Are you a fan of pummeling hardcore and southern metal? Then All At Sea are the band for you. Emerging from the North East, this band creates a intense sound with heavy riffs influenced by Malevolence to Rage Against the Machine. As well as embarking on a mini-tour in July, the band are making an impact having recently supported Skindred in Middlesbrough. On new EP Systemised, these riffs are used to devastating effect, but lyrically it leaves a lot to be desired.
It’s clear on hearing Systemised that All At Sea specialize on creating nasty, downtuned bangers which are built for the moshpit, giving off a furious aggressive feel. This is evident on ‘Business of Faith’ and ‘Life Value’, which are equally pulsating and energetic. They possess bags of groove and gnarly grit, while the relentless vocal delivery demonstrates the anger in Jack Tyreman’s voice, adding some raw passion into the band’s sound.
However the lyrics feel cliché and dull, such as on ‘Gimme the Mic’. The structure of the chorus is again brilliant; it’s infectious and will get stuck in your head for weeks. The beatdown section is powerful enough to break someone’s face. The lyrics on the other hand don’t add much to the music and it feels childish: “You can have your degree, you can have your family / But that’s not for me / Just gimme the mic”. Despite this, Systemised is the type of EP which you can blast at full volume. On ‘Business of Faith’, there is a riff heavily reminiscent of southern metal, showing a fresh approach to hardcore. It’s moments like this which show that All at Sea are well worth your time.
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Words by Ermis Madikopoulos