The blistering assault on our nervous system known as Nails seemingly vanished off the map, but now, after eight years, they have re-emerged with Every Bridge Burning.
As excited as I am for new material, I had to do a double take—10 tracks? Fine. But then I saw the overall running time of the album and immediately knew this ride was going to be anything but pretty.
With an album where no track is longer than 3:14, Nails waste no time in unleashing absolute carnage that runs through its entirety with no time to breathe. It’s abundantly clear that the band remains a beacon of rebellion, starting with the razor-sharp opener “Imposing Will,” blistering through “Punishment Map,” and the title track “Every Bridge Burning.”
Although each track is short and swift in delivery, “Give Me The Painkiller” manages to incorporate some eye-watering technicality, adding depth to this deluge of desecration. This is followed by what is sure to become a live favourite, “Lacking the Ability to Process Empathy.”
The second half of the album is very much a rinse, repeat, and obliterate affair, with particular highlights like “I Can’t Turn it Off” and “No More Rivers to Cross” building high anticipation for the band’s upcoming appearance at Damnation Festival, complete with some traditional OSDM elements thrown in for good measure.
Founder Todd Jones explains, “We wanted it to have the effect of urgency; an immediacy in the music itself. When you push play, you get smacked in the face.”
A swirling cacophony of chaos.
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Every Bridge Burning is released 30th August.
Header image by Hristo Shindov
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