Every Trick In The Book, released in 2015, is a metal-core concept album with every song being about a different piece of literature. Some examples include The Nature of the Beast being about Animal Farm, Me, Myself, and Hyde being about The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Other stories include the Exorcist, Romeo and Juliet, and Carrie. This album has become my second favorite from the band because it only contains 10 songs, as the Silver Scream contained 13. A fun fact about the album is at the end of its touring cycle, the band wrote a song about the Shining, which led to the concept behind the Silver Scream.

Much of the guitar work focuses on quick changes between palm muting and open notes, as well as multiple string changes during riffs. A couple of songs, like Me, Myself, and Hyde include complex chord shapes that require use of the pinky and stretching it five frets from the rest of your hand. Also, if you only own a six string, there’s four songs, Alice, The Plot Sickens, Star-Crossed Enemies, and Hell in the Hallways that can only be played on a seven string. Vocalists once again have to decide which screams to perform if they don’t have a backup vocalist, because on the album, there’s two screamers, one for fry screaming and one who does just about every scream.

This album will be one to push musicians. Songs on the easier side include Tess-Timony, due to all instruments besides a piano are involved for around 40 seconds, otherwise for a full song, Star-Crossed Enemies follows a simple four chord chorus formula. Drummers will find challenge from keeping up with the double bass kicks in Nature of the Beast. For guitar, Communion of the Cursed will push how fast you can go back and forth between strings. Bassists will feel progress when they master the main riff to The Plot Sickens.