Album Review: Nervosa - Agony

Nervosa
Agony
(Naplam Records)

INTOLERANCE. MEANS. WAAAAAAAAAAAAR!!! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRHRHHOOOOH!
Woah. Nervosa slays. I was just about to get a cup of coffee before I threw this on, but I think their new album Agony has served a better purpose by pepping me up with a South American export that may surpass kawa beans; of course the export I speak of is death thrash.

Nervosa are among the best thrash metal bands you’ll find. As my New Noise Magazine comrade Nicholas Senior once said of High On Fire, “This isn’t tofu metal. This is 200 lb pig roast metal.” Could your appetite possibly be more enticed by anything than three thrash metal women burning a pig somewhere in Brazil? Hold that thought for a moment before we carry on.

Oh man those riffs… They’re crushing the divine. Each track sounds like an anti-matter bomb going off in my room. Not only are Nervosa spewing killer crunching metal rhythms, but they’re delivering the goods with lyrics that deal some serious spite to the injustice of our world. Corruption and violence are about as synonymous with Brazil as Christ The Redeemer and soccer are, and that frantic environment may have been a wicked inspiration on this album. That’s just a guess. For real though, the apocalypse seems to be happening everywhere these days, and Nervosa’s lyrics can apply to a lot of experiences anywhere on Earth.

Agony is going to take several listens to appreciate. It’s a gem that sounds like it has been dug up from beneath the remains of 1989 – and from Beneath The Remains. If nothing else, Prika Amaral’s ear slicing solos and the heavy metal thunder foot of drummer Pitchu Ferraz are going to utterly shock the lethargy out of you, but then there’s something special in vocalist and bass player Fernanda Lira. This is not a fantasy. Fernanda is real.

After decimating my ear drums with destructive thrash for forty seven minutes, the lovely ladies of Nervosa drop the bomb with an incredible bluesy track called “Wayfarer,” and the vocal solo at the very end comes from beyond the realms of mortal men. It’s like some Nina Simone type shit. That’s the sign of real artistic talent. They’re emerging on their second LP not just as a formidable force in metal, but they’re pounding their boots in the dirt with a declaration – they’re really fucking good. This is the most powerful speed metal band out right now. Agony sounds like it is going to be one of the best if not the best speed metal release of 2016.