Nails give music another kick in the teeth.
Nails don’t tune the lowest or play the fastest, but I’ll be damned before I say they’re not the most brutal band in history. Combining Swedish death metal’s obsession with guitar tone, the unbridled adrenaline rush of grindcore and modern hardcore’s raging groove, the Oxnard based trio lets their powerviolence cocktail speak for itself. With venomously personal lyrics with an unhealthy dose of crew politics, no other band captures malicious hatred like Nails or hits harder while doing so.
After hitting their stride so strongly with 2010’s “Unsilent Death” and 2013’s “Abandon All Life,” Nails bring heightened rhythmic variation and streetwise grit to the mix. “You Will Never Be One of Us” maintains the inexorable ferocity of Nails while exhibiting the inspired songwriting that got them signed to Nuclear Blast.
The longest LP Nails has released, clocking in at over 21 minutes, “You Will Never Be One of Us” still wastes no time with pleasantries. Front man Todd Jones said that the only emotion he wants to express with this band is anger, and this album proves he and his bandmates will not slow down. Every single track on this album perfectly amalgamates of the most hateful elements of punk and metal. The fact Nails can still deliver fresh material from such an impenetrable template is almost incomprehensible, yet these 10 tracks provide extreme music yet another breath of fresh air from one of the scene’s finest acts.
“You Will Never Be One of Us” allows the Entombed-esque death metal undercurrents of the previous record to take a backseat in favor of a stripped down sound. Whether it be the unabashedly spiteful fury of “Parasite” or the multifaceted stylistic choices in “Savage Intolerance,” Nails makes good on their claim that they are a hardcore band with attention from the heavy metal community. The riffs are less creepy, and more conducive to crowd-killing. However, the impossibly massive guitar tone is still the star of the show. The riffs on this effort are incredible in their own right, but meticulously constructed low-end rumble and filthy distortion make them truly seismic.
Instead of beefing up the riffs, John Gianelli’s bass tone increases Jones’ tone clarity. There’s a reason Nails aren’t afraid of sounding generic while riding on the bottom string during the album’s last groove. Each chug is as murky as it is clear, and as vicious as it is bludgeoning. The most chaotic or colossal riffs sport undeniable clarity as Nails meld blinding speed (“In Pain”) and horrific sludge-fests (“They Come Crawling Back”). With this sonic weapon cocked and loaded, Nails decimate continents with a surprising array of arrangements.
“Made to Make You Fall” is one of three songs that use infectious 6/8 groove to complement a familiar stampede, preventing the style Nails perfected from stagnating while taking its third spin. Drummer Taylor Young adds more to his repertoire of blast beats and double-bass patterns, giving songs like “Into Quietus” the extra propulsion it needs to reach apex sonic punishment. This gives Jones and Gianelli more creative room without forcing them to sacrifice their uncompromising sound. All three musicians know how to play cohesively, making for a tight, straightforward, and hideously unhinged experience. Nails’ desire to build upon their style without changing it too much stands as a testament to their songwriting chops.
Nails continue to astound with their ability to do so much with so little. The 49-second “Friend to All” fits multiple feels into its runtime, while “Violence Is Forever” cleverly uses a conventional beatdown section to throw a curveball at listeners. This album never branches too far out too far, but has no problem maintaining the right amount of variety. While the title track and “Life Is a Death Sentence” hold closer to the mold introduced early in the band’s career, “You Will Never Be One of Us” transcends the pitfalls of its genre with sheer quality. Essentially, Nails have done it again. This is 21 minutes of powerviolence, grindcore, and hardcore simultaneously epitomized. If I haven't made myself clear already, “You Will Never Be One of Us” is the only record in any of those genres anyone needs to check out this summer.











