NAILS - Every Bridge Burning
August 26, 2024, 3 months ago
(Nuclear Blast)
Man, back in 2016, Nails dropped You Will Never Be One Of Us, a massive release of power violence/hardcore/grind that managed to make people think Nails were either the band of the year or somehow totally insufferable; now, a lifetime later, they've finally followed that killer release up with Every Bridge Burning.
The band start out their fourth full-length strong, opener “Imposing Will” spitting fury fast and furious, Kurt Ballou's production once again perfect for the job, the feedback drenching what sounds like blackened Relapse grind filtered through a His Hero Is Gone sensibility, the chaos leading into “Punishment Map”, a brisk and upbeat HC toe-tapper that destroys for one minute before the title track comes in with a speedy sludge onslaught, an awesome opening trio of tunes.
“Give Me The Painkiller”'s triumphant guitar solo (!) seals the deal before the double-bass run takes it home; “Lacking The Ability To Process Empathy” is a relatively epic 2:03 middle-album monster; “I Can't Turn It Off”'s massive groove and songwriting skills do not go unnoticed; “No More Rivers To Cross” ends it with a NOLA drawl and crowbar to the face.
The chorus of the last album's title track has been stuck in my head for eight years, and while there's nothing quite as memorable here, “memorable” isn't really the point with music this cathartic and real, Nails once again, uh, nailing it with this perfect little slab of extremity done right.
