All is Suffering "s/t" 7"
[Scenester Credentials]
After a lengthy, lulling sort of intro that comes unexpectedly, "Surge of Medical Power" finally kicks in with some grinding metalcore with a lot of black metal-esque dissonance and burly screaming vocals. It's actually quite good aside from the fact that the recording sucks and is so fucking hard to hear that it's frustrating. You've really gotta crank the volume, and even then the cymbals dominate, the vocals get lost in the shuffle, and there's no clarity at all - just a jumbled mess of rhythmic distortion that takes a great deal of attention to decipher. But writing-wise this material is far darker and more atmospherically focused than the band's past work, and I find that to be very promising indeed. Side B's "Skullbattery" opens with a flat out fucking 80's thrash metal riff of the highest caliber, and everyone should know by now that I eat that shit up, thus making this track an absolute fucking gem! I shit you not, I haven't heard 80's thrash riffs so genuinely authentic in many, many, many years... Once things kick in it stays fast but gets more of a death metal sort of blast to it, then drops back into a crusty sort of driving rhythm with forceful shouting and some slower melodic lead tinges. A great, great fucking song through and through. The black and white sleeve contains nothing but abstract artwork, one band photo, and scarce text. Sadly no lyrics or anything of that nature. This is a great record held back only by a sub-par recording that really damages the power of side A. "Skullbattery" is such a masterful track that it can overcome it, but this band needs to secure a better recording immediately. This EP destroys their past work and points to an impressive future that I plan to watch quite closely. Keep an eye out... (6/10)
Running time - 10:00 (approximately), Tracks: 2
[Notable tracks: Skullbattery]
Scenester Credentials - http://www.scenecred.com

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