As the band celebrates the 20th anniversary of this album with a 30-day tour and the release of a remastered version, coupled with the roll we have going on here with related posts, it is high time we discussed one of the foundational deathcore releases, and undoubtedly one of the best. I don't think I'm mistaken, but All Shall Perish's live shows around 2005–2006 were among the first instances in which the genre term itself was even being uttered, alongside Despised Icon's "Montreal deathcore" tag. On The Price of Existence, however, the band's aerobatics reached high enough to gaze over into the neighboring territory of death metal.
Not many people picked up on these guys when they released their first album, Hate, Malice, Revenge (2003), on Amputated Vein Records, but someone at Nuclear Blast recognised the potential, re-released the record two years later, and set the stage for a follow-up that would eventually leap several bounds ahead of the already entertaining early material. Not to say I don't enjoy the debut too; I think that, for a long time, I would think of this band instead of Lamb of God whenever I heard the track title "Laid to Rest".
As a matter of fact, though, The Price of Existence was a significant step forward in every respect, both for All Shall Perish and for the scene they helped kick-start. The production had improved considerably, while interesting themes of social criticism, the deconstruction of modern pseudo-values and ecological concerns were backed by freshly forged, heavy beats beneath the raw mixture of hardcore breakdowns and death metal-inspired riffing. Meanwhile, Eddie Hermida's voice is at its absolute peak on this album, a peak that has never been topped since. I don't think his performances with Suicide Silence match the monstrosity he achieved on The Price of Existence, and I sometimes secretly wish he had stayed with All Shall Perish all along.
The record begins with two of deathcore's greatest tracks ever, "Eradication" and "Wage Slaves", both of which belong on any list of the genre's most influential or groundbreaking songs from its formative era. The songwriting embraces a duality of brutal force and tremolo-picked melodic passages, reminiscent of At the Gates and occasionally bordering on Cryptopsy, rather than relying on the standard deathcore formula of groove and breakdown-heavy momentum. This instantly clicked with me back then and still hasn't worn out to this day.
Hefty guitar lines parade through "The Day of Justice" and the yet another classic "There Is No Business to Be Done on a Dead Planet", both excellent pieces through which to explore the album's thematic concerns as well. All Shall Perish reveal a more reflective compositional palette on "Better Living Through Catastrophe", whose introduction vaguely reminded me of As I Lay Dying's "I Never Wanted", before moving into the breakdown-driven "Prisoner of War" and the clean-guitar instrumental "Greyson". The band returns to demolition mode on "We Hold These Truths", followed by the pure brute force of the magnitude-10 "The True Beast"—that opening pig squeal alone is menacing.
The Price of Existence contains countless signs that it was ahead of its time, with so many structural patterns, sonic choices and tempo alterations that would later be overused throughout modern deathcore. This goes a long way toward explaining why All Shall Perish will forever remain one of the style's undeniable overlords. The album slows down on "Promises" before broadening the scope of its sound on the final and longest piece, "The Last Relapse", which incorporates acoustic guitar and symphonic passages and brings this epic listen to its conclusion.
Twenty years later, the album's impact is arguably easier to recognize than ever. What once sounded like an unusually ambitious strain of deathcore has become a subconscious standard for many newer artists, even if they don't realize it. Yet The Price of Existence still possesses something I'm struggling to find in its descendants, the idea of authentic personality. It remains one of those rare records that can simultaneously represent a scene's formative years and transcend the limitations of its era. For me, that is precisely why returning to it after all these years still feels worthwhile.
The blood of tortured souls stains me
i can't bear it
we must see where this lies leading
then we'll listen, then we'll listen to
a cry from earth for changes
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