Unbroken

The early to mid-2000’s was prime time for hardcore and metalcore bands alike to gain the attention of record labels looking to capitalize on the movement. One of the bigger labels of the time, Victory Records, had a strong stable of stalwarts during this period and sought to add to their growing roster by adding Canada’s A Perfect Murder.

Much as any era in the metal continuity, be it thrash, death or glam, you will inevitably have a number of bands that simple copy the formula of what’s currently popular and try to emulate the sound as best as possible. This was no different during the Core era, where it seemed out of the dozens of new albums being released each month, only a handful stood out amongst the rest. A Perfect Murder happened to be one of those standouts, as they added enough flair to their metalcore sound, giving their music its own identity.

Yes, the music on “Unbroken” is first and foremost metalcore and with it, a number of breakdowns will be present. That being said, it is a trademark of the genre, but there are other layers to their sound that will appease both the core crowd and metalheads alike. The most noticeable influence would be the groove sounding guitars ala Pantera on a number of their songs. Not only that, but there are elements of thrash to be heard here as well, which reminds me a bit of Machine Head around the time they released out “Through the Ashes of Empires”.

The double guitar approach works very well for A Perfect Murder’s style. We receive a hefty supply of heavy, chugging riffs steeped heavily within Pantera sounding grooves, but there are also a number catchy, melodic riffs as well. The rhythms add a nice layer to the metal aspect of their brand of metalcore, incorporating well timed guitar fills and sections that serve as an interchanging of sounds to bolster said metal aspect. The mixture of riffs provides a nice ebb and flow of sound that allows for certain segments of songs to carry the metalcore aggressiveness commonly heard at the time, while the rhythms help the songs transition seamlessly into melodic passages that keep them from getting stale. There are also a number of well executed solos to be heard, that may not shred your face off, but do provide a nice splash of thrash metal to the overall sound. Now, solos in metalcore is not completely out of the norm, but generally those who incorporated them into their albums tended to have a more distinct sound and a stronger replay value. (God Forbid, Shadows Fall). In any case, the solos are a welcome addition to the already strong foundation most of the songs are built upon.

Carl Bouchard channels a great deal of anger and contempt through his vocals, which have a nice raspy sound when he shouts. (shouts being the majority of the vocals) Many times on this album, his voice sounds very comparable to that of Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed, carrying the same hatred fueled aggression of the legendary hardcore icon. The drums provide a steady rhythm through the album and have a very tight sound to their beats, but otherwise, they do not make a lasting impression, but provide more than enough power for the metalcore sound. The bass can be heard, playing right along with the guitars in the background, which is hard to detect at first, but once you hear it, the sound comes through. Production wise, aside from the bass, everything sounds clean and crisp. No one instrument hogs the limelight, while Bouchard’s vocals never seem overbearing.

As I said, in 2004, you could have easily stumbled across any number of rinse and repeat core acts going with the flow and trying and strike gold. However, as the popularity of the sound began to wane, those who were unable to distance themselves from sounding like just another face in the crowd, quickly became an afterthought. Fortunately, A Perfect Murder’s blend of groovy metalcore served as a nice intermediate sound to please those both in the core scene, but also draw the interest of metalheads who enjoyed a heavy dose of chugging grooves and thrashy solos. Either way, this was a nice find at the time and still holds up well today.

Highlights: “Possessed” “Another Day, Another Plague” “Save the Clock”

Into the Abyss of Oblivion