ALBUM REVIEW: Celestial Rot – All Out War
Newburgh, NY bruisers ALL OUT WAR have been putting out a fearsome melding of hardcore and metal since their inception in the early 90s and with their new album Celestial Rot they prove without a doubt that they have no plans of stopping any time soon. If anything, the music of ALL OUT WAR keeps getting even more intense as the band goes on.
Rarely has a band been more aptly named and ALL OUT WAR go on all out attack as soon as the album explodes into life with the vicious Snake Legion and they don’t let up until closing track Hideous Shroud Of Heaven ends. This is metallic hardcore done the right way and this is a band that knows exactly what they are doing. The metal tinged riffs on Celestial Rot courtesy of guitarists Andrew Pietroluongo and Taras Apuzzo come in at an insane rate, especially on songs like Wrath, Hideous Disdain, Caustic Abomination and Weaving Oblivion and they complement frontman Mike Score‘s raging vocals superbly.
Those raging vocals are obviously a focal point when it come to the power of ALL OUT WAR, but they are even more prevalent when you add in those riffs and the powerful groove that the rhythm section of Erik Carrillo (bass) and Jesse Sutherland (drums) break out with ease. Add in crucial elements of black and death metal (particularly on a song like Revel In Misery which features some truly blasphemous riffs), something that ALL OUT WAR haven’t really involved in their music before, and you have a definite recipe for success.
The album is a short one in terms of length with the ten songs on show here all clocking in at less than three minutes each but what Celestial Rot lacks in length it makes up for with its sheer brutality and intensity and the brief nature of them allows the band to combine a lot in that time. The cathartic nature and defiant heaviness of ALL OUT WAR also both add to the overall vibe of the album and the band have certainly succeeded in bringing a celebratory defiance with what they have produced here. Of course, it also has to be said that the songs on this record will slay in a live scenario.
If you want an album that is a nonstop blur of savage ferocity then you have come to the right place and ALL OUT WAR are the perfect band to give it you. All things levelled up, Celestial Rot is an album that shows the sheer intensity and venom of the band from start to finish and the fact that they still sound this passionately aggressive this far into their career is an inspiring thing. Long may that continue.
Rating: 7/10
Celestial Rot is set for release on February 3rd via Translation Loss Records.
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