Review: We Rise the Tides – Death Walk

Artist: We Rise the Tides
Album: Death Walk
Rating: 5/5

If you want to know the meaning of hard work, raw passion and pure focus, look no further than Portland’s We Rise the Tides. Formed in August 2011, just 4 months after becoming a band, they signed a one album record deal with Crown & Anchor Records.  The result of that was their debut EP, Carrier, which was recorded with famed vocalist Aaron Pauley (ex-Jamie’s Elsewhere/Of Mice & Men). Since then, the band has continuously strived for, and achieved, success. After the release of the EP, they embarked on a 6-state tour through Washington, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, California and Oregon. In the midst of all of this, the band released their debut music video for “Rejection”, their first single from Carrier, quickly becoming a crowd favorite. Here we are just 3 years later and WRTT has shared the stage with national acts such as: Falling in Reverse, Of Mice & Men, SECRETS, Like Moths to Flames, etc. They’ve also had the honor of playing their date of the Vans Warped Tour, had a line-up change, recharged and are back better than ever! Their new EP, Death Walk, I believe will stand as the cornerstone of their career thus far. Featuring the raw aggression we’ve grown to know from vocalist Kendall Johns, the songbird clean vocals from new guitarist Riley Rose and instrumentals that will grab you by the neck and choke the life out of you. We Rise the Tides have earned the title of “legends” by many in their scene and it’s not hard to see why!

The first single from Death Walk, “Five Months” was released last year and the video for it received 19,000+ views in under one month! That was just the icing on the cake, though. If you loved WRTT before, you will find yourself deeply infatuated by what you will hear on Death Walk. The heavier parts are more crushing than ever, Kendall’s vocals have matured greatly and clean vocalist Riley Rose brings something incredible to the table, adding to the already impressive sound that WRTT has created over the past few years.

For an EP with the title, Death Walk, you expect nothing but a heavy, destructive and morbid/eerie type of sound, am I right? Well, in a sense, that’s just what you get… from the intro, “Mortification” to the closing track “Worthless”. Beyond that, though, you get surprises at every turn, one of which will become extremely apparent on the track “For the Worst”, the second to last track on the album. What’s even more impressive about this EP is that, while to some it may sound like a typical metalcore album, it’s anything but. If you were to sit and dissect each and every passage on this EP, you will discover technicality in the instrumentals, genius in the lyrics and a bond from these 5 brothers that can’t be broken. The band chose “Pins & Needles” as their announcement single, being that it has a great message for fans to adhere to. This track also serves as the best teaser for what you will come to expect from the rest of the EP. It features heavy verses, beautiful cleans in the chorus, one hell of a breakdown in the bridge and a sense of unity, as with the rest of the tracks. What makes this one stand out, though, is that the chorus doesn’t feature Rose’s range in his vocals quite like the other tracks, making it easier for fans who are just starting out listening to underestimate WRTT. That’s how they’ll get you, once you underestimate them, they will always find a way to prove you wrong…and this will become more and more apparent from track to track.

Death Walk is not an album that is to be taken lightly. It’s rough, it’s destructive and it’s ready to help WRTT continue on their incredibly successful path towards fame. WRTT could care less about that, though, they want to reach out to fans… help them through their music and create a bond between band/fan like no other. They have certainly achieved their goal so far and they’ve got nowhere to go but up! So the big question remains: How will they top this masterpiece? We will find out one day soon, but for now be sure to pick up Death Walk when it gets released on March 25th!

We Rise the Tides on Facebook
We Rise the Tides on Twitter/Instagram: @werisethetides

Pre-Order “Death Walk” (BigCartel)

“Five Months” Official Lyric Video

“Pins & Needles” Official Lyric Video