ALL OUT WAR
Condemned to Suffer (Victory Recs)
Reviewed by Jason Thornberry

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These guys have scary tattoos, sweaty live shows, and lyrics about dwelling in misery, being raped by political thieves, shedding countless tears, blood, filth, pain, and a myriad of other nasty things that gave you nightmares when you were eight. Nowadays it's an almost numbing sensory overload of clichés. Calculated resentment simply makes for one boring listening experience, regardless of how well it's ever executed musically, which is, sadly, the case on Condemned to Suffer.

All Out War play "hardcore" by 2004 standards, but their anxiety sounds quite a bit like something Slayer could record tomorrow, only a teensy bit slower. Didn't Hatebreed, an acknowledged "hardcore" band, just finish touring with Slayer?

The songs of All Out War usually have the stereotypical "breakdown" where the group drops to half time and lets their barre chords sag a bit while the singer catches his breath, stares stupidly at the front row, and contemplates a new tattoo for his neck. Then he roars, and all the sixteen-year-old boys with black hair and matching studded belts get erections they can't understand yet.

5/10

© 2004 - Jason Thornberry