Walls Of Jericho

With Devils Amongst Us All

[5/5] Walls Of Jericho have a special gift, namely the ability to make the power-metal workbook sound refreshing and dynamic, despite the number of half-assed pretenders clogging that scene like so much audio cholesterol. Their not-so-secret weapon is fearless singer Candace Kucsulain, who doesn’t assume any of the clichéd roles of women in metal, sonically or socially (at gigs, she’s caught stagedivers with her face more than once without having to tell the world about it in a friggin’ blog). The 11 tracks on With Devils Amongst Us are ferociously propelled by guitarists Chris Rawson and Mike Hasty’s bone-crunching chug, with drummer Dustin Schoenhofer steering the time changes and breakdowns with the same kind of aplomb one uses to elude law enforcement. Only “No Saving Me,” a power ballad that finds Kucsulain unnecessarily sounding like Maynard James Keenan, drags the proceedings down. Nonetheless, WOJ are now at the height of their powers with Devils, and are completely worthy of the world’s attention. Pantera? Isn’t that some kind of car? (TRUSTKILL) Con Hongos