ALLHELLUJA

Pain is the Game

Scarlet

8 / 10

Track listing:

01. Are You Ready? (Ready for Your Massacre)
02. Superhero Motherfucker Superman
03. Hey J
04. I'm Not the One
05. Demons Town
06. Soul Man
07. Big Money, Sweet Money
08. Devil, Me, Myself and I
09. Hell on Earth
10. King of Pain
11. Amen

ALLHELLUJA is a band that you need to know about. The late 2006 follow-up to 2005's "Inferno Museum" debut is an explosion of dirty, rock 'n' roll infused metal and hot-shit grooves called "Pain is the Game". Vocalist Jacob Bredahl (HATESPHERE),bassist Roberto Gelli, drummer/co-founder Stefano Longhi (Scarlet Records),and guitarist/co-founder Massimo Gajer give the metal world a much-needed kick in the ass by cranking up the volume (and attitude) and rockin' the fuck out. Snippets of the filthy metal boogie of acts like MOTÖRHEAD, a pinch of ENTOMBED locomotive stomp, and a variety of stoner-tinged and southern fried metal bands make "Pain is the Gain" one hell of a party.

Even beyond the catchy songwriting and somewhere-left-of-sane lyrics is a purity of delivery, a deservedly cocky demeanor, and a smack in the mouth to all who claim to be saviors of the rock. And it doesn't mean that "Pain is the Game" is somehow groundbreaking; it's just an honest ball-buster of an album. Bredahl struts and swaggers all over this thing, his staccato vocal attack on the rollicking "Superhero Motherfucker Superman" and "Big Money, Sweet Money" enough to get even the most stoic fan moving and breaking shit. Whether it is a straight-ahead rocker like album opener "Are You Ready? (Ready for your Massacre)", the knuckle-busting charge of "The King of Pain", or the nasty soul-burn of "Soul Man" (complete with one of the album's most psychotic lyrical tirades),ALLHELLUJA hits it and quits it, leaving everyone in the vicinity drenched in sweat and bleeding from the ears.

A collection of hot licks that benefit from a mix that doesn't smooth out the edges and that periodically ride the stoner rock edge (e.g. "The Devil, Me, Myself and I") complement a rhythm section that is taut and rugged. As far as finding the right sound for ALLHELLUJA, the boys have nailed it.

Far too many of these faux retro-rock and 'core bands are missing the point about what it means to kick ass with a purpose, a passion, and a fifth of rot gut whiskey. Here's to letting it all hang out and then collapsing in a pool of your own vomit, ALLHELLUJA-style!

Author:

Prev More Reviews Next

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).