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If you ever catch yourself wondering what the apocalypse might sound like then you might be interested to know that someone else has also shared your thoughts and gone about recording it. Melbourne doom duo All Of The Dirt All At Once’s new album Rock Friends is the stuff of pure desolation and carnage in all the best ways.
Not the sort of sound you would expect to be trance-like and hypnotic, All Of The Dirt All At Once is the ultimate in alternative and drone metal.
Sparse but full sounding, with loads of repetition and distortion at paces that allow you to enjoy what you are listening to, this is one of the most interesting new sounds you are likely to hear in Australian music.
Another band that demonstrate the endless possibilities of sound, this amazing duo squeeze every last decibel out of themselves in this incredible LP. This is achieved by pumping their guitar through a bass octave pedal that gives this music the power to turn unsuspecting venues into dungeon labyrinths of unbridled, uninhibited chaos.
Coupled with the cymbal heavy crisp snare sounds and excellent filling on the bass drum, All Of The Dirt All At Once create walls of uncompromising, suffocating and enveloping sound that taps in to and releases some of your most primal energy.
Heavier and perhaps less experimental than their first album, Rock Friends still holds true to the alternative metal sound that made their self titled debut so invigorating. The first two tracks, which include the single named Fuck The Ocean, are quite high tempo and laden with hallmarks of more classic grungy metal that came out of the 90’s with bands like the immortal Metallica.
The third track, Twin Heaps, is where you start to realize the immense skill and versatility of this powerful duo. Slowing right down and stripping back a bit, this droning track is the ultimate in the desolate realm of alternative metal. Probably the perfect mix between a drone band like Earth and an earlier Metallica, Twin Heaps is the sort of track that gives your neck nightmares. Trying not to air drum to this track is near impossible.
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After setting the tone, All Of The Dirt All At Once delve off into new territory with each new song. The title track Rock Friends has qualities of stadium metal to only explode in to a period of detuned noise that’s loosely organized claustrophobia, delivered in a dark, thick wall of sound.
Another track that merits special attention is Mars On Earth, which plays off sparse single notes against a powerful, droning repetitive thud, producing what could only be considered among the highest echelon of alternative metal tracks.
Songs like this bridge more technical metal, where appreciation is derived from the pace and skill of the instrumental, with the more musically dense metal, that allows for more consideration of tonal qualities and the mood created by piece.
Finishing up with the dark and sprawling Nathaniel, you find yourself feeling emotionally and spiritually heightened once this albums reaches it’s end. Such is it’s dark, emotive and constantly addictive energy.
We can only imagine that a spot at an All Of The Dirt All At Once show could be one of the hottest tickets you could get your hands on in Australia right now. Rock Friends is a truly remarkable record from a band whose incredible range and versatility in what could at face value be considered a limited genre, may see them go down as one of the finest metal groups Australia has ever produced.
Even if you don’t necessarily like metal, this record is so undeniable that it could see a reluctant listener develop not only an appreciation but also an appetite for this very specific craft. Demonic, destructive and intended to be listened to loud, All Of The Dirt All At Once’s Rock Friends is all the noise, complexity and craftsmanship your ears and mind could desire.
