Review Summary: "The one above all, the end of all that is" shows a band realizing the vast possibilities of what their sound can accomplish, even if it's just over 30 minutes
Taking a band seriously, we all know what it means but it is usually hard to put into words as to what it means. So I will go along with this review assuming you know what it means to take a band seriously and to not take a band seriously. The reason I open this can of seriousness worms is because I find my self teetering on whether I should take a hardcore band seriously most of the time. A simple example of this that most would be able to recognize would be Converge, they can have very heartfelt songs that I feel I need to sit down and take "seriously" but for the most part they write songs that make me just want to get up and headband to my hearts content and not think too much about anything else within the music.
Curl Up and Die have been within the same situation as bands such as converge with their older content and to be quite honest, it didn't quite sit right with me. Their first album "Unfortunately we're not Robots" was mostly just full of well performed but relatively monotonous hard hitting music with one "serious" song sitting very misplaced in the middle of it all known as "You'd be Cuter if I Shot You in the Face". Because of the pointless lengthiness, and where it was in the album, I could not listen to it easily while listening to the entire album because it did not mix well with the rest of the material that was there and it's a shame because it was a good song but they had no idea at that time how to incorporate ideas like that into the abrasive sound they had rolling along in the album.
Three years later though after a couple of EPs where they have not only strengthened their hardcore sound but have experimented with their more slow paced and experimental side. They have finally come to a point where they can incorporate the more serious and slower paced aspects into their music and have it flow well with the hardcore side of it. In other words they have grown up.
The album starts off with this more slow paced and rounded out side of them with "An Uncomfortable Routine" then jumps straight into their hardcore side with "Antidepressants are Depressing" with ease and the entire album rolls in and out of not just those two aspects but with everything in between from the powerful simplicity of "instrumental" and "There is never enough time to do nothing" to the abrasive straight forward hardcore sound that is "Ultra Carb Diet Carpooling Stupid F***ing Life" and "There Ain't No Can't in American" ending all of with "Blood Mosh Hips Hair Lips Pills F*** Death" which surprisingly mixes all these elements together very well and hints to a great future that unfortunately was never there. They made it very clear here that they have given much thought not only to how their songs can be written but how an album can be structured and because of that, they have made what is probably one of the most unique and well done in the entire genre of hardcore.
Curl up and Die have shown here that they have something that many bands lack nowadays which is the ability to delve into your sound and find what makes it strong in the first place and hone in on it in as many ways as possible. So if you ever have the chance pick this up, do so because it is definitely worth the ride.
