All Shall Perish Hate, Malice, Revenge CD

This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.
All Shall Perish: Caysen (vocals, guitar); Craig Betit (vocals); Beniko Orum (guitar); Mike Tiner (bass instrument); Matt Kuykendall (drums).
Originally released in 2003 by tiny Japanese label Amputated Vein, All Shall Perish's debut effort Hate, Malice, Revenge would be given a worldwide reissue almost two years later by metal superpower Nuclear Blast. This vote of confidence, as well as the group constantly in-demand as touring partners by the likes of Brujeria, Krisiun, and even hardcore heroes Agnostic Front, would seem like undeniable points in their favor; but it's not immediately evident why this is so upon first listen to this eight-track effort. Sure, the Oakland natives' performance chops are absolutely top-notch and boast a furiously speedy, hyper-technical death metal style reminiscent of, but perhaps a little more digestible even, than that of established East Coast giants like Suffocation and Immolation. But if there's anything actually helping All Shall Perish sound more original and unique, it's the instances when they chuck the aforementioned bands' severely low-tuned and often-times nearly atonal tech-death onslaught, and launch into startlingly musical passages more reminiscent of new wave of American metal stars like Lamb of God and Shadows Fall. The effects of this are akin to the exhaling of stale breath, and help the tracks in question (namely "Laid to Rest," the Amon Amarth-like "Sever the Memory," and "Never Ending War") greatly reinvigorate the album's occasionally flagging momentum. The memorable, doom-slow riff winding down "The Spreading Disease" helps as well, but the collective sum of Hate, Malice, Revenge's parts add up to only a sturdy, interesting, and promising first effort -- not a full scale classic of the death metal genre. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia