AT ALL COST
"It's
Time to Decide" (KOCH / Combat; 2005)
Reviewed by Christopher J. Kelter
When I heard that the great Combat imprint was coming back I was pretty excited as I have always understood the important role the label played in the '80s thrash heyday. But I was in for a surprise ? thrash this ain't.
At All Cost is a metalcore band that somehow mixes melodic death, hardcore, emo, punk, rock, and even a bit of '80s alternative into the vast challenging mix that is "It's Time To Decide."
A track like "Fabricated" focuses on melody and shows the rock side of At All Cost. A track like "Death To Distraction" shows how the band has learned the lessons taught by Killswitch Engage and Shadows Fall so well (i.e. mixing heavy riffs with a slick, payoff chorus). The instrumental "It Turns Black" reminded me of Candiria in the way that it completely took a left turn from the other songs on the disc. Many of the tracks reminded me of Haste ? a band I've been longing to hear more from. And there are huge doses of experimental angles everywhere you turn. To sum it up, At All Cost combine 'heavy' and 'beautiful' in a way not imagined until now.
"It's Time To Decide" is good for what it is - metalcore that attempts to smash through the genre's limited stylistic options into something that is just a bit larger than itself. One just might say At All Cost is metalcore as viewed through a kaleidoscope. "It's Time To Decide" is truly one of the nicest surprises of 2005.
At All Cost is Andrew Collins on vocals and keyboards, Mike Theobald and Trey Ramirez on guitars, Bobby Andrews on bass, and Grant Anderson on drums.
For more information visit http://www.atallfuckingcost.com/.
"It's
Time to Decide" (KOCH / Combat; 2005)
Reviewed by Snidermann
Just by their name, you can tell that At All Costs is heavy, hard and totally dedicated to the music they deliver. And you'd be right. "It's Time to Decide" is no nonsense, in your face rock'n'roll ... and that's both good and bad.
Sometimes the raging but one-dimensional vocals get in the way of the musical presentation here, grinding a bit on the nerves. If you can beyond that, however, you can see the original talent that this band exudes. In addition, the range of emotions emitted here is very impressive for such an extreme band.
The more I listen to "It's Time to Decide," the more I like it. I think I'll go spin it again right now. Obviously, those intense vocals are something that's not so difficult go get used to.
Not only does this band rock, they also have a very web domain name: www.atallfuckingcost.com. You got to love that.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright ? 2005 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights
reserved.
Revised: 01 Jul 2024 12:10:24 -0400.
