Nails - You Will Never Be One of Us
Californian group produce engrossing and violent third album
Nails’ monstrously powerful style is impressive in its own right, but three albums on the wildly visceral energy of the Californian trio's sound is known, and needs something special to craft a truly great release.
Luckily, You Will Never Be One of Us is the culmination of Nails’ chaotic style. Whilst it’d be easy to label it as a grindcore release, doing so wouldn’t be a truthful representation of the whole picture. You Will Never Be One of Us also sees a thrash intensity melded with a crusty production to produce a relentless bedlam. This style is well-crafted, but don’t be fooled, Nails are still more chaotic than the average grindcore band.
Much of the release sees short bursts of fuzzy guitars played at horrifying speeds, with visceral breakdowns and a constant hum of menacing feedback. It is truly enthralling, with the indecipherable growls topping the intense package off with a bleak layer of unavoidable hopelessness.
Closer ‘They Come Crawling Back’ sees a shift in style, as one or two minute tracks are replaced by an eight-minute epic. This gives the track more room to assault the listener, as it holds slower sections of sinister and distorted noises. The track constantly steps up the intensity with brutal breakdowns until it eventually fades out, sending the album off with a trail of devastation and destruction in its wake.
9/10
