Since debut, ALL(H)OURS have stuck to a bombastic sound, fusing huge beats to catchy chants. This formula has often thrown melody to the curb in favor of other aspects, and that’s been the one missing piece that has prevented me from becoming absolutely obsessed with their singles. I wish I could sit their producers down and remind them that there can be bombast and melody in the same song. In fact, it makes everything better!
New single Dead Man Walking continues this trend, forgoing a sung hook for a chanted “la la la.” However, the production and energy are so strong that I’m willing to overlook the threadbare nature of the songwriting — at least for now. If I were to isolate the instrumental to this song, I’d be raving about its sheer bigness. When the beat gets going, it’s the exact kind of sledgehammer percussion I’ve wanted K-pop to revisit for ages. This is about as far from “beigepop” as you can get. Everything is turned up to “11,” and during the quieter moments the producers add choral elements to elevate an already theatrical brew.
With this said, I wish that ‘Dead Man Walking the song’ had as much ambition as ”Dead Man Walking the insrumental.’ There’s really not much “song” here at all. The dramatic pre-chorus builds strong tension but the chorus is so underwritten. And at two-and-a-half minutes, the runtime doesn’t allow for the flights of fancy a song like this thrives on. Still, energy wins the day here and I’m willing to surrender to Dead Man Walking‘s fierce pulse despite myself.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.5 |
Grade: B
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Glad to see them return to the dancefloor route after the mishap that was Ready 2 Rumble. But yeah, the melody needs to be there, but it’s still fun while it’s still new. And am pleased that despite the 2:30 duration, the song still feels complete-ish. Idk how I’d feel about this a week or two from now on, but I like it for now.
Rating’s the same.
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I spent a while thinking up songs just like this. (Some Big Bang came to mind, also Dreamcatcher.)
Pfft whatev, yes there are other songs that sound like this, but we haven’t had any in a while so for here right now today, its a yes, thank you.
This song is begging for the 10 minutes long performance remix. I don’t mean an extended intro with guys looking wistfully at the camera remix, I am talking the year end music shows full pyrotechnics and dark red search lights and bucu dancers remix.
That said, rating is about right.
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