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.

Album Review: Candlemass - 'Death Thy Lover' EP

Candlemass
Death Thy Lover EP
(Napalm Records)

The new Candlemass is a promising offering from the crypts of antediluvian Swedish doom metal. While doom metal has certainly changed throughout the years, and seen many trends and trendies crowding in its shadow, one band remains an unchanged monolithic apex for the genre. Candlemass are the forebearers, and this heavy metal stallion still rides through the cryptic nights.

While I’m loath to consider that Death Thy Lover is anything in the ballpark of my good friends Epicus Doomicus Metallicus and Ancient Dreams (and they truly are good friends who have spent many nights in my company), their newly released EP is still something to be immensely grateful for. In fact it’s a step up from Psalms For The Dead. Production wise there is a lot more strength in this EP compared to Psalms. The music sounds eerier, and the guitar solos are quite haunting. Also the songwriting is a lot better. It feels like some vitality has been kicked into the band.

From the first track “Death Thy Lover,” the heart pounding intro will hook you in, and then the power of the riff takes hold. Lars Johansson and Mats Bjorkman are exceptional hard rock machines. As lead and rhythm guitar players respectively, they weave in and out of each other throughout Mats Leven’s captivating lyrical spell song, evoking crushing fantasies and fears.  Such is the craft of ancient Candlemass, mighty and immortal are they in the halls of doom. At points the songs feel like a melodic rock album, but I don’t think these strange sections which repeat through the EP should steal from the brilliance of this doom metal offering.