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November 20, 2024


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All Out War
Condemned To Suffer (Victory Records)

By: Vinnie Apicella

Combining the extreme aggression of early Hardcore and Thrash Metal, All Out War not only crosses the boundaries of both, they pummel precept to death and stand above the fallen corpse without a hint of fear. Imagine the tenacity of an Agnostic Front or Napalm Death crossing horns with Slayer, Vader, or Deicide, and twelve tracks thematically tied to the horror of the human condition, and thus a little light shed on the groundbreaking appeal of "Condemned To Suffer." Five years in the making, since their last "For Those Who Were Crucified" release, this record takes hold of the pure intensity of the NY street scene and conceptualizes it in a bleaker, broader stroke to apply to all humankind to the point where personal issues of pride and perseverance clash head on with Death Metal led principles that go far beyond the individual view to examine the world's decay as a whole. Tracks like "Straight Towards Extinction," "Bleeding The Weak," or "Destined To Burn," can easily trace the fall of man, the community, and the hypocrisy of those at the helm. "Gone Forever" at the bottom is among the greater character leaps from the expected, smoothly executing a foreboding intro before lashing into a thrashing rage befitting of any size pit, picking up, slowing down, raising hell and fittingly fading to black. It's the playability present here that goes far beyond the ranks of typically Hardcore music. The guitar riffs merge with dark melodies, death grunts, gang vocals and riveting double bass to produce a masterfully executed crossover record that will appeal to followers of all forms of the extreme.
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