Detroit, MI's Walls of Jericho weren't just noteworthy because they were a metalcore band with a screaming female on vocals. They are also worth remembering because they adeptly balanced old-school hardcore, thrash metal, and "chugga-chugga" metalcore with a ferocity and dedication unmatched by many of their contemporaries. Containing former members of the band Earth Mover, Walls of Jericho came together in September of 1998 around Candace Kucsulain (vocals), Wes Keely (drums), Chris Rawson (guitar), Aaron Ruby (bass), and Mike Hasty (guitar). They began playing shows soon after, supporting more established bands throughout the Midwest, like Buried Alive, Hatebreed, Racetraitor, Brother's Keeper, and Reach the Sky. Less than a year later, in April of 1999, the band issued a 7" EP through Underestimated, which was followed shortly thereafter by a CD EP containing that 7" and demo tracks, called A Day and a Thousand Years, which was released by European imprint Genet. A buzz eventually surrounded Walls of Jericho in the international hardcore scene as they continued to play shows in support of their EP releases, attracting the attention of both Ferret and Trustkill Records. They signed a deal with the latter, which resulted in the December 1999 release of their debut full-length album, The Bound Feed the Gagged. The band hit the touring and hardcore festival circuit the following year. In August of 2000 they toured the United States in support of Syracuse, NY, straight-edgers Earth Crisis, melodic Swedish death metal band In Flames, and Oakland, CA's metallic Skinlab. After another spate of touring in 2001, Walls of Jericho lost their drummer to a bigger, more established band. Frustrated by their attempts to replace him, they decided to call it a day; Kucsulain went on to be a body piercer's apprentice, while the rest of the band formed It's All Gone to Hell. But two years later, Walls of Jericho got back together, reemerging with a new drummer (Alexi Rodriquez, formerly of Catharsis) on board and a newfound energy to create music together. Their next album, All Hail the Dead, appeared in early 2004 through Trustkill, and (as in the past) the band hit the road hard in support. Rodriguez suddenly exited the group that December, but finding a replacement this time around was much easier, as the band looked no further than long-time friend and ex-Premonitions of War drummer Dustin Schoenhofer, who joined in early 2005. A string of shows with Bullet for My Valentine was played in spring 2006, in addition to a Canadian run with All That Remains and Unearth, before the band hit up the second stage of the summer's Ozzfest. Recorded in Cleveland with producer Ben Schigel (Zao, Chimaira), their third full-length, With Devils Amongst Us All, was issued that summer as well. 2008 saw the release of the band's fourth studio long player, American Dream, which debuted at No. 11 on the Heatseekers chart. In 2016, after a long hiatus that saw the group tending to issues both personal and professional, Walls of Jericho returned with their fifth LP, No One Can Save You from Yourself, via Napalm Records. ~ Ryan J. Downey, Rovi

Mair1 Fest 2012

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