NAILBOMB

NAILBOMB were a shooting star. Between 1993 and 1995 they released one studio effort, 1994's "Point Blank", and had a warm-up gig the evening before their acclaimed European festival appearance, which was documented as the live album "Proud To Commit Commercial Suicide" (1995). NAILBOMB weren't meant to last, but they sure as hell have made their mark. Nearly 30 years later, the two albums are being re-released and packaged together as "1000% Hate", the title that the band initially had in mind for "Point Blank".

NAILBOMB was essentially a duo, the bastard child of Max Cavalera (SEPULTURA, SOULFLY, etc.) and FUDGE TUNNEL's Alex Newport, who drafted notable musicians like Max's brother Igor on drums as well as SEPULTURA's Andreas Kisser and FEAR FACTORY's Dino Cazares on guitars to serve as session musicians. On certain songs, one or the other takes control. Cavalera's punk-fueled thrash metal attack clearly sits in the driver's seat on the pummeling opener "Wasting Away", while Newport's industrial background informs the entirety of the mechanical, marching beat on "Guerrillas".

The bulk of "Point Blank", however, sounds like the obvious fusion of both main figures. "Point Blank"'s 13 songs were the marriage of Cavalera's penchant for raw hardcore punk in the vein of DISCHARGE along with Newport's inclination for samples and industrial sonic hell. And like many marriages, it wasn't always pretty. By Cavalera's own admission, his excessive alcohol intake irritated Newport during the recording. That tension is almost tangible on a cut like "Vai Toma No Cu", a song that sounds like SEPULTURA doing its best GODFLESH impersonation, replete with Max sounding like Justin Broadrick over a stabbing industrial metal onslaught that's as catchy as it is beefy. "24 Hour Bullshit" uses the same template but ups the ante in terms of might and tempo.

NAILBOMB had made such an impression that the act, intended as a one-time expression, was invited to Eindhoven, Holland's long-running, renowned Dynamo Festival a year after "Point Blank"'s release. The heavy metal supergroup performed a warm-up club show the previous evening, at which they were joined by FEAR FACTORY's Christian Olde Wolbers. The Dynamo performance was originally documented in 1995 as the live album "Proud To Commit Commercial Suicide". It breathes again now as the second CD on "1000% Hate".

A laundry list of heavy music luminaries — including BIOHAZARD's Evan Seinfeld, NEUROSIS's Dave Edwardson, FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY's Rhys Fulber and DEAD KENNEDY's D.H. Peligro — jumped onstage with NAILBOMB at Dynamo. This certainly contributed to the novelty of it all, but the camaraderie of some of heavy music's top guns is just as enjoyable for listeners now as it seemingly was for the participants back then. "Sum Of Your Achievements" doesn't stray from the "Point Blank" version in any immediately noticeable way, yet there's a much more pronounced groove metal quality that was very much a part of SEPULTURA's direction at the time.

The live half of "1000% Hate" is indeed a more heavy and primal representation of the source, studio album material. But as rough and tumble as NAILBOMB was, the supergroup wasn't at all as unrefined as some suggested at the time. Sure, it was void of melody, but the songs are more direct and accessible in some ways compared to those of both SEPULTURA and FUDGE TUNNEL. And in spite of the hateful energy permeating all that was NAILBOMB, it was crystal clear that they weren't afraid of having fun. "Proud To Commit Commercial Suicide" of course includes the prank call that Max made to his friend Danny Marianino, the vocalist of NORTH SIDE KINGS who infamously punched Glenn Danzig.

This re-release package arguably proves its worth for fans who have the original recordings because of the bells and whistles: The liner notes written by Cavalera as well as the new interview of the aforementioned NORTH SIDE KINGS' vocalist. Remaining one of Max Cavalera's most interesting ventures, NAILBOMB's "1000% Hate" highlights one of heavy metal's most unique supergroups.