ALBUM REVIEW: Allfather, ‘And All Will Be Desolation’

By: Daniel Jackson


Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 7/9/2018

Label: Rotting Throne Records

With ‘And All Will Be Desolation’, Allfather appear to be poised to be the spiritual successor to Crowbar this generation needs and deserves. This is heavy music stripped of all pretenses, given to us to remind us that while innovation is important for forward progress, conviction and a deadly riff are all you really need.

 

‘And All Will Be Desolation’ CD//DD track listing:

1. Black Triangle

2. Citadels

3. Lord Betrayer

4. By Sword, By Famine, By Plague

5. Jackal's Night

6. Inherit The Dust

7. Lampedusa

The Review:

I’ve spent entirely too much time trying to figure out how exactly to categorize Allfather. There are elements of sludge, hardcore, doom, and even more besides in play here. But at a certain point, I came to realize that none of that really matters. What matters is that Allfather, and their new album ‘And All Will Be Desolation’ are rotten with riffs, and catchy ones at that.

With the possible exception of the album’s opening clean guitar passage, every moment of this album is spent wringing every last ounce of gut-wrenching vitriol out each new riff. ‘And All Will Be Desolation’ strength is in its simplicity. Nothing gets in the way of immediacy and impact. Each of these songs is clearly communicated; its language is universal. These are the kinds of stomping, thrashing, hammering songs that cemented my love of heavy metal in the 90s. The music here is incredibly earnest, shouting from the rooftops an unabashed love of anything and everything heavy.

The emphasis on groove here can’t be overstated. Everybody in Allfatheris working overtime to make sure you feel the weight of each and every crunch, every downbeat; the conviction behind these songs is so devastatingly present that it practically radiates from the speakers. Even the guitars feel like they’re a part of the rhythm section at times, with so many of the album’s highlights built around heavy palm muting and deep pockets of groove. Whether it’s something thrashier, like “Citadels” where the grove takes on a similar feel to that of some of High On Fire’s faster songs, or the brilliantly melodic swing of “Inherit The Dust”, rhythm is the crux of Allfather’s sound.

As strong as the album is collectively, “By Sword, By Famine, By Plague” is the band’s best song to date. The opening riff wields both a massive hook and a menacing atmosphere, eventually giving way to a devastatingly simple but powerful palm muted section that’s bound to snap a neck or two live. The second half of the song is loaded with sludgy swing, building to a massive climax where a scintillating guitar solo takes center stage. The song is a fucking journey, with its closing moments dedicated to a swampy southern crawl, and the perfect end to one of the year’s better songs.

With ‘And All Will Be Desolation’, Allfatherappear to be poised to be the spiritual successor to Crowbar this generation needs and deserves. This is heavy music stripped of all pretense, given to us to remind us that while innovation is important for forward progress, conviction and a deadly riff are all you really need.

“And All Will Be Desolation’ is available here

Band info: Facebook