Review Summary: A Pretty Damn Good Deathcore Album By A Very Talented Band.
Not too long ago, I wouldn't have gone near a band like As Blood Runs Black, or any other "metalcore/deathcore" outfit to be honest. I wouldn't say the music scared me necessarily, but it certainly disturbed me in a way I couldn't explain. I was young, and the heaviest thing I listened to was Escape The Fate(regretfully). When I got into high school, I went through sort of a culture shock. Everything from the clothes I wore, the people I hung out with, and of course the music I listened to changed dramatically. I couldn't explain it at the time, and sitting here typing this review as a 20 year old college student, I still can't explain why I went through the changes I did. I was introduced to bands like As I Lay Dying, Parkway Drive and Blind Witness.
Now I wasn't an angry high schooler like so many of my peers were, but something about listening to the blistering screaming and the "chug-chug" of a guitar tuned in drop-C or D really resonated with me, and after a period of time listenting to said bands, I craved more. So, I searched the metal forums and various other media outlets looking for my next fix. I finally stumbled upon a band named As Blood Runs Black(ABRB). I hadn't heard of this band and I figured I'd give it a chance. The earliest album available to me was "Allegiance" so I plugged my headphones in, turned up the volume to the max, and hit play.
The opening song, a 57-second intro, kicks off with a typical in-your-face breakdown. This leads straight into what I consider the best song on the album, "In Dying Days" this song really blew my mind as a 15 year old, with the opening riff backed by stellar drumming from former drummer Hector De Santiago, it really sets the tone for this song, even more so when lead singer Chris Blair kicks in with his high pitched screaming. One thing I really like about this album and ABRB in general is how varied Chris's vocal abilities are, with most of the songs on this album featuring high pitched screams, low growls(my personal favorite) and the occasional pig squeal. "In Dying Days" leads directly into "All My Fears Have Become Phobias" which is a little more breakdown-oriented of a song, with a good chunk of the song dedicated to the same breakdown, which is not a bad thing, it can get a little boring at times, but certainly not bad.
The next two songs are polar opposites of one another, and it is not a good thing in my own opinion. "Hester Prynne" starts off with a frantic guitar riff and shortly thereafter explodes into high pitched screaming woven with visceral growling and squealing. The entire song is really as heavy as it gets on the album, with blast beat drumming ever so present(and done very well I must say) and a couple different breakdowns, a well done song that really shows off every member's talents.
"Pouring Reign" is the only song I dislike on the entire album really, because it just doesn't make sense to me. It's completely instrumental, and doesn't sound remotely like ABRB or metal for that matter. I don't know if this was meant to be like a pallet cleanser for the first half of the album, but whatever it's meant to be really throws off the flow of the album and left me confused. Thankfully, the next song "The Brighter Side Of Suffering" is more like what we came here to listen to, with the low growling and squealing leading the intro, backed by a nice riff by guitarist Ernie Flores. The drumming in this song is once again fantastic and really shows off just how fast De Santiago can play. While this song is a pretty good one, it unfortunately kicks off the more boring side of the album.
By boring, I mean most all the songs blend together in a way that a lot of metalcore/deathcore albums do now-a-days. The drumming and guitar playing are still fantastic, and I still do appreciate Chris's vocal range in each of the songs, it's just when compared to the first half of the album, the second half just doesn't measure up. That's not to say it isn't still great metal/deathcore, cause it is. I can't say enough good things about the drumming on this album, as I've said before it is so fast and hard hitting and really recognizable when compared to other bands of the genre. The breakdowns in songs like "Strife(Chug-Chug)"are really nice and heavy and everything you'd want in a breakdown. The opening of "Beneath The Surface" is pretty eye popping, with everything coming at you at break neck speed.
"Legends Never Die" is an okay, run-of-the-mill song, typical at this point in the album, it honestly feels like the previous two songs mixed together, not a huge fan to be honest, still not a bad song though. All in all, "Allegiance" is a pretty fantastic metalcore/deathcore album by a band with a ton of talent. The insane drumming and stellar guitar playing mixed with frantic vocals really sounds chaotic and explosive. If you're a deathcore fan, or a metalcore fan looking to go heavier, give this album a try, I think you just might like it.
