All Out War – Celestial Rot
Release Date: 3rd February 2023
Label: Translation Loss Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Hardcore, Black Metal, Thrash.
FFO: 100 Demons, Merauder, Ringworm.
Review By: Ryan Payne
For a little over 30 years, All Out War have blessed the hardcore scene with their music, combining thrash and hardcore to make a very aggressive combination. They are now set to release their 8th album, “Celestial Rot”, following up from their 2019 release “Crawl Among the Filth”.
After making music for 3 decades, All Out War have perfected their signature sound and learned to adapt to a more modern audience. From blistering death metal/black/thrash speed riffs to head thumping breakdowns, this band really knows how to pack a punch. There is no room for calm from start to finish on this record as listeners are bombarded with a full assault of speed, aggression and heavy-ness. “Celestial Rot” was self-recorded by guitarist Taras Apuzzo and the album has a very raw feel to the sound, nothing feels overproduced or over saturated with effects, just pure hardcore.
Vocalist Mike Score pierces through every track on this record with his unique and defining vocal style. His voice is definitely a recognisable one and is probably the main defining factor of the band, bringing a new level of aggression to the fold. When asked about the upcoming album, Mike had this to say:
“Celestial Rot expresses the decay of not only this world, but the dogma that has helped bring us here. The fall of the earthly realm, as well as the spiritual realm. We are excited for this release because we touch on influences that we have not tapped into previously. Celestial Rot represents a new direction and a new chapter for All Out War. A new voyage that we are enthusiastically embracing.”
“Celestial Rot” shows a lot of defining qualities and will definitely hit big with loads of fans of hardcore, but I can’t help feeling that there is just too much repetitiveness going on throughout. It almost becomes too predictable and, for fans wanting a new experience, will be let down if they weren’t a fan of the first track. Although, if you like your music heavy and angry and just need something to drive out the sound of reality, this is the record you want. 
(3 / 5)
