Nuclear Death - Bride of Insect [1990]

You know that whole "Don't judge a book by its cover" cliche? Well, if you were to judge this album by its cover back in 1990 before we had the benefit of the internet (and Metal-Archives), would you take these guys seriously? That cover is extremely cheesy (I mean that in a good way) and is a perfect reflection of Nuclear Death's music. The songs on "Bride of Insect" are all pretty similar and if you're a fan of grindcore and/or the more bestial black metal bands like Conqueror, Bestial Warlust, Von, etc, then this album should be a fun one. 

There isn't anything out of the ordinary here, just 12 songs that were made to break necks and shatter skulls. The riffs here, for the most part, are relatively incoherent as they're masked by the insane drumming, but when the drummer isn't taking his ADD-riddled rage out on his kit, riffs like the sweet one in "Necrobestiality" and the one at the beginning of "Stygian Tranquility" show that Nuclear Death is capable of weaving in some catchy riffs in between the absolute chaos of the rest of the music. Lori Bravo's vocal performance is a definite highlight here, as he sounds like a cross between Sean Killian and Don Doty (Two of the craziest vocalists that define that over the top sound) only a lot more aggressive and at times just downright vicious. The bass playing is also top-notch as it is audible during the moments of the music that isn't being berated with blast beats, and provides some nice fills. 

As I said before, every song here pretty much follows the same patterns and they all mesh together to make "Bride of Insect" a highly enjoyable listen, though the track "Fetal Lament: Homesick" does serve as the outlier of the album as it conjures up a sinister feel with its chilling clean intro and darker riffs later on. Overall, any fan of grindcore or just all around spastic and crazy music should have no problem welcoming Nuclear Death and their horrifically tacky artwork into their collection. 

Highlights

"Necrobestiality"

"Stygian Tranquility"

"Fetal Lament: Homesick"

Final Rating

Awesome [8.6/10]

Terrorizer - World Downfall [1989]

The thrash genre can only get so heavy or so brutal before it completely evolved into something entirely different. The German bands were pushing the limits with their spastic approach to the genre, and then there are the proto-death metal bands, but there were also those crazy bunch of punks in the UK who really loved their hardcore punk, but much like the thrash acts, they needed something more extreme. Terrorizer, took the early grindcore sounds from across the ocean and injected a dose of thrash intensity, as well as some minor death metal attributes which resulted in one of the most influential grind albums ever in "World Downfall."

To make an entirely accurate comparison of this album, I would call this record the grind equivalent of "Reign in Blood." Clocking in at just a little over 36 minutes with 16 tracks, this album is a shot, no make that a few shots of adrenaline to the listener. "World Downfall" doesn't let up whatsoever, and it's because of that this album retains such a great replay value. Despite every song sounding rather similar with the same pattern of midpaced riffs that could break even George "Corpsegrinder's" tree-trunk of a neck and some highly thrashy riffs pushed to the limit by Sandoval's intense and relentless drumming, every song is memorable and manages to stand out. It doesn't matter if they're songs like "Storm of Stress" or "Injustice" that last just a little more than a minute, they're just as effective as tracks like "After World Obliteration" or "Dead Shall Rise" that make it past the three minute mark. 

Garcia's vocals on this record are great and they mesh perfectly with the music, even when the songs are reaching tempos beyond comprehension thanks to Sandoval, whose drumming is another highlight of "World Downfall." His blasts are very tight and precise, but his double bass work during more midpaced moments is also top notch. Bassist David Vincent is no slouch either, and the bassline for the intro of "Fear of Napalm" is one of the catchiest I've ever heard, although it helps that the song is one of the greatest tracks ever recorded. 

I find it impossible to criticize this album, as it doesn't ever get old or overstay it's welcome. "World Downfall" is the perfect album for those that are new to, or want to give grindcore a chance as it is definitely the pinnacle of the entire genre and can only be rivaled by Repulsion's masterpiece "Horrified," but that discussion is for another day. 

Highlights

"Fear of Napalm"

"Corporation Pull-In"

"Dead Shall Rise"

Final Rating

Ripped to Shreds... [10/10]

DVC - Descendant Upheaval [1989]

These guys are true pioneers. Not only did they release one of the first albums to be considered a death metal release (more on that later), but they were incorporating famous movies into their "gimmick," long before all those bands with names like "Nazgul" and "Amon Amarth" started popping up. Yes, DVC is indeed an acronym that translates to "Darth Vader's Church," and if he did go to church and they were playing music like the songs found on "Descendant Upheaval," I might actually be inclined to visit the holy grounds. 

"Descendant Upheaval" is considered to be a death metal album, but why? Where are the evil sounding death metal tremolo passages? Where are the blast beats? Sure, the vocals sound like they could be fronting a death metal band, but they also sound like they could be commanding some random grindcore act, basically resembling a cross between Oscar Garcia (Terrorizer) and Karl Willetts (Bolt Thrower). This album definitely treads along the same waters that Bolt Thrower's "In Battle There Is No Law" did, taking heavy influence from the thrash bands of the 80's and throwing in some punk. Instead of placing emphasis on heaviness and capturing an evil sound, DVC just onslaughts you with catchy riffs that will get your headbanging. The opening riffs in "Embalmed In Stone" are absolutely brilliant and wouldn't sound out of place whatsoever on an album like "World Downfall." 

Another instance where the "Grindcore" sound is clear is the inclusion of the bass. The bass sound can be heard pretty easily and it gets plenty of opportunities to shine on its own ("Southside Dirthead" and "Licentious Abandon") and get your head bobbing along. The drums are pretty fast, but the need to add blast beats never occurs with DVC and the need isn't necessary either. Another thing to mention is that the drums always have some kind of cool little fill or added nuance to the music which is always a positive. 

So, is "Descendant Upheaval" a pure death metal album? No, not in this writer's opinion. There are certain instances where death metal trademarks can be found, but it almost seemed like something foreign to the band. The attempts to incorporate a slower or doomy sound on the intro to "Eve Angel" don't sound as awesome as they do with other bands at the time (Autopsy and Obituary in particular) and the intro to "Bow of Mortis" is nice, but not nearly convincing enough to declare DVC's debut full-length a death metal album.

This isn't the greatest metal album that you haven't heard of, but it's definitely worth checking out, especially if you're a fan of grindcore or early primitive death metal. On a closing note, make sure you don't skip the intro track "Cranium Overture," unless of course you are a freak and don't like Star Wars. 

Highlights

"Mourning Sun"

"Embalmed in Stone"

"Descendant Upheaval"

Final Rating

Awesome [8.5/10]

Nuclear Tribunal - Attack of the Salami-Smokers from Venus [1998]

This release sounds like thrash, grind and death metal all got together and spawned the not so perfect child. Nuclear Tribunal aren't the most known band on the block and there's fairly good reason for that. This isn't the greatest album in exsistence, but the eye catching artwork and the humour on the album alone make it pretty great and worth reviewing. I really do enjoy this album a lot but I could picture someone hearing this and asking themselves why they're listening to this garbage. "Attack of the Salami-Smokers from Venus" is definitely interesting enough to look into further.

The music on the album is pretty simple deathgrind played at a mid to slower pace which does pick up often enough to create a hammering assault. The drums are mainly blast beats and just a lot of use of the high hats and snare. The bass on the album is unfortunately not very audible (I'd be surprised if you could hear it at all) and the guitars are pretty straight forward with the music. The tone is more of a crunchy thrash tone than a grindcore or death metal tone but the tempos are definitely those that you would find in death metal or grindcore. The vocals are honestly, the worst part of the album, in my opinion. The production or whatever was done to them makes it sound like the vocalist is trying to perform underwater.

I bought this album off of Amazon for about four dollars (including shipping and handling) just because of the artwork. It was a random purchase that I'm not disappointed about at all. It's a fun album and I enjoy the music enough as uninspired and simple as it is.

Highlights

"Nuclear Tribunal (Hate Their Audience)"

"WW III"

"I Came to Shoot Your Dicks Off"

Final Rating

Mediocre [7.0/10]

Nasum - Inhale/Exhale [1998]

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]