Originally released in 2003 by tiny Japanese label
Amputated Vein,
All Shall Perish's debut effort
Hate, Malice, Revenge would be given a worldwide reissue almost two years later by
metal superpower
Nuclear Blast. This vote of confidence, as well as the group constantly in-demand as touring partners by the likes of
Brujeria,
Krisiun, and even
hardcore heroes
Agnostic Front, would seem like undeniable points in their favor; but it's not immediately evident why this is so upon first listen to this eight-track effort. Sure, the Oakland natives' performance chops are absolutely top-notch and boast a furiously speedy, hyper-technical
death metal style reminiscent of, but perhaps a little more digestible even, than that of established East Coast giants like
Suffocation and
Immolation. But if there's anything actually helping
All Shall Perish sound more original and unique, it's the instances when they chuck the aforementioned bands' severely low-tuned and often-times nearly atonal tech-
death onslaught, and launch into startlingly musical passages more reminiscent of new wave of American
metal stars like
Lamb of God and
Shadows Fall. The effects of this are akin to the exhaling of stale breath, and help the tracks in question (namely
"Laid to Rest," the
Amon Amarth-like
"Sever the Memory," and
"Never Ending War") greatly reinvigorate the album's occasionally flagging momentum. The memorable,
doom-slow riff winding down
"The Spreading Disease" helps as well, but the collective sum of
Hate, Malice, Revenge's parts add up to only a sturdy, interesting, and promising first effort -- not a full scale classic of the
death metal genre. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia
![Beggars Banquet [50th Anniversary Edition]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0018771850229_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Beggars Banquet [50th Anniversary Edition]")
