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All Out War: Condemned to Suffer
All Out War - Condemned to Suffer - [Victory Records]

2004-02-02

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 clichיs. 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.

Jason Thornberry



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