Review: “No Music Just Violence” by Until The Dead Walk

Whatevercore?! What the hell is that?! It’s a amalgamation of Metalcore, Hardcore and Deathcore styles which Louisville, Kentucky Monsters Until The Dead Walk are calling their signature style. Following up their 2018 EP “Dead Walking” with a full length album for 2020 going by the name “No Music, Just Violence” and bringing on board a quartet of guests in part no doubt thanks to Chelsea Grin drummer Pablo Viveros Segura being sat in the production chair, this band have a lot of promise. A dual headed vocal attack of Dakota Myers and Ren Young are added to by guitarist Austin Mellick, bassist Tracy Cook and drummer Puma. The sticksman my have exited the group amicably at the end of February but the band show no sign of stopping with shows lined up including Mason Metal Fest!

First single “Crawl Space” sees Misstiq add haunting synths and icy piano parts to the dopamine releasing blend of mosh pit friendly breakdowns and vicious Deathcore vocals from the fire breathing vocal attack which gives Until The Dead Walk a symphonic touch that sets them apart from the pack. Not afraid to blend in some of those Metalcore influences and give the riffs a rise and fall of tempo and melodic touches rather than being a solid and unbreakable wall of sound also helps with that though no doubt some purists will pick on the quintet for that. Joined by former Lorna Shore and current Chelsea Grin vocalist Tom Barber for “Cannibal Cafe“, which affectionately says “Your ass was on the menu” as it plays through with some solid riffs and sinister leads that confirm that Until The Dead Walk have got what it takes. The Alpha Wolves want to feed and whether it’s an ode to Cannibalism, relates to the news story about the actual events or is just about taking your girl down, it’s hard to tell, but you can take from it what you want when you finish headbanging. Bringing more groove to the track and adding in a few DJentisms “Cup Mosquito” has Pablo Viveros Segura on the track and is another solid slab of concrete to tip the scales in Until The Dead Walk’s favor. Sonically it may not be as heavy as a lot of Deathcore offerings of the moment but that is by no means a bad thing as having a variety in their sound sets them apart and there is no clean singing so nothing to worry about on that score.

Title track “No Music, Just Violence” is another chance for Until The Dead Walk to work with one of their heroes and getting Alex Koehler of Grudges and formerly Chelsea Grin gives them an opportunity for some experimentation. That comes in the form of an injection of some hip-hop vocal lines, vocal distortions, rap screams and some more eclectic riffs that have them sounding like BroJob or Hunt The Dinosaur without dampening their ferocity in any way and the result is hilariously good fun. Returning to the more traditional Death Metal infused Deathcore sounds with “Slappin’” which chugs and bounces with some Metalcore lead flourishes straight out of Buffalo New York around 2003 provides for a solid and interesting piece of work without the fun of the previous cut. It has all the violence and aggression that you would want and rants away at it’s own leisure while offering plenty of that staccato rawness that we all know and love. That continues into “Outlaw (2020)” which is a re-recording of the 2018 version that appeared on the “Dead Walking” EP and changes up some of the parts to give it that little bit more killer instinct. Each staccato break hits like an artillery shell and the momentary pauses have been elongated just enough to mean that the next battery hits just that little bit harder while being a minute and a half longer than the original take. “Dissociated” also appeared on the “Dead Walking” EP and is a masterclass in how to blend vocal pitching for any other band while having a certain amount of Nu-Metalcore introspection in the lyrics. That doesn’t weigh down on any of the music however which as with “Slappin’” takes the best of Metalcore lead flourishes and builds it into some ferocious Deathcore attacks so that you have the best of both Worlds [7.5/10]

Track listing

1. Crawl Space (ft. Misstiq)
2. Cannibal Cafe (ft. Tom Barber of Chelsea Grin, ex-Lorna Shore)
3. Cup Mosquito (ft. Pablo Viveros Segura of Chelsea Grin)
4. No Music, Just Violence (ft. Alex Koehler of Grudges, ex-Chelsea Grin)
5. Slappin’
6. Outlaw (2020)
7. Dissociated

“No Music Just Violence” by Until The Dead Walk is out now