Review by: David Giles
“Unsilent Death’ by Nails has been hailed as one of the best records of 2010 “so far’ since it leaked earlier in the year. This is 10 tracks of blazing crusty hardcore with a sick grind influence. The first comparison that comes to mind is Florida’s Divisions. Both are bludgeoning, metallic and fast-as-fuck while staying quite definitely in hardcore territory. And I’m not talking about in a really shitty post-2000 Surf Nazis Must Die thrashcore kind of way, I’m talking about a beyond-heavy grinding assault kind of way. Seriously. While the Divisions EP was pretty hard to make out for the next-level distortion, the recording of this LP (I assume southern lord had a say in it) lets you hear everything that’s going on quite clearly. Upon first listen, as the Divisions comparison came to me, I did worry that the profit from cleaner recording and mastering was (at least a little) at the expense of some of the anger that was on the Divisions EP (and, staying in Florida, Religious as Fuck’s side of their split 7” with MEHKAGO N.T and the Worlds EP). After a few listens I don’t think that’s the case at all, at least not enough for it to be an issue. Nails sound every bit as pissed as all those bands. I really like that this is metallic hardcore without falling into any clichés about metal/hardcore hybrids. All this praise aside, there are a few weak tracks on the record. I could do without a couple of the shorter ones and I’d like to hear more longer tracks “” the best two on the record as far as I’m concerned are “Unsilent Death’ and “Depths’, the two longest. So, maybe I’m selling out and getting old and a ton of other poser shit, or maybe this really does rule. I can’t imagine anyone not liking this. Recommended especially to any fans of the Iron Lung/Hatred Surge sound, the Florida sound I mentioned above or even crusty ragers like Cyness. Can’t really imagine anyone not liking this. Fold to the hype – check it out.