A fierce and punishing metalcore meets technical death metal outfit, one would be forgiven to mistake Dead To Fall as yet another heavy metal band hailing from Sweden as the influence of the ever replicated Gothenburg sound is more than present on this effort. One would ultimately be mistaken to do so though as this quintet hail from none other than Chicago, IL and with their brutish combination of thrash, metalcore and Swedish metal riffing they show that America can still deliver a beatdown with the best of 'em.

Sandblasted throaty barks and screams comprise the bands vocal approach and suit the metallic onslaught well, utilizing more of a death metal reminiscent style of singing rather than the snarling growls more typical of North American bands. Technically able guitar riffs with crisp piercing distortion and the occasional high pitched squeal chart a cunningly evil sounding course for the band and with intelligent chord progressions and a wealth of chunky breakdowns they create a wall of auditory razor wire sure to leave the listener bloodied. Supported by slightly detuned bass lines that mimic nearly all of the guitars moves and subsequently deepen their assault, the band leave the bulk of their viciousness to arise in the form of a incredibly brutal percussive performance that pounds out enough hard hitting double kick drumming to overload a Richter scale. Extremely vicious and unforgiving, the contributions of band drummer Dan Craig are perhaps the most combative and intense quality the band have to offer, paving a wake of destruction for the rest of the band to plow through and kill off any survivors.

From start to finish "Everything I Touch Falls To Pieces" is an uncompromising record that sets out to be heavy as hell and achieves its task without so much as a snag. Bruising and unrelenting song structures complete with breakdowns that could turn a major metropolitan city into rubble within minutes if given the chance are abundant and are a testament to the conviction and sharp focus the bands material exercises. Such qualities make for a fast moving and even tempered record that will please many metal fans but may also in fact turn a few off as well. To elaborate, one thing Dead To Fall seem to lack is any substantial dynamic flair and as such the record can drone on at times, sounding like a continual stampede of double kick, screams and lacerating riffs with little breathing room or varied pacing in place to change the mood. It's not so much that the band could benefit from implementing contrived melodic breakdowns or the traps so many other artists fall into however, but a bit more experimentation could do them well in the long run. That said, the 11 songs contained on this record will still bring a smile to any listener who has a tastes for the more extreme side of the metal genre and though it may fall short of being a great album, it still stands alone as an excellent listen that will easily establish this band a loyal fan base and help them smash many more things into pieces.