May 2023 - Feature Release - The Horde Edition

So just like that we find that a new month is upon us which of course means that we’ll be nominating a brand new monthly feature release for each clan. This essentially means that we’re asking you to rate, review & discuss our chosen features for no other reason than because we enjoy the process & banter. We’re really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on our chosen releases so don’t be shy.

This month’s feature release for The Horde has been nominated by myself. It's 2013's classic "Abandon All Life" sophomore album from Californian grindcore legends Nails which just so happens to be my favourite grindcore record of all time. Prepare to have your body turned inside out for 17 minutes guys!

https://metal.academy/releases/2533

Jesus. Fucking. Christ. Where has this record been all my life? There are many injustices littered throughout my time listening to metal, some that border on downright criminal in terms of neglecting true gems of the various sub-genres that branched out from that original trunk back in the day. No amount of pleading for clemency should permit me any leniency in my punishment for not listening to a Nails record in full before this week. What a waste of time the last ten years now feels knowing that this is my first encounter with this incendiary record of punishing, grinding malevolence that contains some of the finest passages of modern grindcore I have ever had the pleasure of listening to.

Grindcore is not supposed to be played this well, or produced so expertly but this record achieves a level of professionalism previously unseen or unheard of in the sub-genre. This is outstandingly produced music that within the maelstrom of raging violence manages to give each part of the instrumentation space to not just breathe but to actually thrive. This accentuates the power in the performances brilliantly. You feel the brevity of the intent here and the whole swarm of mauling aggression that pounds the listener over and over again carries a concision to it that just makes you sit up and take notice - how can anyone ignore what Nails have to say here? This is not just simply a collection of angsty songs, spat with no intent other than to clear the chest cavities of the artists from the hatred, disdain and vitriol that they possess. Abandon All Life is much more than that. This is an invitation to be polluted by the unwavering and steadfast reverence for all that society holds dear and the artist holding the smoking gun is an absolute master of bottling this primitive rage and then letting it explode over anyone in earshot.

The control on the release is just as astonishing, never once does this fall into the territory of just being a messy noise and the fact that two of the strongest tracks are sludge-ridden affairs that show the band do not just need breakneck pace to hammer home their message, they are perfectly capable of mixing the content up and torturing us with a slower tempo here and there to cap a truly wonderful experience.

P.s. Metal Archives only list Nails on the basis of You Will Never Be One of Us, not this record also - wtf?

5/5

Metal Archives only list Nails on the basis of You Will Never Be One of Us, not this record also - wtf?

Quoted UnhinderedbyTalent

This is nothing unusual for Metal Archives which is inherently flawed in its approach. How bands like Converge, System Of A Down, Bring Me The Horizon & The Contortionist are deemed to be not metal enough to qualify for the site but Deep Purple, Scorpions & Rush are is anyone's guess. Even Meshuggah were only "accepted into the Metal Archives based on their material up to and including Contradictions Collapse."

Converge, System of a Down, Bring Me The Horizon, and The Contortionist deemed not metal enough... Meshuggah only accepted based on Contradictions Collapse... If we include Deathstars and Rammstein being deemed not worthy for Metal Archives, it seems like most of my clans would practically be non-existent there. A good reason why I prefer to stay in a more inclusive site such as here in Metal Academy.

Metal Archives only list Nails on the basis of You Will Never Be One of Us, not this record also - wtf?

Quoted UnhinderedbyTalent

This is nothing unusual for Metal Archives which is inherently flawed in its approach. How bands like Converge, System Of A Down, Bring Me The Horizon & The Contortionist are deemed to be not metal enough to qualify for the site but Deep Purple, Scorpions & Rush are is anyone's guess. Even Meshuggah were only "accepted into the Metal Archives based on their material up to and including Contradictions Collapse."

Metal Archives are the very definition of gatekeepers. It is ludicrous that albums like Toxicity, Jane Doe, The Battle of Los Angeles and Mutter can't be listed, or (love them or hate them) bands like Slipknot and Korn, but 70's rock bands who don't play metal at all can. I think they harm their own credibility with this approach, especially their "It's our website, fuck off if you don't like it" attitude.

A nasty little burst of abrasive and aggressive grindcore that will give your ear'oles a good pummelling with most of it's ten tracks. It isn't exactly relentless, however as the two longest tracks are delivered at a more considered pace, but it is generally speaking an exercise in nothing less than aural violence. There is blasting aplenty and drummer Taylor Young is given a pretty intense workout, but luckily he seems more than up to the task. The guitar tone is brilliant, aided I believe by Kurt Ballou of Converge who was producer on "Abandon All Life", and maintains a terrific clarity despite it's thick crunchy sound.

The two slower tracks, that is " Wide Open Wound" and closer "Suum Cuique" are, unsurprisingly I suppose, the ones that appeal to me most, as they deliver more on the atmosphere front with looming, menacing riffs rather than just trying to blow your balls off! I guess grindcore records have to be taken as an overall package and the adrenaline-fuelling effect of the majority of the genre's output is the main thing as most of the songs display only minor differences in a lot of cases, and that is the case with some of the faster material here, but those slower tracks do give the listener a foothold into the tracklisting and "Suum Cuique" is actually a very effective, slower and brooding end to the record.

Where it loses marks for me, in what has become a bit of a theme with this month's features, is the vocal department. I prefer grindcore with a vocalist whose vocals are a bit more OSDM sounding like Barney Greenway or Terrorizer's Oscar Garcia and although Todd Jones doesn't actually hit "shouty toddler" level, he still sounds a bit metalcore-ish for my taste. The vocals aren't bad enough to be a deal breaker, though, and on the whole I did enjoy this a lot, it's variation in pacing and generally excellent instrumentation being huge plusses.

4/5