Got these on opposite sides of town on different weeks, but since it's the same guitarists and drummer on both albums, they get a combined writeup.
All Out War - Condemned to Suffer (2003) (Cost: $2.00) (This CD is for trade)
This is extremely thrashy for something so hardcore-influenced released post-'80s. The guitarwork is obviously very Slayer-influenced, with the faster songs (especially opener "Straight Towards Extinction") having a definite Reign in Blood vibe to the guitars, and I still hear some Seasons in the Abyss influence when they're slower. It's funny, because this reminds me of when I first heard Integrity (I read them being touted somewhere as "the Slayer of the hardcore scene") and thought their Slayer influence was relatively mild. I was expecting something more like this!
It's kind of a pain to try to classify this accurately in a succinct way, both because of modern genre-naming conventions as well as where it sits on the spectrum of metal/HC intersection. It seems insulting to just call it metalcore and lump it in with bands that often have tiny amounts of metal influence. Metallic hardcore is perhaps technically correct in a literal sense, but it's a bit too modern sounding, and doesn't share that many deep characteristics with the older bands associated with the genre. Even though they're still a bit awkward, I think hardcore/thrash or thrashy metalcore are better descriptors.
Considering their thrashiness, I was a little surprised how contemporary a lot of the HC influence in their overall sound is, particularly the breakdowns. Yeah, there are some classic NYHC aspects to their sound, but it mostly comes out in very superficial ways like crew vocals and mosh riffs. The vocals, while not total aggro, are more of a forced screamy style. Even though they make sense stylistically, I'm personally not a fan, and would have much rather heard these songs with more typical crossover or thrash vocals.
This is one of the better post-'80s fusions of hardcore and metal I've heard, and the sheer intensity and ferocity of the music help to carry it quite a bit. But especially with the vocals, I'd be unlikely to pick this instead of just listening to a thrash band.
Nerve Gas Tragedy - No Tomorrow (2006) (Cost: $1.49)
So this is the band a couple of All Out War members formed when they briefly broke up (coincidentally, not too long after the above album). There's still some residual hardcore influence here, but it's been scaled way, way back. The dominant influence here is now death metal, mostly of the melodic variety, but there's enough hardcore and thrash in the mix here that it never feels like they've totally committed to melodeath. The thrashiness in the music also feels a lot more generic and is nowhere near as blatantly Slayer-influenced. I was disappointed that they try their hand at a doomdeath part towards the end of "Die Fighting," and pull it off very well, but then there's nothing else like that on the rest of the album. On the plus side, I do prefer the vocalist here, who is more on the extreme metal side and feels less tedious to listen to.
Ultimately, I found both albums to be lacking. I wish more of the Slayer influences and speed from Condemned to Suffer had been incorporated into Nerve Gas Tragedy, since it feels more derivative and far less powerful. But I do like that they shed some of All Out War's hardcore influences. But just as cheapo CDs, they're okay.
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