Friday, June 10, 2016

Nervosa : "Agony"



This trio of female thrashers hit it pretty hard. Possessing a feral snarl not unlike that of Toxic Holocaust's which would have descended from Exodus and Nuclear Assualt. Some of the punches are very well placed and this is fast and furious just like it was back in the day but with a venomous twist that takes the hatefulness of black metal and fuses it with Kreator. They take on a more Slayer like heaviness on "Deception" even bordering on death metal. The bulk of their songs fall just under the four minute mark, with the rapid paced "Intolerance Means War" saving the catchiest of its riffs for the chorus.It might be the production, but the patter of the double bass could stand to have more kick. The go for more speed on "Guerra Santa", being from Brazil I'm surprised that Sepultura is not more of an influence, instead I hear "Hell Awaits" era Slayer. The thumbprint of earlier 80s thrash can be felt on "Failed System". The vocal accents help form a groove. There is almost a wink towards "Reign in Blood" in some of the chugging here. The solos don't have the shredded chaos of a Kerry King.

While there is still some Slayer in there, I can hear more of who these girls are on "Hostages". The intro slows to more of "Seasons in the Abyss" speed, but they waste little time getting back into a more meth fueled speed. I would be good with no solos rather than hear tapping that sounds like high schooler. "Surrounded By Serpents" suffers a little from the production, but listening closer I can still hear the potential. This is some of the album's best drumming. The terrible bass tone at the beginning of "Cyber-War" ruins what would have been a good idea. But like the songs says every one has an opinion of every thing so maybe it's a great tone. There is a darker "South of Heaven" like intro to "Hypocrisy".  While it hit a cool almost moshy riff, attention to detail is not their forte. "Devastation" is almost more death metal if we are thinking maybe Obituary. More clicky bass plods into "Wayfarer" which has actual sung vocals. The chug is more powerful here and I am not sure why the more sung vocals did not crop up sooner. I'll give this album a 7, it has it's moments, the girls prove they can thrash with the best of them, now if the production could step it up.



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