Artist: Nasum
Label: Relapse Records
Release Date: 10/26/04
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Title: Shift Artist: Nasum Label: Relapse Records Release Date: 10/26/04 |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
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Abyss's Review:
Alright, it's not exactly a secret that I'm a huge Nasum fan. In fact, it has become a little boring to review them because there are only so many ways to say how much a band rules. Shift is their latest opus, a piece that keeps enough of the frantic noise that this band revels in to keep long time fans happy, and splices in enough groove to maintain a swinging structure to the whole mess so the listener can make sense of it all.
"One word review: Awesome." While it would be misleading to say that Nasum have changed their sound all that much, they have continued to tinker with little things here and there, like they always do, to keep everything interesting. If anything this is a little closer to their original sound than their last album, Helvete, which had a much more mathcore vibe going on.
The most striking thing about this record is how little the band relies on grooves. While most bands in the genre lace plenty of grooves throughout the songs, Nasum are content to let their speed do their talking for them, and more often then not, they are successful. This band is simply one of the best grindcore acts to ever record an album. One word review: Awesome.
Death's Review:
Sweden's Nasum return with the follow-up to 2003's Helvete. Their new album, Shift, isn't really a "shift" at all. Instead, it is another killer album of death-infused grindocre with global-political overtones, and brutal, crushing riffs. This stuff is all about the coming together of four important factors: (1) speed; (2) groove riffs; (3) a great production; and (4) something to say. The lyrical themes include such high-minded concepts such as the establishment bias of world-centered media such a CNN. And at the same time, the riffs are just so amazingly heavy that they will bludgeon you repeatedly while listening and leave you just plain stunned. This band is making some great music, while still flying beneath the radar as respects your average, mainstream metalhead. Perhaps this album will raise the band's profile a bit. They definitely deserve it.
"the riffs are just so amazingly heavy that they will bludgeon you repeatedly while listening and leave you just plain stunned."
Hel's Review:
I could not have been more excited to receive this record for review. Nasum has long been one of my favorite bands, and I was thrilled to find out that they would be gracing us with a brand new album only a year after the devastating Helvete was unleashed. Once again, Nasum has delivered. Shift is yet another triumph of grindcore genius.
"Shift stands as a testament that brutality delivered at top speed can be infectious and addictive." Nasum continues a tradition of invariably provides the perfect combination of technical brilliance and songwriting savvy to astonish both newcomers and loyal fans. Shift stands as a testament that brutality delivered at top speed can be infectious and addictive. My expectations for this record were high, and after absorbing it, I find that they were well exceeded.
When I think of great grindcore, Nasum is always the band that leaps to mind. With their new album, they have proven that they deserve to be the standard that I measure other bands of this genre against. I can't wait to listen to Shift again. And after that, I think I'll listen to it again.
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