Album review: Nails – Every Bridge Burning

Nails hate you. They don’t know you, but they hate you. This much is evident in every riff, (blast) beat and scream on their fourth full-length, returning with a radically overhauled line-up but the same fire that has burned through all of their records.

Rooted in grindcore, hardcore and powerviolence, absolute destruction is the name of the game, and jamming 10 tracks into less than 18 minutes they wholly achieve their goal. With caustic opener Imposing Will devastating all in its path, it is classic Nails, drenched in viciousness and leaving little room to breathe, this something that could be said for most of the album.

Amongst the best here are the title-track, which is pure white knuckle frenzy and two-step stomp, and the 38-second Trapped, which is spite incarnate. Both wreck everything they are exposed to. Give Me The Painkiller takes a turn in a slightly different direction, with its fast fretwork and catchy solo it could at times almost be considered ‘playful’, almost, still standing as a suitable anthem for starting a fight. It also helps that frontman Todd Jones is in phenomenal voice for the whole record, his bile-soaked roar conveying his utter contempt for the world.

Sludgy closer No More Rivers To Cross dares to break the three-minute mark, and though it is less overtly hostile than that which precedes it there is a throbbing intensity to it that is undeniable, wrapping things up and leaving you desperate for more.

Did we mention Nails hate you?

Verdict: 4/5

For fans of: Pig Destroyer, Converge, Trap Them

Every Bridge Burning is released on August 30 via Nuclear Blast