All Hell : "All Hail the Night"

 I guess 2023 is the year of thrashing black n roll. The punk element of their sound almost dominates the metal side of what they do , this is what sets them much more closely in the sonic spectrum of thrash., Along with the fact that this album is really not that dark.    The positive side of this is the songs are all around the three minute mark.  "Neon Babylon" might be the hookiest of these songs. The third song ends up sounding like the first song with more piss and vinegar in it's veins. At times this comes across like a less metal and more punk version of Kreator or Possessed. The vocals stay at more of a snarl, than a growl or scream. 

You could argue that this kind of black metal is not my thing, I as prefer my black metal more atmosphere and darker, but you would be forgetting the fact that Goatwhore is one of my favorite bands and they without a doubt do this sort of thing better. Some might cry that it is not fair to hold a band to the stand I hold Goatwhore to. If you are then comparing this to Goatwhore's first album "the Eclipse of Ages into Black" and Goatwhore, still pretty much slays these guys as they are more committed to the black metal elements in play. 

"Breaker' feels sillier than the occult poppycock that prevails the lyrics , as no one is going to believe the skinny little guys are going to rip out anyone's fucking spine. "Devilwolf" almost touches on a more Watain like sound. I will give this album an 8, because they do manage to write some hooky tunes, despite not really being all that original and just sticking to the one mode of dynamics. At least they know what they are good at and stick to it. I guess we will see where these kids from Asheville go from here.Fans of bands like Midnight and Devil Master take note.