Genre: Hardcore/Crust
Label: Southern Lord
Date of Release: March 19, 2013
CRUSHING CRUST METAL
When it comes to creating a phenomenally destructive metal
or hardcore record, this process, believe it or not, requires some caution. If
overdone, the end product becomes incredibly tedious and boringly noisy. Thankfully,
plenty of bands such as Trap Them and Gaza have managed to curtail this
potential flaw by inserting dynamicity into their raw hardcore onslaughts.
Oxnard, California group Nails is no exception from this realm of musical strength.
Since forming in 2007, the band has been storming the metal scene with some of
the punchiest hardcore soundtracks listeners will ever have the pleasure of
being pummeled into the ground by. 2009 saw the release of “Obscene Humanity,”
which unveiled much potential for the band and had them signed to Southern Lord
Records, which also houses acts such as Sunn O))) and Wolves In The Throne
Room. Afterwards, when Nails released their second full-length “Unsilent Death”
in 2010, they have proven to have evolved and became a threatening force to be
reckoned with. The same can also be said for the band’s third record entitled “Abandon
All Life,” released in 2013, which truly unleashes the feral noise that Nails
has been aiming for years.
In regards to the musicianship, the instrumentation is
rather simple. However, the manner in which it is showcased in “Abandon All
Life” is just spectacularly done. The vocals demonstrate pure aggression, rage,
and raw energy with the violent bellows, roars, and screams. They also sound
somewhat half faded compared to the rest of the music, which emphasizes the
album’s haunting tone and thus makes them very enjoyable to have tearing your
ears to shreds. The guitars are also excellently done, boasting crude, buzzsaw
riffs that roam across differing tones of genres, such as sludge metal, crust, grindcore,
and even hints of doom metal. Although the riffs themselves are a tad simple, this
type of versatility creates a nice, large canvas of musical diversity, which
helps in making this record appeal to everyone, rendering the guitar work as
another great highlight. The percussion is another large standout, because they
are so well-produced and sound incredibly potent. They are not that complex,
but this makes only makes way for a very bold and pummeling sound. When it
comes down to both the musicianship, the simplicities work great because of the
sound from the production and the unwavering energy put into the instrumentation.
In “Abandon All Life,” the musicianship is just powerful.
Like in the band’s previous efforts, the majority of “Abandon
All Life” is composed of the catastrophic and brutal fusion between hardcore,
crust, and hints of sludge. However, this time around, the music is even more
abrasive than before, and it is truly some of the most destructive hardcore
anyone will ever have the pleasure of shattering their skulls to. The great
musicianship and production collaborate to create a great, apocalyptic
soundtrack that could get a mosh pit boiling within mere seconds. One aspect of
this album that truly helps in Nails stomping on skyscrapers is what has always
helped the band achieve this goal: The track lengths. Each song lasts no more than
two minutes, except for the last track “Suum Cuique,” which carries out its
audio assault in about five minutes. This allows each song to leave a great
mark, because the destruction that “Abandon All Life” hands out to its audience
is therefore concentrated through briefer-lasting tracks. Another very
essential point that ups the album’s enjoyment is how well the musicianship is
showcased. They all play their part in an incredibly brutal manner, and the end
result is an unrelenting and unkind specimen of crust-hardcore. In what Nails
had always done best in their preceding releases, this album sees a great step
forward in captivating its audience in a skull-crushing manner.
However, that is not to say that “Abandon All Life” is just raw,
rapid-blast hardcore throughout. When the album isn’t breathing fire with this
side of the coin, it also bears slower yet still very tumultuous passages. In a
way, they associate with the sluggishly devastating tracks that the sludge-doom
metal genre often displays, with a somewhat mournful tone to them. The fact
that they lurk around the territory of the passages found in the amalgamations
of sludge and doom metal works to the album’s advantage, because this gives it
a sense of genre diversity. It results in “Abandon All Life” becoming a great
piece to the collections of not just hardcore and crust fans, but also for the followers
of the said genre. The album is as versatile as it is violent and unforgiving, making
it all the more memorable and compelling of a listen. Another boost that these
passages give the record is that it underlines the more destructive and feral
side of the band’s hardcore onslaught, also granting it dynamicity as well as
diversity. Nails made the right choice in including these segments in this
ravaging masterpiece, working to the advantage of the album’s sound.
After releasing a duo of great records, “Abandon All Life”
has proven to be the group’s truly crowning achievement. The elements of this
record are played upon incredibly well, with excellent musicianship, great
dynamicity, and most importantly, rapturous hardcore. Nails is clearly growing
into one of the great masters of the crust-hardcore genre, with dark and harsh
tones that violently invigorate its audience, as well as hold some technical
value, such as the album’s sense of diversity. Sludge metal, crust, doom metal,
hardcore, and grindcore seamlessly blend together to generate one of the
sickest and cruelest records ever to set fire to the metal scene. Even with “Unsilent
Death” setting the bar very high for a sequel, this album surpasses the latter
release with the possession of even more raw energy and rage than ever before. Metal
and hardcore fans in search of some of the most twisted and vehement records to
ever see the light of day are highly recommended to give this album a spin. With
“Abandon All Life” being such a versatile, dark, and explosively strong effort, it’s safe
to say that Nails has truly progressed in their dark craft.
Score: 9.5/10 (Excellent+)