FEBRUARY 7, 2004 REVIEW, ALMOST A MONTH LATE

ALL IS SUFFERING
THE PAST: VINDICTIVE SADISMS OF PETTY BUREAUCRATS
CRUCIAL BLAST, 2002
 
I haven't reviewed in two weeks (hard to when you're playing catch-up with seventeen thousand university assignments while depressed, you know) so I thought I'd start with All is Suffering's 2002 collection of older and new material.  Yes, I gave The Past (like hell I'm writing the full title out again) an over-perfect score.  The band deserves it, in my opinion.  Personally, I haven't heard anything this well-rounded and, well, great in a long while.
 
A.I.S. is best described as a band at the crossroads of death, grind and hardcore and right off the bat the band proves the mastery of its craft.  Honestly, the two-minute intro couldn't have been more perfectly executed, and the songs themselves prove to be a worthy amalgamation of styles.  Although The Past is more a record of progression for All is Suffering than a full-length, the band is consistent throughout and even the demo tracks near the end prove that All is Suffering had the craft of songwriting by the balls even then.  The band wears its influences, sure, and Jeremy Hance uses the atypical mongoloid hardcore scream (although with more actual rage than usual.)  Still, All is Suffering is a true original and The Past's songs carry an emotion that should be noted.  Even the quibble I have with the first five songs on The Past (I'm sorry, it sounds like this part of the album was recorded in a bowl) doesn't really mean anything as All is Suffering is more than worthy enough to overcome that.  All is Suffering is a band that knows how to bring the brutality and be intelligent about doing that.  If you can't understand that, then I feel sorry for you.
 
Sorry for the fanboy wanking, by the way.  All is Suffering has been one of my favourite bands since 2001 and the fact I still feel that way in 2004 is testament to All is Suffering's quality.  Get this album.
 
CRUCIAL BLAST INDUSTRIES
PO Box 364
Hagerstown, MD 21741-0364
USA
http://www.crucialblast.net/
[email protected]
 
A.I.S.
4220 Solomons Island Road
Saint Leonard, MD 20685
USA
http://www.allissuffering.com/home.html
[email protected]
[email protected]