All Shall Perish

Formed in 2002 in Oakland, California, All Shall Perish stands as a foundational pillar of the deathcore movement. While many early acts in the genre focused on simplistic breakdowns, All Shall Perish distinguished themselves through high-level musicianship, particularly the technical guitar work of Chris Storey and the expansive vocal range of Eddie Hermida.

Their sound identity is a synthesis of Bay Area thrash speed, Gothenburg-style melodic death metal leads, and the rhythmic 'slam' of New York hardcore. Evolutionarily, the band moved from the raw, grind-influenced 'Hate . Malice . Revenge' toward the more structured and melodic 'The Price of Existence' and 'Awaken the Dreamers,' which are widely considered genre benchmarks. Culturally, they bridged the gap between the underground death metal scene and the more mainstream-adjacent metalcore world, helping to codify the deathcore aesthetic for the 2000s. Critical consensus highlights their ability to maintain technical integrity without sacrificing the visceral impact of their breakdowns, making them a recurring reference point for modern technical metal bands.