Walls of Jericho-The American Dream

Trustkill
2008

In recent years bands flying under or being stamped with the metal core label seem to have been popping up like dandelions in my yard during the spring. Some are about as likable as well, yet other acts manage to bring the best of metal and hardcore and rise to the surface. Now this album comes on the heels of the band’s “Redemption” EP which wasn’t completely met with open arms by many fans due to the change in direction. Apparently they are back on track now or the EP was just something they wanted to get out of their system. Walls of Jericho rip into this one like they have something to prove and maybe they felt that way after some of the responses to “Redemption”. No matter the motivation, they bring out a heavy surge of sounds with plenty of control and enough twists and turns musically to catch my attention. Now on the other hand the vocals are unfortunately a bit more pedestrian, not bad yet not all that thrilling either. I guess they are in tune with the pace of the music and there is aggressive attitude, but they are a little muddy and don’t quite rise to the level of the music. However I do have to give credit to the stellar production on this album and the attention to detail. It’s not only vibrant and clear, but has exactly the amount of echo on certain parts to really give it the depth it needed and deserved. Certainly an album that proves that metalcore hasn't run it's course yet.