From the moment I laid eyes on the album artwork for the new All Are To Return EP, I knew exactly the kind of twisted trip into oblivion that was bound for my ears. The seemingly infinite matrix of metal portrayed on the cover is enough to make me feel claustrophobic and confined; I want to make it clear that I am not a claustrophobe as to better paint the picture on how bleak this artwork is. Turns out I was right; music and art like this doesn’t discriminate, as it will make anyone’s skin crawl and instill this inner feeling of immense terror that you cannot shake, no matter how much you fight it. This new EP, All Are To Return II, is set to release via Tartarus Records on November 26 and you can get a glimpse into this fleeting descent into madness via an Everything Is Noise exclusive premiere of “De Profundis”!
There isn’t too much to say about All Are To Return as they are a mysterious duo. The mere fact that they are an enigma is pretty much all that is known about who they are. Regarding their music, they’ve only put out one EP so far, their self-titled, and are due to release another one later this month as mentioned earlier. This group has a penchant for blending the bleakest sounding synths with cavernous industrial-doom walls of sound. I don’t know if there is an official standard on oppressive music, but this is it right here.
When you usually hear synths in music, it is almost always done in such a way to make you feel warm and cozy, yet the synths that All Are To Return incorporate into their music, as heard on “De Profundis”, feel cold and full of anguish. The shrieks that swirl in and out of the background are what I imagine the deep, subconscious cognitive dissonance of a heavily tortured mind to be like. As the song progresses and the percussion and guitars come in, the song just gets heavier and heavier, but not in the sense that metal music is referred to as heavy. The staticky effect only gets more intense the further into the song you go, all while the purposely discordant guitar lines create the musical equivalent of nails on a chalkboard. All of these small details come together to create this horrific musical concoction.
Although incredibly minimalistic overall, this song makes me feel like my face is being held down against and dragged across rough concrete, yet I’m completely numb to the pain. I know that my face is getting torn apart but it doesn’t phase me one bit; I feel absolutely nothing and that is comforting and equally petrifying in itself. All Are To Return make some really unsettling music and “De Profundis” is evidence that this unique duo aren’t ones to screw with. All Are To Return II drops on November 26, so give them a follow on their Bandcamp page or pre-order the EP as these are the only ways it seems to follow this off-the-grid group.
