Reviews list for Nailbomb - Point Blank (1994)

It's been decades since I've heard "Point Blank" but I've got to admit that it's delivered exactly what I remembered it being capable of in that it's a decent listen but isn't one that commands much in the way of return listens, despite presenting some clear potential. The tracklisting kicks off in very strong fashion with the opening two songs being amongst the highlights of the album but the remainder of the run time is a little hit & miss to be honest, even though there's only the one track in the proper tracklisting that I consider to be a genuine failure in the flat industrial piece "Shit Pinata". There's a fair bit of variation on offer, despite Nailbomb being predominantly an industrial metal band. The thrash metal component isn't really enough for a primary tag & I'd suggest that there's much more crossover thrash than there is your more conventional thrash metal anyway. You'll also pick up some clear groove metal & sludge metal influences along with some smatterings of martial industrial & conventional industrial music along the way for a result that sounds very much like a combination of Sepultura's "Chaos AD" & Ministry's "Psalm 69" with smatterings of Fudge Tunnel's "Hate Songs in E Minor" tossed in for good measure. It's just that "Point Blank" never quite reaches the heights of those records which is the real shame. Don't get me wrong. It's by no means a bad record but it does struggle to command the attention it once seemed to receive with very little effort these days.

Industrial metal is not a genre that you would expect all metalheads to enjoy. Many of them often get turned away by the excessive amount of keyboards, riff repetition, and drum machinery that all leave no space for any guitar solos. I only just started loving industrial metal a couple years ago, and being the open-minded person I am, I've taken a dive into this brief side-project by Max Cavalera of Sepultura and Alex Newport of Fudge Tunnel. 6 months after Chaos AD came the sole Nailbomb album Point Blank. The sound is an underrated blend of industrial groove with F***ING HARD THRASH!!! The aggressive riffing will definitely remind some of Sepultura's pre-Chaos AD albums!

Cavalera continues to display his political side, and I know some people aren't into politics. I'm not either, but I am familiar with it through the more hardcore bands I've listened to out there, and it fits well for the thrash madness. Although this industrial sound stands nicely between Skrew and Ministry at that time, the riffing is more varied than those two bands. All in the name of deathly thrash!

Right from the start, "Wasting Away" blasts through speedy riffing and Max's signature growls, "Carve your rights into your arm so that they don't get taken away". HOLY SH*T, that's the kind of raging hate you would expect from Arise. It has made me positive that the album is filled with more anger than I've ever heard before. Also great in the instrumentation is "Vai Toma no Cú" (Go Take It in the A**). Then "24 Hour Bullsh*t" continues blending Sepultura's thrash with the industrial metal of Godflesh. Same with "Guerrillas" which is another one of my favorites here.

"Blind and Lost" is a shorter song of energetic hardcore with a message of "F*** mentality". Electro-infused "Sum of Your Achievements" is pretty worthless. "Cockroaches" stands out as another favorite, having some of the highest quality here. "For F***'s Sake" continues the well-done industrial thrash mix. Absolutely fantastic instrumentation!

"World of Sh*t" brings out more of the industrial experimentation of O.L.D. at that time. The vocals in their cover of "Exploitation" by hardcore band Doom come out as weak, though the instrumentation continues to rage on. The punky attitude is maintained lyrically in "Religious Cancer". Screamed rants about church and religion flow through dark industrial metal. "Sh*t Pinata" does nothing for me at all. "Sick Life" has the last bit of industrial metal for me to enjoy. 10 minutes of silence lead to an awesome hidden jam.

In between the extremeness of Sepultura and the mainstream of Soulfly is an album full of f***ing aggressive riffing and a sh*t-load of killer industrial. You can't deny how much this Nailbomb album can kick a**....

Favorites: "Wasting Away", "Guerillas", "Cockroaches", "For F***'s Sake", "Religious Cancer", "Sick Life" (including hidden track)

Side projects can be hit and miss in my experience and Max Cavalera and Alex Newport's punky, industrial, thrash effort from 1994 lands in the "miss" section for me.  As much as I enjoy the thrashy elements on this record I don't think they are a million miles away from Sepultura output for the time and so don't really bring anything new to the table for my money.  By contrast the punky songs work a tad better but aren't particularly unique or that overly authentic so just come off as Max and Alex pissing about in the studio.

There isn't much direction here overall and I get that this was probably a deliberate thing but in the end the record just sounds thrown together.  I mean the attempt to break up the pace that is Sum of your Achievements just feels like it is in there for the hell of it.  The next track after it Cockroaches feels disjointed and poorly structured which makes the middle section of the album the part where I start to switch off.

For all the angst-riddled attitude on display here it doesn't come off as leaving me with an overall feeling of anger or rage being expressed, more a sense of bewilderment and confusion if I am honest.  I mean, yes my foot gets stomping to For Fuck's Sake but only for the brief occasions that it actually gets going.  The rest of the time I am looking at the screen wondering what the fuck is going on?

It soon becomes too formulaic and I just find myself skipping more tracks than I listen to as I get bored waiting for things to get going.  Not one of Max's best moments.

Entertaining industrial thrash metal project that's worth checking out.

Point Blank is one of those forgotten albums that never fails to bring a smile or two when it crosses my path. Being a side project of Fudge Tunnel frontman Alex Newport and Sepultura front man Max Cavalera (with guest appearances by Igor Cavalera, Andreas Kisser, Dino Cazares and more), Point Blank was always going to be an interesting proposition. Taking influence from both member's musical backgrounds, Nailbomb produce world issue themed thrash metal with a high dose of punk and industrial metal injected into proceedings.

The album is very bass driven and the drum sound is crunchy and powerful. There really isn't much shredding guitar work going on and for the most part the tracks are slow yet intense. My personal preferences have never really included hardcore punk style music and so I must admit that the punkier sections on offer don't entirely float my boat. But the more thrashy and industrial tinged tracks (such as Wasting Away, Guerillas, Sum of Your Achievements and For Fuck's Sake) are thoroughly entertaining and make Nailbomb a nice enough project that fans of industrial metal (a thrashier Ministry comes to mind) should check out.