Give Us Extinction
Setting aural fires amidst the ruins
dB rating: 8/10
Release Date: August 11, 2017
Label: Organized Crime
We’re creeping up on the 20th anniversary of All Out War’s For Those Who Were Crucified, the 1998 sophomore full-length on which the Newburgh, New York, quintet at last gained a measure of control over its luminous, evocative rage—“Their first gig in 1991 started a near-riot,” the band’s old bio at former label Victory reads, “and they were banned from the club”—and summoned forth a collection that essentially deconstructed and condensed Ride the Lightning and South of Heaven riffs and grooves, crammed them into the van for a not-so-leisurely ride through the Lower East Side of the Cro-Mags and Warzone, then dragged the forever-mutated bits and pieces back to the practice space to form the foundation of landmark metalcore jams such as “Soaked in Torment,” “Burning Season” and “Redemption for the Innocent.”
Another standout track from that record, “Claim Your Innocence,” opens with the line, “Standing on the brink of extinction,” providing an interesting, obvious connection to Give Us Extinction—not only the first All Out War full-length in seven years, but also one that features the Crucified-era lineup initially reunited for This Is Hardcore Fest 2013. Building on the stellar 2015 Dying Gods EP, Give Us Extinction finds the legendary outfit considerably less interested in utilizing this powerful (re)incarnation to reclaim glory days than it is in brutally, relentlessly raising the stakes, expanding its crossover palette and just generally building a deadlier, more intricate metallic hardcore beast. The record feels like something created by a collective of artisans who persevered long enough to achieve a level of technical and philosophical mastery over their craft that allows them to channel rather than strain. All Out War has always been consistent. On Give Us Extinction, the band feels revolutionary again. —Shawn Macomber
This review taken from the September 2017 issue. Give Us Extinction is available on CD and vinyl from Organized Crime.
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