cowboy utilized on some of their full-lengths, as a poster child for positive growth in this field, but as much as anyone might want to write off All Shall Perish as another 'me too' band that was signed to a large label based on the emergent deathcore trend, records like The Price of Existence and Awaken the Dreams proved that these gentlemen were absolutely not duds. Relegated at large to the 'second string' of the niche, perhaps, but I'd attribute that more to them lacking the emo-hipster-youth attuned art direction and rock star attractiveness that several of their peers flaunted to reap the admiration of the girls and bois in the audience. Musically, these Californians are on point, and even better than some of the shitty, overhyped acts in their medium.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

When bands tend to combine sub genre's the outcome is usually good and has some impact. All Shall Perish has done this with Deathcore and Melodic Death Metal and they have created a masterpiece of a third album. 'Awaken the Dreamers' is a fantastic release that I personally enjoy as the band still stick to their Deathcore sound but have taken a more melodic approach.

The songs are usually a mixture of both of the sub genre's, with song's such as 'When Life Meant More' and 'Awaken the Dreamers' combining the two to create powerful music. However, some songs will stick to the more melodic side such as 'Memories of a Glass Sanctuary and 'From So Far Away' while others will keep to the crushing brutality of the Deathcore part of the band with songs such as 'Stabbing to Purge Dissimulation' and 'Gagged, Bound, Shelved and Forgotten', which gives the album a nice mixture of tracks to keep it both fresh and entertaining.

The riffs that are in some songs are mind blowing and the solo's are works of art, which shows Chris Storey's talent as a guitarist, especially in the title track 'Awaken the Dreamers' which is a personal favourite. Each riff has been crafted carefully to give them much more of an impact and it's worked nicely in my opinion.

Giving more praise to the song 'Awaken the Dreamers', the bass licks are ridiculously technical and catchy. The bass on most the album is never in the background as well and will tend to stand out now and then, which as a bassist I really approve of as most modern metal bassists will stay in the background and next to no contribution.

Hernan Hermida as a vocalist is amazing, especially with his mixture of growls and cleans, with one 'tribute' to Rob Halford in 'Black Gold Reign' with a Priest-esque high pitch scream. Lyrics are also very powerful and makes you sit down and actually analyse them and think about them, which is another bonus.

Drumming is ridiculous, with a very heavy use of triplets and some technical drumming. Blast beats aren't too common and only appear on a couple of tracks but when they do, they are excellent and help make that track more enjoyable.

Overall, All Shall Perish have created something that is an assault to both the eardrums and the mind with this beautifully crafted work of art that is 'Awaken the Dreamers'. There will never be an album like this again and has put All Shall Perish in the same category with the other modern Death Metal bands such as Arsis that are the most powerful in the genre.

Stand-outs:
+'When Life Meant More'
+'Awaken the Dreamers'
+'Memories of a Glass Sanctuary'
+'Stabbing to Purge Dissimulation'
+'Gagged, Bound, Shelved and Forgotten'
+'From So Far Away'
+'Songs for the Damned'

Awaken the Dreamers (2008) is a great album. With this release, All Shall Perish is back and better than ever. Before I get into the music, there is just one thing I want to set strait: A lot of people don't like deathcore, and that's okay. However, this CD deserves a listen whether you are a fan of the genre or not. All Shall Perish has taken deathcore to the next level with this release, and their musical style has evolved a lot since their last two albums. This evolution in sound is a very good thing.

“When Life Meant More” kicks it off. Wow, the first thing I noticed is that the guitar riffs are five times more technical and five times as fast. Chris Storey really tears it up all throughout the album. The vocals are as brutal as ever, and it seems as if his range has greatly improved since their last release... A wicked bass line transitions into the second track “Black Gold Reign.” It's as if this track is the band's way of saying that each and every member is ready to kick more ass than they ever have before. First of all, the drumwork is so powerful. As I said already, the band's sound has evolved a lot, and this is a great song to show this. Starting at about 1:35 in, Hernan Hermida, or Eddie displays some sick vocal skills with a power-metal-esque vocal passage that is actually pretty exciting to hear. This song also includes a killer guitar solo and a slower section which is interesting.

Speaking of which, another good thing about this CD is the greater amount of guitar solos and shred. For example, the title track is an intense shred fest. It's also has some of the catchiest parts on the album and has a pretty epic feel to it. The band has also cut down on the use of breakdowns, and the breakdowns they still have are interesting and sound great. Another thing that is really different about this album is that the band devotes 1/3 of the tracks to interludes. At first, I was turned away by this, but after listening to the album all the way through I began to realize that these interludes do two things that enhance the album. First of all, they're beautiful. Secondly, they really keep the flow of the album, making it's unfortunately short play time seem even shorter. “Stabbing to Purge Assimilation” is another great song and a great follow-up to the beautiful interlude: “Memories of a Glass Sanctuary.”

Yes, the band has come along way from where they started, but they have always been and still are a group of talented people who push deathcore to it's limits and make great music. Whether you are a fan of the band, or a first time listener, Awaken the Dreamers (2008) won't disappoint.

Since the beginning, All Shall Perish have been an intense, hard-hitting deathcore band, always on the cutting-edge in terms of musical ability and talent. Each of their albums has been an onslaught of intense breakdowns, insane solos, and ridiculously fast drumming, all of this topped with some of the most intense growling vocals I've ever heard in deathcore. And their latest album, Awaken The Dreamers, has not strayed far from the high reputation All Shall Perish has made for themselves.

First things first, this album has MUCH less hardcore influence than ASP's previous albums, which is a very good thing. Way too many bands have been using and abusing breakdowns and pig-squeals lately, which can be nice, but get old FAST. On Awaken The Dreamers, pig-squeals have been eliminated completely, and breakdowns have been kept to a minimum. And the few breakdowns that are still there are innovative, insane, and most importantly, INTERESTING. Unlike the typical chugga-chugga breakdowns with faggy hardcore screams, the ones on Awaken The Dreamers feature very complex rhythms, often alternating panned guitars, always-changing drums, and vocals that actually sound good.

But beyond the breakdowns, this album has much more variety than ASP's previous releases. This album has everything a death metal lover could ask for, from the constant insanity of "Stabbing to Purge Dissimulation" and "When Life Meant More" to the beautiful melodic lines and excellent guitarwork of "Awaken The Dreamers" and "Songs For The Damned." All in all, this album is a constant barrage of insanity that will keep you coming back for more.

But although this album is full of brutality, there are four, yes that's right, FOUR interludes/instrumentals/quieter songs. Usually, one, MAYBE two interludes is more than enough for a metal album, especially one of this caliber, but All Shall Perish has done a very good job with them, to say the least. "The Ones We Left Behind" and "Misery's Introduction" are both short, purely atmospheric songs, as expected of interludes. "Memories Of A Glass Sanctuary," however, is a full-length slow song, which is beautifully done, and although it is extremely different from the rest of the album, is still a good listen, and a very well-done song. "From So Far Away," on the other hand, is pretty much a 2 2/3 minute guitar solo. And a DAMN good one at that. Chris Storey has improved so much since their last album, and he deserves a song to show off his skills.

So to conclude, Awaken The Dreamers is an extremely solid release from a very prominent band, and is definitely worth checking out, even for non-fans of deathcore. All Shall perish has changed greatly since The Price Of Existence, and I must say it has been for the better. Awaken The Dreamers is a perfect blend of insanity, intensity and brutality, with a touch of melody that puts it easily in my top 5 albums of all time.

Review originally published at http://www.teethofthedivine.com by Erik Thomas


There’s been somewhat of a negative buzz about this album for sometime time now, so I thought, as a huge fan of The Price of Existence (my #1 album of 2006) I’d better look into it and see what all the negativity was about and see if it was warranted based on a couple of tracks at the band’s myspace page.

Folks, Awaken the Dreamers is to All Shall Perish is The Black album was to Metallica. That’s to say it will divide fans, expose the band to a larger fan base, but at the same time, it’s also a brave and trend ignoring album that the band wanted to do. Yes, it’s more commercial. Yes, it’s got more ballads and interludes. Yes, it has less breakdowns, less blast beats and more melody and clean vocals. However, like The Black album, it’s expertly composed, confidently played and has enough All Shall Perish-isms (sweep arpeggios, a few breakdowns, etc) and standout songs to still have appeal to the unwashed spin kicking masses, though there’s a lot fewer opportunities to do so. For a reference point, take “The Last Relapse” from The Price of Existence. As this album seems to take off where that song left off as far as a more controlled, melodic, and introspective approach.

On the down side to most fans will be the fact that, of the 13 songs, 4 some sort of interlude, ballad, or instrumental (”The Ones We Left Behind”, “Memories Of A Glass Sanctuary”, “From So Far Away”, “Misery’s Introduction”), that are sure to turn off most of the band’s deathcore fanbase. Again, like The Black album, though the ballads may be the most controversial, attention getting facets of the album, and ultimately people will overlook the truly brilliant songs that are also on the album. While fans were bitching about “The Unforgiven” and “Nothing Else Matters”, they were overlooking killer tracks like “Don’t Tread On Me”, “Of Wolf and Man” and such.

In the case of Awaken the Dreamers, the album has some truly killer but atypical tracks. For example, the simply killer, arpeggio filled “Black Gold Reign” might be my favorite ASP track behind “We Hold These Truths”, and signals the use of the much ballyhooed Rob Halford-ish croons. “Never Again” is a churning slow burner before the much maligned title track kicks in, a track I actually think is one of the albums strongest and more epic moments even with its clean chorus climax, as it shows a much more mature and open minded All Shall Perish. The busy “Until the End” is deathcore gone prog metal and somber closer “Songs For the Damned” is yet another slower, clean vocal laced, more controlled All Shall Perish spreading their talented wings above and beyond breakdowns and ripped off At the Gates riffs. Fear not though die-hard fans, tracks like “When Life Meant More”, “Stabbing to Purge Dissimulation”, “Gagged, Bound, Shelved and Forgotten” are blistering, more typical, expected All Shall Perish, but frankly, with the saturation of the genre, they are a dime a dozen tracks.

As you’d expect everything is wrapped in a tight, polished Zach Ohren production making the new elements easier to swallow for die-hards. But it won’t change the fact this is an ambitious album that will challenge the bands fan base. Is Awaken the Dreamers as good as The Price of Existence? I can say ‘no’ for right now, but not without some degree of doubt because it’s a superb album in its own right and essentially a different beast from The Price of Existence from band that’s not afraid to throw a wrench into the works of their genres tried an tested elements. For that I have to give All Shall Perish my respect, just not a slot on my year end list just yet, as this is definitely a grower, thats still growing with each listen

No need to go into great detail about who All Shall Perish are. What you should know is that they were one of the first bands to start playing deathcore, which means before the trend hopping started. They're also one of the few bands in the genre who are still releasing quality material.

Awaken the Dreamers is clocked full of tight riffs and execellent song writing. Gone are the days of "Hate.Malice.Revenge" which was filled with slam and groove type death metal riffs. All Shall Perish have now fully embraced the sound they started on "The Price of Existance", balls to the wall technicality. For everyone that wasn't sure on Eddie replacing Craig after "Malice", let's say you can stop worrying. Not only are his screams and growls more versatile than on "Price of Existance" but he has also incorporated some fabulous singing. On "Black Gold Reign" he teases us with some falsetto vocals, sounding extremely power metalish. I say teasing because that is sadly the only time you hear them. "Memories of A Glass Sanctuary" kicks in and whats this? Clean singing? Acoustics? On a deathcore record? Get out of here. Yes, yes, yes and no. They sound wonderful and hopefully we can hear more in the future. Eddie ends up sounding identical to Mikael Akerfeldt of Opeth, halfway through "Memories" which really suprised me. You need not worry about his clean singing.

Now, we can't let Eddie get all the praise for this record. Chris and Beniko also sound better than ever. The solos (which there is a lot more of) don't sound like your typical -core solos. They wouldn't be out of place on a Necrophagist album with tons of sweep picking involved. The interludes provide relaxing moments for the listener and let Chris and Beniko show off their talent even more. Matt is probably one of my favorite drummers of all time. He knows when the fuck to sound loud and angry "Never... Again" and he knows when the fuck to stay calm "Awaken the Dreamers." One thing I noticed is that you can actually hear the symbols, something most deathcore bands don't do.

If you're looking a good deathcore album to get into the genre than look no further than "Awaken the Dreamers". Most likely the best -core album released this year as well.

I’ve been very cautious when it comes to deathcore. I was a little disenfranchised with the metalcore movement and by the looks of the general direction that deathcore is moving; I am going to continue to be cautious with my purchases within this genre too. Unfortunately, this cautiousness may lead to missing out on some of the better bands within the genre too. All Shall Perish falls into the latter.

I had heard of the band prior to listening to their latest album, “Awaken the Dreamers”, but had never given them the chance due to their genre specifications. That was my mistake. Of all of the deathcore bands that I have heard in the last few years, “Awaken the Dreamers” easily makes it on my list of the best albums. All Shall Perish refuse to fall into a rut anywhere on the album and it pays off.

Combining elements of death metal, hardcore, and modern metal with a hefty dose of melody doesn’t necessarily sound like the most appealing metal meal I could eat, but “Awaken the Dreamers” presents it so full heartedly that I felt obliged to taste. The band never ceases to progress on the album from the first track to the last. Normally I feel breakdowns and constant stop-and-go riffing can destroy any energy a band creates, but songs like “Never…Again” or “Gagged, Bound, Shelved and Forgotten” use it in fluid manners to keep the energy moving back and forth. Something that many deathcore bands forget in their quest to be the heaviest riff writers.

Not to mention I think their melodic work adds a new level to a genre that is becoming stale. The melodic melancholy of “Memories of a Glass Sanctuary” feels right at home even if it is an odd choice of track for a deathcore band. And it’s not just the guitar work that brings in the melody. Vocalist, Eddie Hermida, uses great vocal melodies to counter act his brutal barking style.

The band’s performances and endless pushing of songwriting and balancing of brutality and melody are something I haven’t ever heard of from a deathcore band. Possibly it’s my unfamiliarity with the genre in any extensive manner, but All Shall Perish creates a very interesting and spicy album with “Awaken the Dreamers”. It’s fresh, furious, and smooth all at the same time with no lingering sour after taste.

Songs to check out: “Black Gold Reign”, “Awaken the Dreamers”, “Gagged, Bound, Shelved and Forgotten”.

Originally written for http://www.metal-observer.com