All Out War "Condemned to Suffer" CD
[Victory]
Fuck yes, boys and girls. I wasn't sure what to expect from this since it's been so long since the last All Out War record dropped, but they're back and better than ever. This sounds very similar to their older material, but it's tighter, more pissed off, and more energetic, which makes a big difference. Expect nothing short of total ferocity in the form of classic metalcore, the way it used to be, and the way it should've stayed. All Out War was one of the first American bands to really up the metal in the whole metalcore genre, what with their uniquely over the top vocals, burly mosh parts, apocalyptic lyrics, and raging Slayer riffs - definitely more akin to what a lot of their European counterparts were doing in the 90's, but All Out War has gradually perfected it, as exemplified here. The eerie clean intro to "Bleeding the Weak" brings back memories of classic 80's thrash metal, the acoustic guitar tone is just fucking sweet... it totally makes me wish they had drawn that out longer, but instead they plunge headfirst into tons of speedy tremolo picking that has a more modern Swedish sound to it that sort of rubbed me the wrong way the first time I heard it, but in the context of the record it makes the song stand out a lot and really kicks things in the ass as far as tempo, so I fucking love it. "Destined to Burn" has been re-recorded, originally having appeared on their first record, and it sounds great here. And the pummeling chugga chugga rhythms of "Rise of the Anti-Christ" are just obscene... you can't beat that. The recording is pretty fucking good. The drum sound can be ever so slightly flimsy and rigid at times, perhaps because the guitars and bass form such a solid wall of heaviness that the percussion feels somewhat separated, but it's heavy as shit and totally clear. And the vocals sound more insane than ever - just vicious screaming with its own recognizable tone, and tons of great vocal layering to add to the intensity. Awesome. I wish all of their records had this recording. The layout's 50/50. I fucking love the front cover, and the overall apocalyptic concept and fiery colors of the booklet are fine, but some of the manipulated imagery comes off as a bit cheesy and immature compared to the cover. Had everything been painted in the style of the cover I think it would've looked superb. The lyrics are as bitter and apocalyptic as ever, here even more pissed off than in the past, often speaking of the end of mankind and the gradual downfall of society at the hands of corrupt and unjust political leaders. "Our world is burning as demons control the Earth. Political killers, they strip us of all we are worth. Condemned to fire, the masses are thrown into the flames. Apathy has destroyed us, but we search for someone else to blame. The beast is upon us. The final days in the age of lies. Witness to apocalypse as the blood falls. The blood of heaven. The blood of angels fall. The kings of the Earth, in their quest for power, have finally condemned us all." Fuck, I'm god damn glad that All Out War is back now. More records like this need to come out and wipe the fucking floor with that melodic Swedish metalcore bullshit. This is what it's all about. (8/10)
Running time - 38:35, Tracks: 12
[Notable tracks: Condemned to Suffer, Bleeding the Weak, Destined to Burn, Rise of the Anti-Christ, Gone Forever]
Victory Records - http://www.victoryrecords.com

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