Review by UnhinderedbyTalent for Nails - Abandon All Life (2013)
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.