The Walking Dead Orchestra – Resurrect (Unique Leader)
Wednesday, 4th October 2017
Following up 2013’s debut, Architects of Destruction, The Walking Dead Orchestra have jumped to a new label, finding a slot on Unique Leader’s seemingly expanding modern death metal list. While they fare a bit better than other fresh acts like So This is Suffering or The Convalescence, this is still rather well-worn material that fails to stand out.
The Walking Dead Orchestra is a French act – it must be noted because if you view the cover and name/logo, as well as the music, you would swear that they were the next US modern death metal/deathcore act to turn the corner. While it’s admirable that the band never really goes all-in on the breakdown side of things, they do engage in just about all other aspects that you’d think of. Plenty of chugging rhythms, ramped up speeds with generic blastbeats a-plenty, and the usual vocal patterns (low bellows, higher rasps). It’s worth noting how flat-out unrelenting this is from start to finish (just check out “Dogmes Anxiogenesis”), but due to the sheer familiarity of the formula, it tends to lack any significant bite. Instead, one tends to hear specific parts and identify where they are coming from (Whitechapel is an easy target here). Thankfully, it’s slightly more ‘mature’ sounding than the debut, and you can start to hear bits and pieces of bands like Aborted also entering the fray. More punishing stuff in the way of “Demoligarchie” could be favorable for the band moving forward.
The Walking Dead Orchestra demonstrate that they understand the mechanics of both modern death metal and deathcore on Resurrect, but they don’t hold enough originality or energy to keep the listener truly engaged. Things have improved from their first outing, but there’s still a little ways to go before they can get to mandatory listening status.
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