Album Review: Allt - From The New World
Reviewed by Dan Barnes
With a name literally meaning ‘Everything’ in their native Swedish, Allt issue their debut album, From the New World, following the EPs Dark Waters and The Seeds of Self-Destruction. Beginning life as a studio-only project, Allt were coaxed onto stage by the lure of tours with Animals as Leaders and Bleed from Within which allowed the band to connect directly with audiences and gave their writing another dimension.
Deciding not to play it safe from the outset, Allt’s debut is a series of observations of the current state of the world and a potential future following a catastrophic event. The very nature of such an undertaking means From the New World is going to be an intense listen, as you’re faced with questions concerning existence, solipsism and the universal human condition.
A short introduction in the form of A Flash of Light starts things with what appears to be a taped confession, before the words are drowned by an explosion of sound. Remnant follows with the explosion still ringing in the ears and Allt start as they mean to go on.
Immediately, the listener is confronted by a barrage of dissonant sounds, all of which come at you fast and with no apparent warning: more musical explosions play against gentle passages, polyrhythmic drums lead ever-switching tempos and the vocal alternate between barks and ghostly whispers.
It’s part metalcore in the vein of Architects, with a developed sense of its metal credentials in the form of Parkway Drive, channelling their inner-Meshuggah while wearing an emotionally fragile post-hardcore heart on their collective sleeves. And that’s before Remant’s four minutes are over.
Memory of Light looks to the polyrhythms again, with sticksman, Adam Björk tying himself percussive knots, and guitarists Olle Nordström and Viktor Florman alternating between the aggressive and abrasive with the melancholy of a post metal interlude.
Both Aquila and The Orphan Breed have an Industrial feel to their opening salvos; the first taking a turn for a more natural as the guitars take on an oceanic hue, among Robin Malmgren’s multifaceted, polyglot vocal lines. The Orphan Breed goes the alternate route and descends into sharp dissonance to the point of become Noise.
Although seemingly overshadowed by his bandmates, bassist Samuel Mills takes charge of one of From the New World’s most interesting moments, Ephemeral. Tucked away toward the end of the album, this one leads with a piano opening into an up tempo metalcore progression. An interesting drum pattern and Sam’s shattering bass riff carry spastic guitars lines to reveal a flamboyant heart.
Echoes has something of a Sweet Dreams introduction, before showing itself to be a model of restraint right up until its climax, when it becomes some of the heaviest sounds on the album. Emanate show Allt don’t need to throw the kitchen sink at everything and are equally as effective when playing it (reasonably) straight. Though the addition of the choral element in the final minute of the song compliments the overall apocalyptic feel of this one.
From the New World is a big album covering a huge subject and is highly ambitious for a debut. With a three date UK tour early next month it’ll be interesting to see the way the new material mixes in with the more established catalogue. Having seen the band a couple of times last year – at RADAR Festival and opening for Animals as Leaders – Allt do not need an excuse to be devastatingly heavy; it seems to be programmed into their DNA.
