Artist: Nuclear Assault
Label: SPV
Release Date: 8/30/05
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Title: Third World Genocide Artist: Nuclear Assault Label: SPV Release Date: 8/30/05 |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
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3 | ||
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4 | ||
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Abyss's Review:
Oh Nuclear Assault, the redheaded stepchild of the 80s thrash scene. I must say I was surprised when I heard that these guys were reuniting, but I wouldn't say I was excited. Unlike most of my friends, I find myself much tougher on the bands I grew up with, and I wasn't expecting that much from this band, because, well, I never really expected that much from them. They were a great band that was dear to my heart, but there was never a time where they were the center of my attention. They were always one of those peripheral bands that rounded out the edges of my collection.Third World Genocide definitely surprised me a little. Not really with regard to production or style, or anything as obvious as that. It surprised me because it toes the line between a serious piece of work and an 80s throwback more effectively than I would have thought possible.
"One word review: Good." There are obviously some joke songs on this record. With titles like "Whine and Cheese" and "Longhaired Asshole," that's painfully obvious. And while I find these songs equally amusing and annoying (I simply can't get "Whine and Cheese" out of my mind...just hearing the title causes it to go through my head for the next four hours!), they are a heavy contrast to some of the more serious songwriting on this record. The title song, along with "Discharged Reason" and "Defiled Innocence" (among others) shows a real sense of simple riff that I never associated with this band. That's not to say that the band never had any good riffs, I just always got the impression that they never really tried to make compelling riffs. I always thought that they threw a bunch of things against the wall and waited to see what stuck. Here, they seem to be making an obvious attempt to be a little more methodical, and on the better points of this album, it is really successful.
I'll never be a gushing Nuclear Assault fan, but I will always remain a fan. This album will remain a joke to some and a comfort to others, but for the most part it's just a solid album. One word review: Good.
Death's Review:
Nuclear Assault, one of the big three of early New York thrash, along with Overkill and Anthrax, return with Third World Genocide, a decent new studio record on SPV USA, with the core of Danny Lilker, John Connelly, and Glenn Evans joined by Eric Burke on guitar. In general this album finds the band in a slightly heavier place, sporting a more "underground" vibe than where they last left off so long ago. Still, Third World Genocide is absolutely a Nuclear Assault record in the most traditional sense. The production is low-budget but the energy level is high. I like the opening title track. It smacks of a band that still has something to create, whereas I thought it would be a mere attempt to recapture the classic moments of yesteryear. This is particularly prevalent in the melodic twin guitar parts. John Connelly's voice is slightly rawer and gruffer than I remember, but that totally works here. It's like he mixed in a dollop of David Wayne into the higher pitched voice that sang the classic Nuclear Assault material.
"Third World Genocide is absolutely a Nuclear Assault record in the most traditional sense." The riffs are pretty simple and bass heavy, as they always were with this band. Metal legend and bassist Danny Lilker's (S.O.D./ex-Anthrax/ex-Brutal Truth) performance is dutifully prominent. All told, this is fairly "retro" in the "meat and potatoes" metal/hardcore crossover sense that Nuclear Assault were in their earlier years. But I think they let the guitar solos flow free a bit more and, as mentioned above, I think they opened up the sound a bit with some more melodic guitar harmonies as well, which may be Burke's influence. This album is clearly rawer than the later Nuclear Assault albums were too, which is probably a function of the production budget but in my opinion help the band's cause here because this type of rawness really fits with the Nuclear Assault sound. Lyrically, the political themes you expect from Nuclear Assault are everywhere, as is the trademark Nuclear Assault humor - particularly as found in tracks like the remake of "Long Haired Asshole" from Connelly's 1991 solo album.
Bottom line: fans of the bands will be rightfully curious, but there is nothing essential here. Good but not amazing, but that's just my taste.
Hel's Review:
Three years ago I attended the reunion performance of Nuclear Assault and at that time we knew, as long as nothing wacky happened, we’d be getting a new Nuclear Assault studio album in the future. It was a long wait, but that future has finally come to pass. Third World Genocide will undoubtedly be welcome to the ears of the band’s long-time fans.
"This is an album which absolutely oozes with sincerity and heart." The biggest problem this album has, from my perspective, is the production. What is up with the poor production on all these records lately? I’m sure there’s an element of staying true to their roots by embracing a dirty sound, and it is also likely there wasn’t much of a budget for it, but it is still disappointing to hear.
Production complaints aside, the songs on the album are largely in the band’s classic thrash style. One exception would be the humorous “Long Haired Asshole,” which the press release informs me is a song originally from John Connelly’s 1991 solo album. So that explains that.
The majority of the album is just what you would expect it to be and those craving a reunion that feels like it picks up exactly where the band left off should be rejoicing right about now. It is very tempting to knock a skull off my score for the crap production, but I’m willing to overlook it as this is an album which absolutely oozes with sincerity and heart, and heck, I’ll admit it, I’m a softy.
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