Horror Dance Squad – All I See Is Black
Horror Dance Squad – All I See Is Black
Self-Released
24/05/24
Running Time: 28:29
Review by Oli Gonzalez
6/10
Hailing all the way from Estonia, Horror Dance Squad celebrate 10 years of a band in 2024. A decade that has seen the band land impressive slots on festivals such as Impericon and Wacken. So you know they must be legit! “All I See Is Black” is the band’s latest release for the Eastern European sextet. Promising a vibrant blend of Punk, Electronic music, and Modern Metal for fans of Bad Omens, Architects and Siamese, I’m intrigued as to how these elements will surface within the band’s sound. Let’s get into it.
First impressions: those Electronic elements are almost impossible to ignore! A clever use of synths laying subtly in the background throughout the album, or being the melodic focal point for other songs adds welcome dimension to the band’s sound. The Modern Metalcore sound is also prominent. I can see fans of those bands would be drawn to this mix of Hardcore and Melodic Metal. The aggressive and primitive feel underlies the album yet there’s still a refined and polished quality. Whereas some bands like to take a more calculated and considered approach to composition, slowly building to a carefully planned crescendo, Horror Dance Squad are different. Yes, they waste no time and hit you hook after hook and burst of frantic, energetic bursts of instantly memorable melodies! It’s different for me but it works totally. What’s separating their sound from an overly stacked crowd of Metalcore acts today? Not a great deal to be perfectly honest. This may be a good introduction to someone new to the genre but may not have enough to stimulate someone with more experience of this style.
That’s about it musically. Vocally? We see a blend of cleaner vocals and the harsher growls you’d expect from the genre. Some occasional bits of rapping are interesting too. Not quite sure it works for me but I’d be curious to what others think. The use of expletives though. That should be used sparingly and for maximum impact. Dropping the F bomb repeatedly isn’t really edgy and just sounds weak. Maybe a thesaurus would be a good investment in the future.
Overall, a decent Modern Metalcore album but not enough to make a statement nor to stand out in an overly stacked genre.
TRACKLISTING:
01. All I See Is…
02. Chemical Cure
03. Everglow
04. Vexed
05. Taste The Doom
06. ..Black
07. Poisoning The Well
08. Giving Up
09. The Ascent
10. The Descent
LINE-UP:
Indrek – Keys
Henri – Drums
Miik – Guitars
Ian – Vocals
Karl – Vocals
Margus – Guitar
LINKS:
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