Sweden's pretty well known for always putting out fast music. Evil death metal, heavy grindcore and brutal crust and d-beat. Nasum was definitely one of the best bands to come from this country and their debut full length album, "Inhale/Exhale" is proof of that. Nasum's sound was very fast and very death metal and d-beat influenced. They blended the signature Swedish death metal riffs with the speed and agility of d-beat bands like Discharge.
"Inhale/Exhale" is an incredibly fast, heavy and insane album. It's also one of the first albums to have that signature Scandinavian grindcore sound. That heavy, groovy, fast and punk as fuck sound made famous by Nasum and Finland's Rotten Sound. That signature sound still remains strong in the Scandinavian grind scene nowadays with great bands like Coldworker and Gadget.
The guitars on the album have a very fast, death metal sound to them but there is absolutely no doubt that this is a grindcore album, with the extreme use of d-beat tempos and hardcore punk riffs. The solos are also very influenced by those of the old school Swedish death metal tyrants like Entombed and Dismember. The drums are a lot of fast blast beats but there's also of use of d-beats in the drumming as well. There is a lot of groove on this album that adds to the music. It's the kind of groove that is just perfect for a good mosh pit.
Unfortunately, the band came to an end when Mieszko Talarczyk (vocals & guitars) was a victim of the 2004 Tsunami disaster in Thailand. The band declared that it would be quits on May 26th, 2005. Although, Nasum have stated that they will be playing shows and festivals all over the world in 2012 in celebration of their (would be) 20 year anniversary. So if you like fast, groovy, brutal, punk as fuck grindcore, then you should listen to Nasum. Get prepared to have your shit blasted to bits.
Highlights
"The Masked Face"
"Time to Act!"
"When Science Fails"
Final Rating
Awesome [8.7/10]
