Intrinsic
Nails
Release Date : 16 October 2015
Divebomb Records
Review by Jeremy Edwards
As soon as you press play on this album you will be brought back to the late 80’s and early 90’s. You will be instantly reminded of ‘Maiden, Slayer and Metallica. You would be safe to assume that all these bands were very strong influences on Intrinsic.
The thing is, Intrinsic formed in 1984 and Nails was their third album, originally recorded between 1991-1992. It wasn’t released because it somehow didn’t stack up to the sound the industry was after at the time. It’s not so much that they were influenced, it’s that they were producing the sound of that era individually.
The album sounds better today than it would have if released in the early 90’s, due to the fact that the original master had degraded badly so a new mix was made from preserved session reels and was re-mastered to its current, glorious sound.
Nails ticks all the boxes of early metal: wailing ‘Dickenson-esque’ vocals, galloping rhythm guitar, lightning double-kick and dive bombs aplenty. For lovers of this period of metal, every song is a treat. There sure hasn’t been any other 25 year old albums released this year!