Customer Reviews

Allegiance

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I heard this band about a year and a half ago. The song was an old version of In Dying Days. I thought it was incredible. I then heard the old version of Hester Prynne, and the songs they had on their purevolume. They had an old song called Before The Break Of Dawn, and it was incredible, but these songs on the full length totally slay everything they've ever done. This is probably the best cd I've bought since Through The Eyes Of The Dead's Bloodlust. A while back, I heard they got signed to Mediaskare and were putting out a full length. The first song I heard off of it was Strife (Chug Chug). This the definition of "metalcore" or whatever people are calling it now-a-days. This has everything metal (blast beats, sick riffs and speed picking)and it's combined with hardcore (2-steps and breakdowns). This is bound to be one of the best releases of 2006. I know it already.

I just stumbled on this cd and this is the best I have heard in a long while!!!.. It gets better every listen it"s amazing... BUY THIS you won't regret it!!!

There are only so many cds that one can buy where every single song is solid, if not amazing, and warrants repeated listening for days on end. This is one of those cds. From the perfectly timed sweeps and creative riffs of guitarist Ernie, to the chunky, crushing low end from bassist Nick, to Leche's insanely fast, flawlessly articulated drum beats, and vocalist Chris' surprisingly versatile vocals, this album is incredible. Support this force to be reckoned with!

With literally thousands upon thousands of metal and hardcore bands that having been popping up since 2002 and the many that continue to surface today, it's becoming even harder for a band to distinguish itself in this overcrowded scene. There's one of two things a band has to be to truly standout in the field : either one extremely talented, or two extremely innovative. As Blood Runs Black definitely falls into the first category. While there's plenty of bands out there playing this style of tech metal meets hardcore well (Parkway Drive, August Burns Red, Through The Eyes Of The Dead), ABRB ranks up alongside any of the heavyweights of the genre. And thus far this year there hasn't been an album of this sort that can even match "Allegiance."

Like it's been stated, "Allegiance" brings together all the best elements of metal and hardcore. For the metal fans there's plenty of blast beats, intricate metallic riffing, and full on shredding speed. For the hardcore crowd there's also an array of 2-step parts and breakdowns. The musicians of the band though are highly talented at what they do. The guitarists are more than capable of writing complex, dazzling solos as well as heavy, chugging breakdowns. The drumming is top notch, as it is with most metalcore of this type, as shows that the man behind the kit not only knows his double bass, but also understands the importance behind creative fills and time signatures. The vocals stay in the shriek range most of the time, occasionally reaching down for a death metal growl. There's no emo clean singing of any nature, which is definitely a plus for ABRB because it wouldn't fit in at all with their style.

As far as the songs go, every single one is absolutely an enjoyable listen. When they shred, they shred, and when they chug, they chug. After the short "Intro" track, which is more or less a small breakdown to get the listener in the mood for the album, "Allegiance" takes off with the soaring "In Dying Days", which is full of powerful riffs, throaty screams, hammering drum work, and heavy breakdowns. The songs don't have the greatest diversity among them (except for the nice interlude track "Pouring Rain" which has clean guitars and atmospheric effects) but that doesn't really affect any of the listen, because the 8 tracks are so good. Picking favorites would be difficult because every song is equally as good as its predecessor. "Hester Prynne" and "Beneath The Surface" are right up any metalhead's alley, and the hardcore elite will feel right at home with songs like "Strife (Chug Chug)" and "The Beautiful Mistake."

"Allegiance" has really set the standard for all metalcore albums of this type which might hit the shelves this year. Its musicianship is top-notch, the song writing is dead on, and the intensity is all any fan could ask for. This is really an album that any fan of metalcore should not be without. Other worthy recommendations to go along with this would be Parkway Drive's "Killing With A Smile", Through The Eyes Of The Dead's "Bloodlust" and August Burns Red's "Thrill Seeker." Other than that this is definitely a metalcore fan's wet dream. Blast it as loud as it gets.

I'm from North Carolina, the place where bands like Prayer for Cleansing and Undying opened the doors wide open for bands to mix of melodic death metal(At the Gates) and brutal hardcore(Hatebreed). This was back sometime around '98-'99. Since then I've heard litteraly hundreds of bands playing this hybrid style of music. More often than not the band is forgettable and soon breaks up without ever getting a chance to release anything more than an EP. To be honest I see this as a good thing. The less bands playing this style the better. Why do I say this? Because I'm tired of hearing the same thing played over and over and over and over.

As Blood Runs Black is no exception to this at all. At times these guys sound like At The Gates incarnate, at others a watered down version of the mighty Hatebreed. That being said I'm very confused as to what I'm listening to. One minute they're shredding your ears with some blistering metal, the next I'm hearing hardcore sing alongs and tough guy vocals right before, or during, a typical chugga chugga palm mute breakdown. Sure that's nothing new(except for the sing alongs which sound silly in the middle of a metal song and should be left to old school hardcore, but that's just my opinion), but while other bands tended to transition between the technical metal and big breakdowns seamlessly, ABRB seems to have issues with this. It seems like they're not sure if they want to be a metal band or a tough guy hardcore band which leaves the listeners very confused and frustrated.

Another huge downside to this disc is the over abundance of breakdowns. Every song has atleast one (some have two) huge breakdowns that just fall out of the sky. It's like they had this awesome song written and then said "hey we forgot to add a breakdown, lets just put on here" and bam there it is, for no reason. It didn't take long before I became so tired of hearing the breakdowns that I'd change the song once I heard it hit. While I'm a big fan of breakdowns and have definitely done my fair share of floor punching to them, I do have an issue with 1) too many on one CD, there really only needs to be one in just a couple songs on a disc and only if it fits the song. And 2) the fact that bands now days can't write anything more than "CHUG CHUG CHUG CHUG" for breakdowns. Believe it or not there was a time where the "CHUG CHUG" was broken up by some form of filler instrumentation that kept things interesting.

Bottom line, these guys have talen, but they waste it because they're trying WAY WAY WAY too hard to cater to the 15 year old scene kid that things all this is is an excuse to go to a show and throw his fists around. There's no focus on writing a good solid song. There's no focus on trying to be different and stand out above the hundreds and hundreds of bands playing this exact same style of music. Until this band can realize that they're cheapning themselves by not having this focus, I'm going to have to pass this disc and this band by.

Seriously, if you want to buy a metalcore album worth listening to, anything by Prayer for Cleansing or Undying is where your money should go. They may not be around anymore, but atleast you're not gettng this garbage!

As Blood Runs Black is the band to know if you are into melodic and brutal metalcore in 2006. Every single song on this freaking cd destroys.. from the INSANELY fast blast/gravity beats to the bone crunching death of the breakdowns this cd pleases in every way. Every member of the band holds his weight musically. Ernie's guitar riffs are truly a lesson in stamina, Lech plays some of the cleanest/fastest beats to be found on nearly any modern metalcore record, Nick gives the low end of the album that much desired kick and he does it tactfully using sweeps an the like, and finally Chris has got to be one of the most versatile vocalists out there. From the lowest of growls to the highest of highs, you will want to scream your lungs out and chant along with the lyrics. Please pick this cd up, you WILL NOT regret it.

I just heard about these guys from a guitar cover on Youtube. This guy was covering My Fears Have Become Phobias and I was instantly hooked. I thought this release was later than 2006 and shows that they were doing it before some of the heavyweights of the Deathcore genre. I love this album all the way through. I even like the instrumental "Pouring Reign". Phobias is a great tune, but I also like In Dying Days, Brighter Side of Suffering and Strife ( Chug, Chug). I know a lot of people bash Deathcore, Metalcore..etc. I have been listening to metal for more than thirty years and this music is definitely my new fave genre. I don't want to use the word "lump" but it is safe to say I would put this album at the top of the deathcore heap. Check them out!

this album rocks your face off from the start and doesnt stop. the one song 'pouring reign' seems outta place place, but besides that this is def the best hardcore metal cd i've ever heard!

If you like metalcore chances are you'll probably like this CD.

this leans pretty heavily on the hardcore spectrum of things. To the point where some metal fans become so upset they light themselves on fire with gasoline in protest if you call it metal. Ignore them, the guitar is in the metal style for most of the cd and it has your traditional metal vocals, hardcore vocals and low growls + "bree" noises.

I don't wanna sugarcoat this so let me get right down to it.

This album has alot of breakdowns. If thats your bag then buy it immediately. Each song has a breakdown minus the instrumental Pouring Reign. Some of the breakdowns have no vocals over them, its just a breakdown being played. For most people, I think this will be too much for them. Too boring.

The recording quality is good though and it really shows during breakdowns, surprisingly. They have a real punchy feel.

There are no clean vocals on this cd.


Lastly, I recommend you listen to at least three tracks prior to buying this album on youtube. Each track is pretty similar, all the same style and structure so 3 should be adequate for you to make an informed decision. Hester Prynne should be one of those sampled!



I personally like this cd, I feel it doesnt bring anything new to the table for the genre but if I'm in the mood for something heavy I don't mind throwing this on the rotation. Music doesn't get boring for me really, one or two of the breakdowns in some of the latter tracks I feel go on endlessly but besides that...its a fun listen. Lot of memorable parts.


enjoy!

Honestly, I'm not the biggest fan of metalcore/deathcore/hardcore, etc. whatever it's called nowadays. The only bands in that genre I really like are the ones that aim for to be a little more unique than the other bands in this endless flood of artists. For example, the incredibly technical August Burns Red, or the wildly experimental and fun Between The Buried and Me.

What makes As Blood Runs Black such a great band is that they push themselves! They don't just want to make "another album" and they don't want to "just get by" as another band. Within the first 20 seconds of this CD, I knew these guys were out to be more than just mediocre. These guys are proving that they're out for great things.

All the songs have great, intense, metal riffs, and just about all of these riffs are pretty complex and quite intricate. In fact, there are times on this album where ABRB remind me of Children of Bodom, and that's a good thing, because Children of Bodom are one of my favorite metal bands. The breakdowns are also great because they are off-time and technical, much like the breakdowns of August Burns Red. The screaming vocals are also quite passionate and the vocalist is definitely suitable for a band of this energy and intensity. And finally, the drumming. OH SNAP! Lech is by far one of the most intense drummers of extreme metal. He just pushes himself so far that it's astounding. He's definitely a great drummer and is a vital part in obtaining As Blood Runs Black's sound.

This is one of those albums that you can listen to all the way through and love every second of. From the fiery headbangers of "In Dying Days", "Hester Prynne" and "My Fears Have Become Phobias" to the amazingly beautiful guitar-and-bass instrumental "Pouring Reign", this album is great. I can't wait for As Blood Runs Black to come out with a new album, because when such talented and inspired musicians as themselves really put the effort into the music, it comes out great. And this album goes to show it! Thanks for the time, and peace.