Album Review: The Last Ten Seconds of Life – The Dead Ones (Metal Blade Records)

Their Metal Blade label debut, ‘The Dead Ones’ is The Last Ten Seconds of Life’s brand-new album. Out on April 17th, 2026.

Deathcore with feeling, The Last Ten Seconds of Life have gone deeper and into far more personal territory with this new album. The result is still an album filled with heavy carnage, featuring crushing instrumentals and feral vocals, but it just so happens to have a bit more potency because it focuses on the human experience and what the band have been through.

This is infinitely more interesting, personally, and I found myself more invested than I usually would with your bog-standard deathcore release.

By choosing to focus on a personal experience, the writing for this album has allowed The Last Ten Seconds of Life to vary up what they can do with their deathcore sound. Not only changing tempos, but changing structures, and working with a stellar group of guest artists that complement the crunching aspects of their sound. Artists like David Simonich of Signs of the Swarm, Nate Johnson, ex -Fit for an Autopsy, Alan Grnja of Distant; and original TLTSOL vocalist Storm Strope.

It is a heavy album, and while that won’t be too much of a surprise, it’s heaviness that has an interesting methodical approach. Where shifting tempos allow each instrument to breathe and not be suffocated by speed, even when blast beats are still the name of the game.

It’s a welcome shift for a style of music that can often restrict experimentation and innovation.

Though that’s not to say that The Last Ten Seconds of Life are changing the landscape of deathcore here, because they’re not. All I’m saying is that they’ve aimed to expand and in doing so, have crafted something with some originality. Where highlights include the raging Make it to Heaven and its intense chorus. The fist-swinging and foot-stomping breakdown that comes at the end of Rat Trap. The way in which 1-800-DO YOU WANT TO DIE? doesn’t even try to be anything but three and a half minutes of slamming savagery. Or the heavy grooving two-stepper that is Stereo, with its surprisingly anthemic ways.

Just some of the album’s more obvious bangers, but truth be told, you won’t have to look far to find bangers, especially if varied deathcore is your jam.

The Last Ten Seconds of Life – The Dead Ones Track Listing:

1. The Dead Ones
2. Make It to Heaven (feat. Signs of the Swarm)
3. Rat Trap (feat. Nate Johnson)
4. Freak Reflection
5. 1-800-DO YOU WANT TO DIE?
6. Stiletto
7. Stereo
8. Dollar to a Dime (feat. Alan Grnja of Distant)
9. Corruption Concerto
10. XXXXXXXXXX (feat. Storm Strope)

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