I can’t remember exactly where or when I first stumbled upon All Hell, but something tells me it was thanks to the now defunct Gimme Radio app (rest in power) while in college. I discovered many bands via that app, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss it to this day. Nothing could soothe the burn of a long day of mind-numbing lectures like being treated to tuneage from the likes of Necrot, Celtic Frost, and of course, the mighty Priest. Equally as memorable were the curveball deep tracks thrown in to keep us on our toes (Eternal hails to Dean Rispler for turning me on to the Dictators’ “The Minnesota Strip”!). Point being, Gimme Radio was a killer outlet and is missed to this day.
Considering my musical taste at that point in life, All Hell fit the bill in every way imaginable. They were fast, raw, filthy, and evil. In other words, they were everything you’d want in a blackened thrash act. You could also rely on them to drop new music roughly every other year, making them consistent. And then, after the release of 2019’s The Witch’s Grail, they disappeared without a trace. It was a bummer, no doubt, but time marched on, and there were no shortage of other celebrated blackened thrash/speed acts to fill the void: Hellripper, Bütcher, Wraith, and so forth.
Then, like a former romantic partner wanting to give it one more go-around after years of estrangement, All Hell slid their way into my DMs, not with a “You up?” text, but a stream of their long-awaited fifth album, Sunsetter. And just as I’ve changed in the years since I last heard from All Hell, the same can be said for them. Whereas past releases were crust-ridden outbursts of blackened thrash, Sunsetter is a much more black metal proper release, musically and atmospherically speaking. This shift is signified by songs like “Exiled into Nod”, “Dominus Sanguis, Domina Nox”, and “The Flood and the Death”, all of which are acceptable, but don’t drive the devilry on home like past fare.
Thankfully, Sunsetter is supported by a cavalcade of rotten black ‘n’ rollers, which is something else this band did very well in their heyday. Those Motörhead and Venom albums must’ve been in heavy rotation during this album’s writing sessions. Whether it be the unholy hard rock of the title track and “The Ancients Rise”, filth infused mania of “The Violent Brood”, or goth tinged drama of “Behold the Night”, All Hell’s message is simple, and that’s you can’t kill black ‘n’ roll! Ironically, however, my choice cut on here is the one that sounds straight off their past output, “Sacrifice to Shadow”, and I’d be lying if I didn’t wish for more blackened thrashing on a future release.
All things considered, All Hell have dropped quite a ripper of an album after such a prolonged absence. Sunsetter is a beast unto itself, expanding upon the fury that fueled the band’s ’10s canon, and setting the stage for hopefully more demonic metalpunk madness in the future. Please guys, don’t ghost us for another half decade like you did last time around! We promise we’re here for this new era as much as we were for All Hell Mk. 1!
6 out of 10
Label: Terminus Hate City Records
Genre: Black ‘n’ Roll
For fans of: Midnight, Bewitcher, Bathory