Thrash Metal Hardcore Project - 2023

I'm guessing you're here because you clicked the link on my YouTube video for song 10, or maybe you stumbled across my site. Either way.... welcome! Thank you for checking out my blog about my Thrash Metal Hardcore music project (I need to come up with a proper name for it!)

This project started this past winter when I showed song three to my friend and writing partner when I was in All Out War, Jim Antonelli. He liked the song, and we even thought about writing some music together. My talk with Jim got me motivated to record the song and some other ones I'd written. 

The other source was Rick Rubin's new book, The Creative Act. Reading his book really inspired me to go forth with this project. Great book.

The music is informed by a lot of bands I love.

Song 1

This was a recent one I wrote. It has a quick Quicksand style, fused with Black Sabbath!

 

Song 2

One of my favorites. I channeled a lot of Slayer into this one. I also love the band Forced Entry from Seattle. If you like old school Thrash, definitely check them out.

 

Song 3

This one seemed to have resonated the most with listeners, and the one I got the most response. I wrote it a couple of years ago during lock down. It's a straight up hardcore song, with a little bit of Helmet at the end.

Song 4

The first section and the fast riff were written about 10 or 12 years ago but never came together. I couldn't come up with a transition into the fast section. One day I was listening to Power Trip's "Soul Sacrifice" from Nightmare Logic. That's when I came up with the bridge for the second half of the song. I added a few new riffs and the song was complete.

Song 5

Just a straight up double bass, metal song. The last section was informed by Dissolve. They are incredible hardcore band from the Hudson Valley. 

 

Song 6

This is a recent one. It has a little bit of Nuclear Assault fused with Cro-Mags.

 

Song 7

The "slow one" as I call it. It just all came together with this tune. I wanted to write something in the style of Typo-O-Negative and Black Sabbath. I was very happy with it. I was glad to see this one had a good response.

Song 8

The first two riffs were written about three years ago. Again, I didn't have a bridge for the next section. Then I was listening to "Piece by Piece" by Slayer - that gave me the idea. This one got a nice response as well.

 

Song 9

I wrote this a long time ago. It's definitely old school hardcore in the vein of Sick of it All and Rest in Pieces. 

 

Song 10

The hardest one for me to play and to record. It has elements of Tool, Slayer, Alice in Chains, and Faith No More. This is probably one of my favorites as well. 

Recording and Video process

I recorded all the song using Garageband. I interfaced the bass and guitar through a Scarlet Focusrite.

The drums were recorded on AKAI. Then I had to play along with the drum track when I recorded the videos. Personally, if I had the ability to mic my drums, I would have played the drums a little different for each songs. But I am happy with what I could do with the AKAI. 

I plan to release the songs for streaming. But I have to come up with a band name - and also a name for each song. Thanks for checking out my blog and my music. 

 

All Out War - Sum of All Fears - 1992 Demo Release - Hardcore

Its been almost twenty years since I left All Out War.  Out of nowhere, I found out that a small record label called Organized Crime Records re-released AOW's first album "Truth in the Age of Lies."  And, to my surprise, our first demo "Sum of All Fears," recorded in the summer of 1992, is included with the re-release as bonus tracks.  Also available is a very cool limited 10 inch record of the demo.

All Out War was influenced by both hardcore and thrash bands of the 1980s.  Back then, fusing these musical styles was something quite new, which only a hand full bands attempted. My memories of recording "Sum of All Fears" was hot, sweaty, and brutal.  A garage converted into a studio in Garfield, NJ, all five us packed inside and everything had to happen in one shot.  No digital machines for us!  If you made a mistake, missed a cue...start over.   My only regret was that we did not record the original version of "Witness The End."   We had other songs written during that period as well, including an aborted "Sum of All Fears" which we played a few times in the Hudson Valley in 1992.  One memorable show was at a pizzeria in a mall in Wappingers Falls that booked local bands at night...that's upstate, NY for ya! I also posted some video clips on YouTube from a show we played in Albany, NY in 1993 - sorry for the sound quality.

"Destined to Burn," "Struggle Within," "Fall From Grace," "Stuck Inside," and "Day of Judgement," these five songs are the roots of All Out War. The only one to go through significant changes was "Stuck Inside." I can only speak to this period of time since I had the left the band at the end of the summer of 1993. And there isn't really much I can add to what Mike already wrote on the sleeve for the 10 inch.  One thing I can state is that I believe that our identity was solidified in the extremely slow and grinding riff in "Destined to Burn" that opens the demo.  Hardcore bands often started with fast riffs, we took a different road that is still being explored by the band twenty years later....