Press

“If you do not know who All Else Fails is yet, kick yourself in the ass. Go ahead. I’ll wait. Okay, I feel better, how about you?

The Edmonton quartet has created a unique mix of punk, metal and rock, which defies labels, and who the fuck needs labels anyway. The group’s latest effort, The Oracle: What Was, Is And Could Have Been was one of 2011′s best offerings, and turned many a head in the metal community.”

Metalholic Magazine

“St. Albert is hardly Stockholm, Sweden, or Birmingham, England, but just like these places, the sleepy suburb has bore a pack of heavy metal artists the likes of which the capital region hasn’t seen before. These newly evolved predators clawing their way out of the swampy marsh of a stagnant Edmonton heavy metal scene dub themselves All Else Fails. I just call them awesome. In my honest opinion, this stellar group is the first in a New Wave of Edmonton Heavy Metal (NWoEHM?). In the same way Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and others revitalized the British scene in the ’70s, these triumphant young men are a sign of resurgence in Edmonton’s champion level of hardcore music.”

Edmonton Journal

 

“What is apparent on this third release is not only the sheer creativity of the group, but also its stone cold knack for writing songs designed to permanently embed in the gray matter…There is just something about the band’s songwriting approach; it seems so darn natural and effortless. On “The Oracle” nothing ever sounds forced, formulaic, or identifiable as anyone but ALL ELSE FAILS. Don’t let this one slip past your radar. ”

Blabbermouth.net

 

“Catchy tunes that please the ears. 4/5”

Metal France

 

“Original bands do exist. All Else Fails, from Edmonton, Canada, are one of the very few who both dare to be different, and can pull it off. Whether it’s hardhitting metalcore, epic, symphonic metal or the Alice In Chains cover ‘Sludge Factory’, things seem to fall into place effortlessly. Being such amazing musicians, capable of portraying such wide variety of songs, does make it sometimes difficult getting into the album as a whole. It’s more a collection of amazing songs, instead of songs that share a common feeling, which forms the core of most albums. It’s a collection of greatest hits, with each new song outshining the previous entry. ”

Mass Movement Magazine UK

 

“Edmonton, Alberta’s All Else Fails is one that band that truly takes the varied influences of its members, pours ‘em into a blender, and ends up with a musical protein shake that tastes at once unique and familiar. Metalcore is the style in most general terms, but by the time the band adds atmospheric flavors with keyboards and various effects (strings, choral vocals, etc.), and injects an impeccable sense of melody – bolstered by well patterned, versatile clean singing parts – into the mix, the result is one that can only be described as All Else Fails. New album The Oracle: What Was, Is, and Could have Been is the most definitive example of that deft mix to date. It is an offering that is as catchy and aggressive as it is fun and aurally stimulating.”

Metal Army America

 

“The Oracle” is a highly addictive journey that captures the listener from start to finish.

SpazioRock (Italy)

 

“It would not surprise me in the slightest if you heard this group grace the airwaves from the obscure darkly lit, pubs of Gothenburg to the soundboards of our own local modern rock stations. It seems more than fortunate that these Alberta natives named their album The Oracle because these local talents have clearly seen the future.”

Edmonton Journal

 

“Frontman/guitarist Barrett Klesko and bassist Seedy Mitchell combine their vocal talents to make a symphony of harmonies and enunciated anger, whilst a firm and well orchestrated foundation is laid by guitarist Mike Sands and drummer Tom Wolf. The synergistic fusion of elements from these four men forms a perfect storm of sounds, styles and themes that stretch from the darkest pits of heavy metal to the Elysian fields of punk and rock.”

Jarrod Bennett – Edmonton Journal

 

“The recent release entitled The Oracle, What Was, Is And Could Have Been is jammed packed with compelling lyrics and music that is as powerful as it is memorable and melodic.”

Kenneth Morton – Highwire Daze

 

“Just listen to great songs like The twilight of mankind, Rebirth and another one of my favourites Obsidian Walls, with its spoken word sampling really is a masterpiece and gave me the goosebumps when I listened to it. And of course the SOAD inspired song Robots!!!KOLTG that is a really cool song to finish this great album. Overall this is very refreshing and an album to check out for fans of metalcore, melodic and progressive metal with classical elements. ”

Melodic.net

 

“When it came down to the track list at hand, I can point a few starlets that mesmerized me. I recommend on “This World In Flames”, both electric and acoustic, bone crushing “Rebirth” and “Obsidian Walls”, “Fallen” was a great treat even though it was lyrically heavy, and I even found the last parody “Robots!!! KOLTG” as cool. In addition to the names of the hits, I urge to take a deep listen to the rest while trying to notice the strong connection between the musical diversities and the strong lyrical sense. ALL ELSE FAILS did more than a fine job on those creations.”

Metal-Temple.com

 

“Obsidian Walls” is a colossal song”

Planet-Mosh.com

 

“All Else Fails have delivered us a brilliant new album”

Confront Magazine

 

“The epic twelve track album [The Oracle] explores their most extraordinary sound to date. Ranging in themes from the apocalypse (‘This World In Flames’, ‘Rebirth’) to drug abuse (‘Fallen’), to religious persecution (‘Monster Eats The Pilot’), to being haunted by the sins of one’s past (‘The House At The End of The World’)”

Chee Kam – PureGrainAudio.com

 

“All Else Fails have crafted one of the most diverse sounding albums I’ve heard in a while. The Oracle, What Was Is and Could Have Been refuses to be pigeon-holed into a genre, and that’s why it’s great. Rather than sick to a straight formula, All Else Fails branch out into several genres and bring their sound into the fold to produce some incredibly creative songs.”

The Age Of Metal

 

“The Oracle is one hell of a powerful album, packed with no end of metal elements, punk edginess and even jazz flourishes . One could make the standard obligatory comparisons to other metal records, but The Oracle defies all traditional categorization. The music is at once darkly visceral and starkly beautiful. In a world of countless “core” clones in the metal scene today, this opus stands out amongst the many. All Else Fails have realized their most compelling yet pulverizing album to date. 8.4/10”

Metalholic Magazine

 

“Edmonton’s premier melodic hardcore-metal outfit…Throughout their set, they displayed great musicianship, but also looked like they were having fun with synchronized moves, jumping around all over the place and off stage, even on to the banister; yet still performing, hitting their notes as a cohesive unit. Full, open guitar chords were executed beautifully, and the heavy chug sections were ever so earth shattering. The contrast between harsh vocals and clean singing brought an element to the performance that presented their songs as fist pumping anthems as if Iron Maiden wrote hardcore music; it would have been perfect for the crowd to sing along. With the momentum of promoting their upcoming full length, “The Oracle, What Was, Is And Could Have Been” they seem to be unstoppable.”

Vandala Concepts Webzine – Vandala Concepts Webzine

 

“The production is perfect, both in terms of the approach to the instruments and the arrangements in general. In spite of all the metalcore bands around today, All Else Fails manages to stand out, giving us moments of quality and personality.”

StereoInvaders.com – StereoInvaders.com

 

“ALL ELSE FAILS is a brand of metal that represents brutality, melody, and freshness that is well captured on THE ORACLE: WHAT WAS IS AND COULD HAVE BEEN. 8/10”

WeLoveMetal.com – WeLoveMetal.com

 

“…plenty of gems amongst them, including “Twilight Of Mankind,” “Monster Eats The Pilot”, the crushing “Rebirth” and the symphonic/metallic based stand out effort “Obsidian Walls””

Blistering.com – Blistering.com

 

“The epic twelve track album by the St. Albert, AB based band, explores their most extraordinary sound to date…All Else Fails delivers a stunning and compelling release of aggressive rich metalcore to the masses.”

Good Morning Metal

 

“After sitting through an endless supply of metalcore acts that seem to all originate from the same song writing pool, it’s refreshing to hear an act like All Else Fails who obviously strive for a sound that is different from most.”

J.J.D.’s Reviews And Interviews Blog – J.J.D.’s Reviews And Interviews Blog

 

“All Else Fails has been among my favourite punk/rock/metal bands for a while now, and I was thrilled to see them rock the stage. Their performance completely blew me away”

Roxy – Hammer Records

 

“The Oracle, What Was Is And Could Have Been a record that is an all out assault on the sense’ it is brash, aggressive and will have listeners snapping their necks in no time at all.”

PureGrainAudio.com – PureGrainAudio.com

 

“All Else Fails is a genre-bending band that doesn’t turn their noses up at other sounds. Their heart has a metal core, but experience in everything from jazz to punk has prompted them to defy limitations.”

kmichael – BC Local News

 

“In my opinion All Else Fails is a very good and original sounding band that has a style of their own, and if you are looking for a death metal influenced metal core band that has their own sound, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE “This World In Flames” “The House At The End Of The World” “The Oracle” and “Obsidian Walls”. RECOMMENDED BUY. ”

Blackened Dark Underground Music Zine Blog – Blackened Dark Underground Music Zine Blog

 

“What is the meaning and inspiration behind [All Else Fails]? That’s a bigger question than you know. Let’s just say it involves a can of olives, a 24 case of cheap beer, a Wal-Mart greeter and a sex act gone wrong, and leave it at that.”

OCCULTBLACKMETAL – BLACKENEDDARKUNDERGROUNDMUSICZINE

 

“The Oracle: What Was, Is and Could Have Been… (is) a lot deeper. It’s darker and it’s heavier, but it’s also prettier at the same time… (it’s) a little more introspective”

Glenn Cook – Saint City News

 

“The Oracle, What Was, Is And Could Have Been…delivers a stunning and compelling release of aggressive rich metalcore to the masses.”

Tyler – Visionthenet

 

“Edmonton based metalcore band, All Else Fails who are recently coming off an award nomination at the 2011 Edmonton Music Awards in the “Artist To Watch” category, will be opening for rising Canadian metallers Cancer Bats on May 31st in Yorkton, SK. The Cancer Bats show will be another addition to AEF’s shared stage list for 2011 as they have also opened for bands such as 3 Inches of Blood, Fear Factory and City of Fire. “This going to be an epic concert, we’re big Cancer Bats fans and sharing the stage with them has my hails horns up!” commented AEF vocalist/guitarist Barrett Klesko. Show Dates: 05/31 – Yorkton, SK – Ukrainian Orthodox Hall (w/ Cancer Bats) ”

Pure Grain Audio

 

“All Else Fails Nominated for an Edmonton Music award in the “Artist to Watch Category””

Edmonton Journal

 

“The Oracle easily surpasses the last album in quality of recording and performance.”

Yorkton this Week

 

“Edmonton-based metal outfit All Else Fails wants you to steal their latest smart bomb of bunker busting sound, Against the Darkening Sky. “We want to share our music any way we can — be it iTunes, Torrent files, Limewire; I don’t care,” guitarist/vocalist Barrett Klesko tells the Edmonton Journal. “We’d be happy if everybody on earth”

FYI Music News

 

“You HAVE to see All Else Fails LIVE! Their shows last year were some of the best of the year. All Else Fails is one of those pearls that will not disappoint you.”

TB Shows

 

“All Else Fails kicks off national tour”

Anna Boroweicki – St. Albert Gazette

 

“A Monster of a Metal Opus”

Francois – The Edmonton Journal

 

“In an era where iTunes is king and single tracks are the new groove, All Else Fails is going in the opposite direction. If you do decide to acquire the band’s new album, the conceptual tour-de-force Against the Darkening Sky, please make sure you get the whole thing, not just a few select tunes”

The Edmonton Journal