Nuclear Blast Records
Out Now
Words by Greg Walker
Nails are thoroughly savage. Actually, savage is an understatement: Nails are their own brand of next level hardcore crust punk infused with metallic moments, the three lead singles from new album Every Bridge Burning delivering exactly what you’re expecting to be subjected to, yet the sheer remorselessness of this material still manages to take you by surprise. It’s a thorough assault on mind and body, the album leaving you feeling battered by the end of the ten tracks’ extremely short runtime of less than 18 minutes.
A stop/start project unexpectedly based on internal chaos, the fact that Every Bridge Burning came together at all is a small miracle. Now helmed by sole original member Todd Jones, the vocalist + guitarist has forged ahead with an assemblage of like-minded partners in crime who have backed Jones in Nails’ mission to lay waste with the absolute barrage of tracks that make up Every Bridge Burning. Now a four-piece, Nails has proven to be even more formidable than ever before.
First single Imposing Will opens proceedings with a nice bouncy groove that is quickly steamrolled by classic Nails, pulverising the groove until it returns mid-song incorporated as a wicked breakdown. Followed up by the aptly titled Punishment Map, Every Bridge Burning has immediately set itself up as an uncompromising ordeal to be endured rather than enjoyed, although Punishment Map’s rhythmic driving outro is a tasty addition. These compositions are constantly fluctuating, a chaotic blend of outright speed and impossible weight with nuanced personality. Case in point is second single Give Me The Painkiller, a genius little widdly guitar tail a signature of the main riff is more melody than I’ve heard in Nails entire catalogue! But seriously, coupled with the uncharacteristic flashy guitar solo renders this track almost accessible, more traditional heavy metal in nature than anything else on this new album, which renders Give Me The Painkiller a standout.
Most recent single Lacking The Ability To Process Empathy is a brilliant title and at once declares the calculated intention behind Nails. There is no concern for the listener’s welfare, the unforgiving tumult instantly recognisable as a deliberate assault, right as the main crushing lumbering riff drives into your skull. Little reprieve can be expected, nor is it given in another standout track.
I Can’t Turn It Off is positively tripping over itself to maul you, with an opening riff that’s the sonic equivalent to a flurry of a prize-fighter’s punches about your temples. There’s a sweet little drum solo midway that leaks into a deep shuddering riff-driven breakdown that gets going as a mid-tempo chug before an Entombed-esque guitar solo sees us out. I Can’t Turn It Off betrays yet more traditional heavy metal traits twisted into Nails’ brand of grind and chunk, before No More Rivers To Cross trudges us out to a close with a slow boil number that at 3:14 is the longest track on the album. When the finality hits, there’s a distinct feeling you’ve just undergone a punishment, however I’m more than willing to hit replay immediately.
Every Bridge Burning is a calculated, well-structured, utterly uncompromising onslaught with very little room to breathe, like an aural waterboarding…but therein lies the attraction. Having said that, it’s not simply brutal for brutality’s sake; it’s also a clever blend, leaning more on hardcore, punk, and grind than relying solely on the speed of thrash or death, but injected with what I’d hesitantly call conventional metal details that fuse organically with the wholesale abrasive churn that Nails is famous for.
A groundbreaking noise ten years ago, Nails have found themselves a huge influence on many artists including Max Cavalera who himself championed the band whenever he could. Now Todd Jones and crew have backed themselves with an imposing effort that pushes their own ever-moving boundaries, and stands as a declaration of war for anyone thinking the band were done and dusted. Nails have verified beyond doubt that they steadfastly remain a benchmark of hate-filled torment, Every Bridge Burning an unequivocal mission statement in the face of a global music industry drowning in a cascading stream of overwhelming mediocrity.
