Guitarist Greg Wright is probably Shatterpoint's strongest asset; other elements of the band's sound being adequate, if not particularly exceptional. Throughout _Dead Precedence_, the emphasis remains on uptempo, pummeling rhythms. Even on songs like the title track and "Thorn Inside", both of which start off with a slow, dirge-like intro and then kick it up a notch, the somber, reflective side of the band is rarely showcased for more than a few seconds at a time. "Out Falls the Pain", the most Burton Bell-like of the vocal exercises, is probably the real stand out on the album, the brutality at last balanced with a little melody.

If there's one fault to be found on the album as a whole, it's the inevitable facelessness that comes from stepping down on the accelerator and keeping it to the floor for the entirety of what is frankly an album a good ten to fifteen minutes too lengthy even before you get to the bonus tracks. Shatterpoint should take a cue from Hatebreed and keep future efforts around the half hour mark if they're not going to mix it up a bit more. Judging from the three years between this album and their previous EP, _Consequences_, which, included here, is more of the same, this fear of spreading themselves thin would seem to be the reality.