At All Cost CD Review

At All Cost have spent the last couple years generating more buzz than a cell phone next to a speaker. A revived Combat Records released It’s Time to Decide in 2005 and the band spent the next two years experimenting with new ways to make kids say, “what?” Hard work pays off and a worldwide distribution deal through Century Media makes the wait for Circle of Demons more than worthwhile.

Cost explodes from the opening whistle with the thrashy title-track and doesn’t ease up at any point. “Demons” closes with some signature southern death metal - something akin to Kansas after a night of binging on Jameson and Black Sabbath LPs.

There’s nothing cooler than vocalist Andrew Collins’ synthesized voice crooning “We need to break these chains… gonna get down for the revolution” over wailing guitars and beatdown drums. Collins, criticized for sounding “one dimensional” on Decide, seems to have found his voice on Circle of Demons, exploring a range of different deliveries, using his signature effects processing when necessary but otherwise staying away from the repetitive bark of so many of his peers. “The Message” brings to mind the best of Darkest Hour while “The Wall That Divides” is LA hair metal with teeth – no not teeth, bloody fucking fangs.

While there are certainly more sing-a-long, anthemic choruses, there are just as many brutal breakdowns and double-bass blasts on Circle of Demons - just peep how the band smoothly transitions from electro-pop to Ride the Lightening-era thrash on “Let it Rain Death (Blizzard of Snakes),” all highlighted by a blazing solo from Mike Theobald. “Ride Through the Storm” follows the same formula, a seemless blend of Maiden-esque metal with toe-tapping pop. At All Cost do well to shun the metalcore formula of Unearth, Killswitch and the like, not just breaking the mold but lighting it on fire to hurl at the gates, Molotov cocktail style.

“We Won’t Give In” is equipped with adventurous string orchestration, huge choruses, and a Dragonforce-esque synth solo, all of which segues perfectly into more blistering guitar work from Theobald and Trey Ramirez on “Step One.”

“Lasting Forever” navigates the narrow divide between Daft Punk and Iron Maiden – what? “Eating Lightening Pt III” is the third part of an exchange of ideas between Cost and Pluto Records’ The JonBenet. Closing out Demons, “Drugs” shows AAC at their most adventurous – an album full of songs like this 8 minute exploration would have been fun, but I can learn to be satisfied with what I am given.

Circle of Demons is full of metal anthems that will be the soundtrack to your summer road trip, skinny-jeaned dance party, or teenage revolution. The only metal band that really knows how to make you wanna dance – and not in that silly way 16 year old fat metal kids do at basement shows and warehouse festivals, but actual hip shaking movement – At All Cost live up to the hype on their Century Media debut.