For those looking for the next great underground metal band, look no further than one of the best metallic states in America. Asheville, North Carolina’s own, All Hell, are about to rise from relative obscurity with their sophomore record, the very impressive The Red Sect. The band’s blackened thrash sound differs from many of the more well known groups in the style (Skeletonwitch, Toxic Holocaust) by really going all-in on a blackened atmosphere and sonic backbone. While many “blackened” bands just offer some blast beats and shrieked vocals, All Hell sounds downright evil, but if this is evil, I don’t really want to be good. By mixing up tempos and riff patterns, songs on The Red Sect are varied and have a unique personality, despite sounding similar. Some of that goes to the old-school Swedish death metal/crust tone, which adds yet another layer of filth to the proceedings. Believe it or not, All Hell’s sound is highly melodic despite appearances and past descriptions. These North Carolinans know how to rock, and The Red Sect succeeds in large part because it doesn’t get bogged down by its own filth. The album is tons of fun, and that can be attributed to a punk backbone (going really old-school with the black metal, eh?) that gives these songs an energetic feel throughout. What really takes the album over the top, despite some minor flaws, is that despite their influences, All Hell’s sound is unique. Sure, you’ll hear pieces that remind you of different bands, but how many bands do you know that combine hard rock, crust, thrash, black metal, deathrock, and hardcore? If it sounds ridiculous, you can understand why All Hell are so impressive. (Nicholas Senior)
