Allegiance

Once in awhile, an album is released that represents the epitome of what the genre should sound like, and this album almost hits that mark. AS BLOOD RUNS BLACK delivers a potent dragon kick of pure Deathcore might that blows many other bands under the Deathcore label out of the water. For those who believe the Deathcore “phase” has passed on, maybe this album will change your mind. Simply put, “Allegiance”, as AS BLOOD RUNS BLACK’s debut album, kicks an enormous amount of ass.

The album begins with a short and brutal intro that basically lets the listener in on what he’s going to hear in the rest of the album—lots of breakdowns, lots of double bass pedaling. “In Dying Days” features some very catchy riffs that definitely show some of the Melodic Death that’s mixed in, and “My Fears Have Become Phobias” contains some of the sickest double bass pedal work I’ve heard (go listen for yourself). More of these Melodic Death-influenced riffs are heard in “Hester Prynne” with a successful mix of screams, orts, and grunts.
Out of the blue comes a gentle instrumental song that at first confused me (I was expecting it to break suddenly into more brutal riffs), but I ended up enjoying it very much, and it definitely helped add some variety to counter-balance the album’s myriad of savage Melodeath riffs and breakdowns.
Then the album continues right where it left off, but an even faster tempo—blast beats drive the energy level to an even higher apex, and breakdowns smoothly transfer to breakdowns, allowing the flow of music to generally go uninterrupted.
The final song ties up everything AS BLOOD RUNS BLACK is about—brutal riffs, brutal vocals, and especially brutal drumming, and is a great end to an overall solid album.

Of course, not everything about this album is great. Its main problem is its genre. Deathcore is a synthesis of Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, and Hardcore. This creates a very specific sound, and because of this, finding a Deathcore band with originality is very difficult. Unfortunately, this album doesn’t bring anything new to the table, but it performs the Deathcore formula very well. Keep in mind that this is the band’s DEBUT. If they follow the route ALL SHALL PERISH or THROUGH THE EYES OF THE DEAD took, their next album should be even better—and hopefully more innovative.

Recommended songs: “My Fears Have Become Phobias”, “Hester Prynne”, “Legends Never Die”.