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Released on June 17, 2016 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment
Very little bands over the last few years have made an impact quite like Nails. They have placed themselves in the watchful eyes of both hardcore and metal fans, and with each release pummelled listeners with unrelenting musical extremity. 2010’s Unsilent Death and 2013’s Abandon All Life were two records so powerfully heavy, savage and short that the band left their mark in extreme music in a huge way. The first was a raw burst of powerviolence and grind that seemed possessed in its violence; the sophomore release continued Nails’ highly aggressive sound whilst also fleshing moments out just to really drive the sledgehammer down. What made these albums (partially due to they’re length) so addictive was the perfect execution of speed and song writing. Not complex, but primitive and straight to the point, an aspect that Nails pride themselves in. You Will Never Be One of Us is the next wave of Nails’ decimation, and this album goes over as well if not better than the previous.
The opener and title track of this record gets the message across instantly. Kurt Ballou’s production is undeniable as the track kicks in; distorted guitars, bass, drums and Todd Jones’ throat shredding roars are amplified and mixed to the degree where the sound is utterly rampant. The lyrics are as infectious as the riffs and grooves are, before the track eventually breaks down into crushing finish. As expected, the listener is given no time to breath with this album, the onslaught never wavers through the tracks ‘Friend to All’ and ‘Made To Make You Fall’, the former featuring a quick bass and drum groove before the guitar cuts through the mix.
‘Violence is Forever’ is a highlight to say the least and likely to be a live favourite. The second longest track here at 3 and half minutes, Nails display a quality to their music that seems to be becoming more prevalent. The guitar and bass par off as the drums pound unrelentingly, bringing an incredible groove to the start of the track. Blast beats accompany another memorable and stated chorus prior to slipping into a razor-sharp solo that pierces through the low end drums and bass. Tracks like this are evidence that Nails don’t just rattle out short bursts of songs; no matter how short, everything is put together perfectly to achieve the highest level of impact.
As with previous Nails releases, You Will Never Be One Us moves as a solid block of intensity, dissecting it track by track is futile in some respects as the record is a masterful example of how straight forward severity and brilliantly condensed song writing allows for music of this style to be digested in one unforgettable listen after another. ‘In Pain’ and ‘In Quietus’ are blazing doses of this heaviness, hard evidence that Nails never cease to lay off the throttle on regards to thundering riffs and drum passages. The most notable track on the album even after multiple listens is ‘Savage Intolerance’, a track that defines annihilation in every sense of the word. Bursting open in a hardcore influenced flurry that will undoubtedly get a packed venue moving like rabid animals. With emphasis on the riffs and possibly one of Jones’ most savage deliveries on a Nails track to date, this track is utterly exhausting in how instrumentally dense it is. Not to mention the last few seconds, which is frankly the heaviest blast beat driven passage of extreme music I have heard all year.
It is challenging to describe Nails’ skill at creating such an intense rush of heavy music without sitting and letting the thing beat you start to finish first. Take away how you can delve into these tracks and find the tempo changes and riff structures, it’s too fast and set to its purpose for that. Their sound is meant to destroy time and time again, and this record does that in way that stays true to what Nails are whilst still pushing them forward. You Will Never Be One of Us, as the band clearly states, is a stance for the hard working individuals in the realm of extreme music and it couldn’t be a better soundtrack for that. At the end of the day, this record is bone crushing and brutal and so satisfying because of it; let it lay waste to your senses and become your favourite metal record of 2016.
