Review NAILS “Every Bridge Burning”

Nails’ latest longplayer is anything but long. With “Every Bridge Burning” the guys from Oxnard, CA have their fourth full-length album ready to be shipped to the record stores, and a 10-song track listing feels pretty normal. Nails were and are not known for long songs though. Their grindcore/hardcore fusion is a savage hybrid and it usually doesn’t take more than 20 minutes to tell the whole story.

The band doesn’t take a different path with “Every Bridge Burning”. In 17 minutes, the four-piece hits the nail on the head. It’s furious and brutal music that challenges your eardrums, starting with the opener “Imposing Will”. The start of the album is a blazing fast one with frontman Todd Jones barking out the lyrics. Machine gun-like drumming and a groove segment interact in these less than two minutes to provide a challenging kick start.

“Punishment Map” is the next aural assault that spits you out after one minute. It’s pure speed and musical ferocity that comes out of the speakers. With a running time like that, a band like Nails doesn’t waste any time and continues with the title track, which follows a similar approach.

Each of these songs is a musical slap in the face, a wrecking ball that hits you without warning. A first variation of this pattern comes with “Lacking the Ability to Process Empathy”, as the grooving factor comes more to the fore, before the next inferno breaks loose with “Trapped”.

I Can’t Turn It Off” and “No More Rivers to Cross” bring us closer to the end of this release. Especially the latter is worth mentioning as it is the longest song on the album, but also starts with a mighty riff in a moderate tempo. This approach generates a lot of energy and sounds even heavier than some of the previous songs. One or two more songs with this more groove-oriented bent would have been great, as the question remains why the guys didn’t add a few more songs to the album.

Although each of these ten tracks is a massive assault on your ears and neck muscles, it feels strange to charge the price of a full-length album for the running time of an EP. In times when the individual budgets of metalheads are getting smaller and smaller, you really have to be a die-hard fan of this band or your wallet is well filled. That being said, “Every Bridge Burning” is a massive grindcore album with a rebellious spirit and massive riff power that knows how to shake you up.