Holy smoke! This is brutal! I know Victory Records has always released metallic hardcore like Earth Crisis, Integrity and All Out War, but with Chicago’s own Dead To Fall they’ve thrown the hardcore out of the window and instead put the plain metal in the spotlight.

Musically, there are practically no traces of hardcore to be found in the sound of this band. You just might wonder: is that bad? Well, not if you are into brutal stuff like At The Gates, Hypocrisy or even labelmates Darkest Hour. If you’re a fan of this kind of technical metal with grinding and growling low key vocals, you should give it a try.

If you’re expecting Earth Crisis-like hardcore, forget about it: you won’t find that here.

Both the artwork and layout are beautifully done and fit the record’s mood very well. The lyrics are dark and personal (no heavy metal cliches here folks). They’re sometimes poetic, but at times also direct (“This pen would go to better use, if I shoved it in your throat”). I must admit it’s not the kind of stuff I listen to all the time, but in it’s genre, this is pretty good.