|
While the tragic, late-2004 death of All Hell Breaks Loose's drummer, Joe Lamadrid, promptly resulted in the band members playing their final show and parting ways, Lamadrid and his band mates won't be easily forgotten. The bent-on-destruction, metallic hardcore band was together long enough to release a couple of brief efforts, including the album at hand, a forceful, self-titled full-length. Based on the rage and energy behind this material, I imagine the band left a sizeable mark (or maybe a few broken walls) on Florida's hardcore scene.
All Hell Breaks Loose won't turn the heads of anyone who's in search of originality, but these 20 minutes of brute, energetic heaviness are easy to stomach and an ideal fix when the hunger for crushing music strikes. The band seems to make no bones about their intentional lack of experimentation, which results in a sound that directly compares to early Until The End and Throwdown material. Dense, metallic riffs, galloping rhythms, drawn-out, chug-laden breakdowns and gruffly shouted vocals drive the songs, and outweigh the sparse melodies. The only time one will really notice anything particularly unnecessary is during the sixth track, "Amsterdam," when there is a subtle guitar melody layered over some burly riffs.
Other than that, it's straightforward, metallic chord progressions and precise, fast tempos interspersed with hefty breakdowns. Expecting much in the way of originality is not the appropriate way to approach All Hell Breaks Loose's music. For those seeking enthusiastic, well-produced, unforgiving and unabashedly honest metallic hardcore that hits like a downpour of cinder blocks, though, All Hell Breaks Loose is about as good as it's going to get.
|
