Band:	Generation Kill
Album:	We're All Gonna Die
Style:	Crossover thrash metal
Release date:	November 15, 2013
Guest review by:	omne metallum

01. Born To Serve
02. Prophets Of War
03. Death Comes Calling
04. Friendly Fire
05. Carny Love
06. Vegas
07. There Is No Hope
08. We're All Gonna Die

Generation Kill's second album We're Only Gonna Die is an album that subverts expectation; featuring ex members of both Exodus and M.O.D., you would think this album would be a crossover-inspired thrash attack. We're Only Gonna Die is an album that meanders for its duration, punctuated with a few moments of vim and vinegar; you realize you are left with the wrong end of a very long stick.

If you are a expecting a non-stop barrage of shredding and double bass drum-inspired thrash, then you should temper your expectations; while the album will cater to this taste, it is very much a minor flavor in the stew Generation Kill are serving up. "Born To Serve", "Friendly Fire" and "We're Only Gonna Die" will whet your appetite for more of the same, but except for parts of "Vegas" and "There Is No Hope" you're out of luck. It is like being served an excellent appetizer and then buttered bread for the main course.

Speaking of having the wrong end of the stick, Generation Kill love their airy atmospheric ambient passages, with five of the eight tracks containing a section that usually is several minutes long. While they are not inherently bad in and of themselves, they sound so similar to each other and do little to add to the songs. When done well, these passages create breathing space and allow the listener to drift in its sound but remain tethered to the song. On We're All Gonna Die, the band forget to tether you and so your attention drifts and disappears into whatever else is around you. "There Is No Hope" is the prime example of this; the song starts off kicking ass before entering into one these passages, and next thing you know, the next song has started and you realize four minutes of ambience passed without you noticing.

Thrash songs don't have to be flat out full speed hell raisers to get a rise out of me; there are plenty of slow to mid-paced tracks that I love, so when I say the fast songs on We're Only Gonna Die are the only decent songs on the album, it is not from a flat out dislike of songs that drop their tempos. Tracks like "Death Comes Calling" and "Carny Love" go nowhere fast and you find yourself looking for somewhere else to be. "Prophets Of War" combines the two elements; half the track is slow and brooding, before the tempo jumps and the thrash section of the song starts. So does that mean the second part of the song is decent? Unfortunately, no, while it tries to hold your attention, it's such generic thrash that it doesn't hold itself up, let alone prop up the first part of the song.

Alas, We're Only Gonna Die is an album that will pass you by as it plays itself out. While it swings its hooks in the hope of catching your ears, for the most part the band miss their target and the song meanders to its end.