Candace Kucsulian singing rather than spewing out constant wrath? Walls of Jericho doing acoustic, duets with Corey Taylor and a cover of The Animals' 'House Of The Rising Sun'? It all sounds like a nightmare for the hardcore purists, and yet cast aside the preconceptions and you're left with a collection of dark, solemn songs perfect for joining you when you pour out your heart with a bottle at 3am. It's raw and stripped down rather than MTV US superstar ballad (a la Amy Lee and Seether's Shaun Morgan) and these songs have a dark, bleak edge to them - tales of loss, tragedy and family member addictions, rather than love and roses. Don't be afraid, just embrace. FOR FANS OF: Stone Sour, Evanescence, Keith Caputo

I have now decided that everything that Corey Taylor touches will eventually go from hardcore to a more subdued acoustic rock. Like the Stone Sour to his Slipknot, Corey has now taken the furious Walls Of Jericho and helped them release an acoustic EP, "Redemption," before the release of their new album. I wasn't sure what to make of this project when I first heard about it, but after quick inspection I had to change my mind. Corey's hands are everywhere in this EP, as producer and even being featured in 3 of the 5 songs. A more mellow Walls Of Jericho is present and may shock fans of the band. Slow progressive tracks take crafted guitars and Candace's hauntingly beautiful vocals (which we have barely heard before) and make tracks that feel almost inspirational when first heard. I really liked how WoJ highlighted the more classical of instruments in place of their heavy hardcore such as gentle acoustics, ringing pianos, and what sometimes feels like an orchestra backing them up. It almost feels like an acoustic version of a Nightwish song (minus the theatrics). I'm a fan of bands that do acoustic versions of their songs, and it is even more interesting when they make them acoustic first. This EP might be too much of a difference from their normal sound for some, but its soft tunes are just too eerily beautiful to ignore.

Hardcore guitar attacks, wailing and intense vocals...all gone! At least for now. Walls of Jericho take a different road on their latest pet project, Redemption. The group dusts off their acoustic guitars and delivers five surprising melodic ballads ripe with sorrow and darkness. Vocalist Candace Kucsulain proves there's a soulful songstress beneath her rough exterior. Perhaps the Jericho learned a thing or two from their producer Corey Taylor when he made the switch from Slipknot to Stone Sour. It's great to hear some versatility from such a powerful and heavy band.