While the first album (Bless The Earth With Fire) by the sludgy metal quintet Allfather aggressively raged against the injustices in the world, their second album, And All Will Be Desolation (Rotting Throne) shows a different take on the political landscape that is not often present in music: whereas most political music will call for, and show the fight against the power in a positive light – rise up and not think about the negatives of the movement – And All Will Be Desolation reflects on the sombre side of fighting against injustices across the globe.
Don’t think for one minute, though, that this gives off the impression that this heavy Metal band are just going to step aside due to these heavy odds as And All Will Be Desolation is about rising and fighting for a better world until the very end despite these issues. Whereas some bands who preach these politically charged messages can seem to be phony, Allfather presents their message in a brilliantly raw and honest way that shows they’re passionate about the messages they preach.
The band themselves match the intensity of the themes of the album perfectly with heavy, grinding breakdowns and with elements taken from Hardcore, Sludge and Groove metal all combined perfectly to create a maelstrom of noise that perfect to head-bang to, and to create pits to, regardless of the setting. The opening track, ‘Black Triangle’ begins with an eerie single guitar riff that gives way to chaos as the rest of the band join in. The final song on the album, ‘Lampedusa’, stands out too as a strong closer for the album, standing at twelve minutes long, letting the band rage, not letting up till the very end, with vocal influences from Pantera and other notable Groove Metal bands shining throughout.
Whilst it may sound cliché and corny to say, Allfather shred hard from start to finish and would be a worthwhile addition to the Bloodstock family of bands. While the band isn’t reinventing the wheel when it comes to the genre, their passion and proficiency see them through.
7.0/10
CHARLIE HILL