Young Love

 Hailing from the town of Ukiah, CA , a small speck of about 14,000 off of the 101, All Teeth brings the sounds of the boonies to hardcore with their newest release, “Young Love.” This dark culmination of everything gone wrong, released on Panic records, runs rampant with themes of loss, anxiety and depression. Recorded by Scott Goodrich at Imperial Studios and mastered by Jay Maas, this release shows All Teeth’s musicianship and originality as it shines through a prism of despair that shoots off into the listeners mind, invoking the darkest of emotions inside all of us.

Chock full of local cameos such as Juan Gabe (Comadre), Sammy Winston (Grace Alley), Cody Sullivan (Sabertooth Zombie) and Ross Farrar( Ceremony) and even Jay Maas of Defeater fame, All Teeth shows that they are an integral part of the local scene and are quickly rising to the top. One of the best thing about these cameos is the fact that complete creative control was left up to the guest vocalist on all tracks but the last two, “Long Nights” and “Disposable Me.” Spoken word recitals performed by Winston can be heard throughout the album and act as preludes to certain songs, enforcing the feeling of despair and loneliness in the listeners mind. 

It seems as if since the departure of ex-vocalist Jake Cash, the band has done some major streamlining. Cash’s vocals often were unoriginal, abrasive in contrast to current vocalist David Kellings throaty rasp of a scream and frankly would be better suited in a band geared more toward the metallic side of hardcore. Compared to I Am Losing, their 2009 release put out through High Fidelity records, the band has managed to strip away unneeded components of the machine and readjust the remaining gears to produce a borderline hardcore masterpiece. 

Musically All Teeth comes off as a culmination of American Nightmare, Suicide File, Blacklisted, Bane and even evoke elements of the almighty Converge. Creating chaotic riffs and pounding rhythms that are as dangerous and reckless as a runaway train full of ex-cons. In between these moments of chaos and destruction are progressions that focus heavily on dynamics, stop-start rhythms and slow groovy marches. At the conclusion of “Oh Disposable Me” the band ends the album by cutting away from a chaotic headbanger into a section that brings to mind a death march of lost souls. With drummer James Rogers dancing on the ride symbol, he conducts the rest of the band into a symphony of woahs, floating guitars, and borderline suicidal vocals leaving the listener to wonder, “Who’s this man I’ve grown to be?”

A major stand out on the album is the second track “Caller I.D” with its infectious rhythms kicking in after the conclusion of an intro that coerces the listener to eagerly anticipate the rest of the song. A series of softly accented floor toms slowly build up to their heaviest moments, then cease and repeat as an open ended guitar riff is continuously played in the distance. Once the song begins the listener is entranced as Kelling's vocals dance between the drums and guitars. Halfway through the song the guitars cut in and out as bass player Mike Fenton keeps the the party going by encouraging every kid in the crowd to stage dive simultaneously through his downbeat bass line. 

All Teeth brings something truly fresh and new to the hardcore round table and all the knights are listening. It is one of the few albums that a listener can quite literally feel the intensity and energy of the bands live show flow through their ears. If you don’t believe me simply listen to the quasi-reggae jam at the end of “Goodbye Faye Dolan.” Combine this with an outstanding show of musicianship and artistic sensibility and you have one of the best hardcore albums released this year. In the words of Kelling “I’ve never heard a sad song I didn’t like.” Too true Dave. 

Rating: 4.3/5