AT ALL COST WILL DRINK YOUR BLOOD…
… or at the very least all of your beer. At least that’s what they did on Friday night at Duff’s and assorted other metal spots around this most un-metal of cities we call New York. Nevertheless, your MetalSucks editors got over our hangovers on Saturday morning afternoon and drove out to the farthest reaches of New Jersey to watch the mighty Austinites who call themselves At All Cost tear 50 or so 16-year-old kids a collective new asshole.
To say that this show resembled a high school prom would be an understatement. Of the 100 or so kids initially in attendance only a small handful were actually fans of the bands; the rest of the crowd was populated by kids who came to the show because it seemed like the cool thing to do and girls who came along with their boyfriends. What’s worse, much of the crowd left before the fury that is At All Cost even began, but not before lead singer / keyboardist Andrew Collins let them have it, directly calling out and ripping into an obnoxious fucker who was texting on his cell phone during the first song and then proceeded to leave (kids these days…).
It mattered not. In front of 5, 50, or 500 people (I’ve now witnessed all three) At All Cost bring the exact same energy, fury and passion to the stage. They immediately blew the other bands out of the water in musicianship, stage presence, and [insert category here]. A subpar PA system and lack of a real stage didn’t deter the band from rocking the fuck out; drummer Jon Oswald played so hard he broke his double-kick pedal. Guitarists Trey Ramirez and Michael Carrigan Throeald complimented each other well, playing in perfect lockstep when necessary and diverging into Swedish harmonies and neo-classical shredding when appropriate. Bassist Bobby Andrews is one of the more solid bassists I’ve seen in a metal band in years, playing with a ferocity and precision rarely seen in the metal world. Collins was literally uncontainable on the stage, frequently running into the audience in fits of epileptic rage.
The fact that At All Cost write great songs through and through doesn’t hurt either. Their new disc Circle of Demons which will see a July 31 release is both catchy AND creative, a tough balance to strike [my good friend Axl will be reviewing the CD in the coming days]. This awesomely tight band has a very, very bright future. Let’s hope Century does a good job getting these boys the national attention they deserve.
Metal fans in the upper and lower Midwest can catch At All Cost on tour in July. Check their MySpace page for dates.
-VN
[Visit At All Cost on MySpace]
