Hardcore Serenity: Goreshit's 'with all my heart.'

GORESHIT: WITH ALL MY HEART.

SCORE: 89/100 - 8.9

Longer songs, a more stripped, ambient format, and a complete shift in tone. These are the elements that make up goreshit's third full-length album, with more emotional and freeform songs that contain unique structures and a more laid back production style, this album feels like a glimpse into something much more mature and pure.

This album makes use of breaks that sound straight out of a video game soundtrack along with fast paced moments that are woven around softer scales and samples, and the sound of the album is a lot less full of clusters and harsh kicks when compared to his previous works, it's something much more raw that showcases different sounds in a growing palate, and it's an album where the form and sound are constantly being molded and shaped into their best potential through slow, steady growth and long track times that allow for each song to bloom. 

The sound of his previous albums wasn't lost with the introduction of this album, but this project acted as something different and much more unique, with something different on every song and a much more marketable sound, goreshit truly does feel like he is at a more mature and refined point in his life and career on 'with all my heart.' it still uses the same sense of sampling and breaks as his other albums, but he managed to change the format into something that is entirely new and unique for his discography. It's something that he took risks and changed for, something where he used a more freeform atmosphere to let his sound shine - and it worked wonders. Coming back from 'my love feels all wrong.', this album is similar in terms of appearance, but it's wildly mesmerizing to hear something this different from his previous work. It blends the faster paced elements and samples with less chopping and clipping, and everything is much more clearly laid out with a path and plan for each note. 

Despite this being one of the goreshit albums I go back to the least, it is one that I recognize the most. This album has always been a staple for me, and 'Look at Me Tenderly' is one of the most comprehensive goreshit songs in his entire catalogue - it blends every single element of his sound into one track, and it truly feels like the epitome of his style and sound as a producer. The aesthetic of this album is a lot more clean and approachable than some of his more "harsh" projects, and this project has what is without a doubt the most iconic cover in his discography.  

Even the harsher moments of this album come with ambience that make them feel much more serene and safe than his other work - it's something that provides a sense of warmth while still having chilling tones, and it's one of his projects that has the most feeling alongside his other more atmospheric work like 'gnb' (which has a similarly enchanting atmosphere) or 'loather' (which is dark, industrial and haunting). This is one of his projects that I would suggest without a doubt to people who have not heard any of his work, as it feels like something that reaches a much larger target audience within the electronic scene despite its outward appearance. It isn't the standardized harsh, noisy, "otaku" music of his previous two projects (as much as it may seem that way on the outside), it's something that blends drum and bass, breakcore, hardcore, and ambience all into one project. 

There is something so striking about hearing producers in their elements like this - it feels so free and relaxed while still having so many sounds at once, but nothing is mashed together; everything is neatly put together all while goreshit made it seem easy. It's an easy listen that is calming with how reassured and stable the project sounds, and everything fits together like pieces of a puzzle. There's no doubt that this is one of goreshit's most consistent and marketable projects, and it's something that even fans of genres outside of breakcore can appreciate with the drum and bass elements of this album especially. It's something where you can feel goreshit's true skill for his craft lighting up every track, and it's one of the most essential pieces of growth in his entire discography. 

No album has ever made such serene gabber music before.

Each song provides something new and enjoyable while everything still comes together in an organized and enjoyable fashion, and it's one of the most well-kept projects within goreshit's entire discography. It feels like one of the most introspective looks into his style and sound up to this point, and there are even songs in the later portion of this album that feel like tracks from his previous two albums, with 'Tsukasa Hardcore Recorder Hits 2008' being a particularly shocking outlier for the album - but it manages to feel right at home nesting between the other four tracks that came before it.

The album manages to have a sense of density while being highly freeing and without constraints, but it is still held together by pieces that keep the album an entire unit rather than just a collection of songs. It's more than just a fast-paced whiplash of songs, it's something that takes time to become fleshed out and "whole" by the end of the album, blending goreshit's different sounds and approaches to production into one project that is entirely jam-packed full of content throughout.

It's a lot less replayable than his other projects, but 'with all my heart.' makes up for this by being one of his best artistically. It showcases a side of his abilities as a producer that were not unveiled until this album was released, and it would go on to be a pattern he would continue with some of his more "relaxed" projects that explore genre shifts and various forms of exploration. There are moments on this album that cater to his audience and moments that reach out to a much wider audience - and it manages to be one of his most consistent albums while still being exceptionally versatile.