I have been listening to All Shall Perish ever since their debut album Hate Malice Revenge back in 2003. Back then they played a modernized version of fast-paced brutal death metal akin to Skinless or Cryptopsy. How far these guys have come! In Awaken The Dreamers the band is forging ahead into more uncharted waters of their sound with a more melodic and varied approach. The result is, once again, an interesting and rewarding listen.

The first three tracks on the album are what I've come to expect in the beginning of an All Shall Perish album: fast-paced stop-and-go guitar melodies, the brutal vocals of Eddie Hermida, and heavy drumwork. It’s catchy and melodic yet unequivocally brutal at the same time. Then comes The Ones We Left Behind and we’re greeted by some nice, albeit a bit monotonous, instrumental interluding. I start to get a little concerned, but it soon passes as the title track blasts forth from my speakers and I’m headbanging again. Then comes a real shocker, Memories Of A Glass Sanctuary. This sounds like something I’d expect to hear in the middle of some alt-metal album; except there’s something different...it's actually well done! The clean vocals of Eddie Hermida fit the melancholy feeling of this track very well and his voice is actually not half bad. After this we're again smashed by the melodic brutality of Stabbing To Purge Dissimilation. The band continues at this pace for another few songs until the next instrumental piece, in the form of the heavy yet extremely melodic From So Far Away, an expertly done guitar piece, which continues into another short acoustic piece. At this point in the album I have to say I really enjoy the band balancing the softness and brutality in this way. The final track on the album, Songs For The Damned, is definitely one of my favorites from the album. Hermida shows just how many ways he can use his voice, which is impressive and sounds great. The lyrics, which incorporate other band, album, and song titles, are some of my favorites from the album. I also felt that this track was a sort of climax to the entire album, with the energy building and building until reaching critical intensity and exploding in this final anthem-like track.

All Shall Perish has proven that they can be brutal, catchy, melodic, and almost everything in between. The most impressive part is that they do it all while still remaining fresh and original, giving the listener a full plate that can take some time to digest, but in the end is an extremely satisfying meal.