GALLOWS FOR GRACE: A Process for the Destruction of Tomorrow

Released: August 9, 2008

Gallows for Grace is another one of these locally-produced metal bands that seems to be sprouting up lately and immediately getting head-hunted by labels and to open at prominent shows. A little over two years old and these guys have already played with bands like Obituary, Job For A Cowboy and IKTPQ and performed in states at the opposite end of the country from their home in Perth. Some bands are able to do this simply by jumping on a current bandwagon and playing whatever's trendy. Gallows for Grace is hardly the most original band, but despite the fact they're on a hardcore label and have done a lot of work with groups whose definition as metal is tenuous at best, they haven't simply resorted to trotting out the same bunch of tired ideas that are helping to stagnate some areas of extreme music.

Despite the unwieldly title that coupled with a three-word band name made me think of some group that screams constantly and changes riff patterns every two seconds, "A Process for the Destruction of Tomorrow" instead showcases a rather more standard form of death metal. That isn't to suggest that Gallows for Grace don't have a technical bent as "World Eater" (which, to be fair, does have something of a deathcore influence) and the Decapitated-like "The Process" show, but they also mesh it with some catchy, old-school riffing that's still memorable once the song is over. With "Primordial Orbit" they show a healthy regard for classic melodic death from the Floridian school that's quite a welcome sign. It is the EP's highlight and centerpiece "Purest Atrophy" however that really allows Gallows for Grace to show what made they're made of with its expansive arrangement combining hook-laden grooves, tempo-changes and a big slab-like section, all without a breakdown within cooee. The vocals maintain a steady growl throughout too, a refreshing change from the frankly tiresome shriek-roar-clean-roar-clean-shriek epidemic of recent times.

Gallows for Grace has certainly taken off on the right foot with this. It's easy to see why they're already doing so well.

1. Rites
2. World Eater
3. The Process
4. Purest Atrophy
5. Primordial Orbit
6. Revealing the Helical Nether

Rating: 81%