Unspeakable Axe Records unleashes upon the metal community yet another solid extreme band, this time taking science fiction themed lyrics and monumental sounding death metal compositions into more extreme directions. Nucleus, based out of Chicago, disintegrates listener’s speakers with their debut full-length release, “Sentient.”
I can honestly say that once the first riff began, I had this premonition that some brutal force was coming my way. Nucleus summons the bombastic sounding aggression from old school death metal bands, but adds their own noticeable distinct stamp of ass kicking music. They really do a solid job crafting their own sound, which helps separate them from those generic sounding old school extreme metal copycats. To think of it, most of the bands I have reviewed on Unspeakable Axe Records tend to be very talented and incorporate a variety of extreme influences into their music, while expressing their own original ideas.
The songwriter is very consistent and as I noted earlier, I just felt like this group was going to deliver some massive and brutal sounding death metal tunes. Following the opening instrumental piece called, “Sentience,” song number two, “Dosadi,” gets the adrenaline pumping with a mean sounding riff. I swear, you just want to break everything in your path as the singer growls over the slamming instrumental parts. For the next song, “Cantos,” the band perfectly transitioned into a crushing tsunami of old school death metal worshipping horror. Every instrument is record at such a precise level that one can really appreciate the musicianship that this band put into the track. Plus, I think it is important to point out how Nucleus does not overwhelm listeners with technicality by seeing how fast they can play. Songs like, “Cube,” and, “Insurgent,” are well crafted tracks that do not need all that extra technical skill to get the band’s point across. Each musician is able to contribute their talents equally, and I don’t think one player solely steals the show.
Overall, they are a well rounded group of musicians that can offer such powerful pieces like, “Ancient.” To think it, I think Ancient was my favorite track on the entire album. Every riff, drum part and lyric, paint this sinister sounding world that makes for one unforgiving death metal song. The final track, “Starflyer,” was a close second favorite and forcefully shuts the lid on this extreme ride through brutal and tormented musical landscapes.
From top to bottom, there is not a dual or simplistic moment on, “Sentient.” Nucleus throws down deafening sounds of extreme music to show people that there is no settling for something boring and basic when offering brutality. Highly worth checking out if you are a fan of pure kick ass death metal...and happen to be drawn to any band that has album artwork done by Dan Seagrave. I swear, his artwork compliments the music every time...Any band with a Dan Seagrave album cover is certified brutal in my book.
Check out their song "Cube" below:
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I do agree with you about how good they sound & their talent as musicians. Unique.
ReplyDeleteGreat reviews as always!