ALBUM REVIEW: A Violent Truth – Allfather
Riffs and anti-fascism; most of you should be sold already, but seeing as word counts are still a thing we can give you a bit more to go on than that. A Violent Truth is the third full-length from the Medway-based hardcore sludge monsters ALLFATHER, and much like their previous releases Bless The Earth With Fire (2016) and And All Will Be Desolation (2018) it’s the kind of record that guarantees banged heads in more ways than one; first your own, in a good way of course, and then in more of a steel chair to the skull type method for anyone responsible for the intolerance and oppression that this band stand so resolutely against.
On multiple levels there is a very no-nonsense attitude to A Violent Truth. Much like the album’s lyrics and themes, there isn’t a single air of compromise to the music and sound of this record. It was mixed and mastered by Scott Middleton for starters, and the former CANCER BATS guitarist unsurprisingly proves the ideal man for the job as he makes ALLFATHER sound more muscular than ever while crucially holding onto a sense of raw punk energy that feels absolutely essential for an album and band like this. Overdubs are used sparingly and sensibly – the occasional guitar solo or extra lead line, for example – and as such it feels like one is able to get a good sense of the band’s true live power and presence.
Like its predecessors, A Violent Truth worships first and foremost at the expected altars – those of Pike, Windstein and probably a bit of Iommi by extension – but what makes ALLFATHER a compelling prospect of their own, and arguably more so on this record than any of the others, is the fact that they don’t stop there. As well as sludge and hardcore, there’s all manner of extreme metal influence woven through these six tracks. The SEPULTURA-esque groove metal heft of Black Lungs, the thrashing fury of recent single Take Their Eyes, the blackened intensity of fifth track The Hunt Infernal – all make A Violent Truth feel just that little bit more ferocious and unpredictable, not to mention the shades of death and doom metal that are often present too.
And, perhaps most impressively, the band confine all this to just 27 minutes. While their previous full-lengths were by no means bloated affairs, this one is their shortest and it works even more to their advantage in that it enables them to make a concentrated statement both of musical and political intent. The aforementioned Take Their Eyes provides perhaps the clearest example of the latter in particular, with vocalist Tom exhorting listeners to take the eyes of those who trample over democracy and humanity (“When it’s eye for an eye then we’ll take two / When the world goes blind it’s on them not you”). The Hunt Infernal is similarly forceful, particularly as it insists “Your carcasses will feed the revolution” in easily one of the hardest lyrics you’ll hear all year.
With all this in mind, A Violent Truth really is an easy sell. It sounds great, it hits hard and fast, and most importantly it actually stands for something. ALLFATHER have already produced some quality records in their time, but this one is surely their most focused and impactful, and if you love riffs (which you should), or hate fascists (which, again, you should), then you will find much to like in this album’s violent and unequivocal truth.
Rating: 8/10
A Violent Truth is set for release on March 31st via Trepanation Recordings.
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