October 1, 2009 | | 3

Destruktor, Nailed

Destruktor: Nailed

In the mood for a little lo-fi blackened death metal with a flare for the blasphemous? Then Australia’s Destruktor may be just what the witch doctored ordered. Featuring members of Abominator and Deströyer 666 this outfit tears their way through Nailed, sending fountains of blood and inverted crosses flying in every direction. An unholy blend of black metal, thrash and death metal combine in a churning, soul corroding mass of destruction.

Throwing the album into the disc player, you’re only vaguely aware of what’s to come — driving guitars, thundering drums, guttural vocals — but the raw production and the band’s intensity is enough to cause you pangs of fear and excitement after the first couple of songs. For as brutally dark and bare bones as the sound of the album may seem, however, there’s a great deal of complexity going on within its swirling guitars and rabid drum work.

Embrace the Fire
“Embrace the Fire” starts off the album with a nice dramatic build up that’s got a black metal feel to it — dark, melancholy and frigid. Everything really gets going just after the two minute mark with a burly growl and manic drumming that’s a bit messy — and I mean that in a good way as it compliments the raw production nicely. The unrelenting drums continue through the remainder of the six minute plus long song. Vocally, the delivery is relatively slow, but guttural and evil.

The Epitome
This next one wastes no time getting down to it’s hellish business with blasting drums, guttural vocals and evil guitar work. The pace, for the most part, never really lets up, blasting through three minutes in no time. It’s definitely a classic blackened death metal track.

Inspiration Suicide
I love the opening guitar and drum work to this song. It’s got a thrashy/punk vibe that’s a nice addition to the overall feel of the album. The slow down around 1:15 has some massive riffs and thundering drum work. Although this disc is mostly a black metal influenced entity, it’s got some really strong death metal influences to it. Taken all in at once, this is a monster song.

Violence Unseen
More blackened thrash goodness erupts out of the gate with “Violence Unseen.” Beastial drumming and a blasphemous vocal delivery straight from the depths of guttural hell dominate the track, but don’t weigh it down too much as there are flourishes of creative drum work and evil guitars. We’ve got yet another monster song with this one.

Nailed
A bit of a chaotic opening gets the title track off to a pummeling start with more thrash inspired devastation. The lighter guitar highlights throughout this song help give some life to an album that was getting a little monotone in nature. This song is head banging madness at its finest. The song ends in a violent attack of crashing drums and layered growls.

Forward We March
Mmmm… war metal. Excellent. “Forward We March” is exactly what you need, complete with vicious vocals and pummeling rhythm. This song is a blitzkrieg through the skull, leaving bits of brain matter and cranial fragments in its wake. I love the guitar work throughout. It ranges from barbaric riffs to searing lead work.

Meccademon
“Meccademon” has some of the catchiest riffs and hooks found on the album. It’s got a lighter sound that’s a nice chance of pace from the aural onslaught that has comprised Nailed thus far. Be warned, however, this is not a sappy track — it’s just as aggressive as its predecessors. The vocals have a nicely layered effect giving them some distant and variation.

Endless Reign of Terror
Straight up, black metal blasts and malevolent guitars dominate “Endless Reign of Terror,” as the vocals take somewhat of a back seat to the music assault. Despite how dark and foreboding this song is, it also has a great head banging groove showing up here and there. This is a fantastic song.

After Death Murmurs
I’m digging some of the choppier timing throughout this next song. It’s got a bit of everything all over the place, yet is still pretty damned focused. Again, amongst the thrashing guitars and maniacal drums is a sentient groove that’s infectious as hell.

Spawning the Immortal
Wrapping up a hell of a beastly album is “Spawning the Immortal.” It starts off with thundering drums with rumbling bass that shift into a full on balls to the wall metal assault. This song has a devastating mix of crushing riffs and manic drums — making for one hell of final song.

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Additional Notes:
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