Hardcore has been on a never ending resurgence in the last couple of years. With Code Orange, Knocked Loose, Vein, Harms Way, Twitching Tongues and so many more bands emerging to conquer the world by storm, there is no denying that hardcore will never die. It is not just a genre of music, but it is a way of life. 

Nasty is another band that you want to keep on your radar in the world of modern hardcore. In their new album menace, they cover all timelines of hardcore. They pay plenty of respect to the old school legends such as Agnostic Front or Sick of it All, while bringing in their own modern twist and new school charm as well. This album has everything you can want from a hardcore album from intensity, emotion, attitude and suspense. Not a single second was wasted on this album as every minute of raw energy and power was true and to the point. 

Opening with Ultimate, they set an atmosphere and environment followed by an aggressive intro serving as dialogue before kicking in full force at 30 seconds with an intense breakdown. The riffs and beats instantly deliver purely raw energy and power while the vocals remain constantly in your face. They came out swinging and it will keep you wanting more. Bullettrain continues the momentum with a super fast track. Though it is less than a minute long, it does an excellent job at enforcing the brutality. In the title track Menace, itmaintains the intensity and brutality while also slowing down a tad more in tempo. This track is more breakdown driven and there is constant evolution demonstrated incorporating different riffs and tempos. The sustained screams have the tendency to make you fully indulge in the track. Be Careful starts things off with a quick epic intro to set as suspenseful tone before doing full on with speed and groove and relentlessness. This track varies a little bit more in its tempo as well as incorporating semi melodic vocals that bring a tad more emotion to the intensity. This use of melodic vocals also demonstrates an experimental quality that will leave a listener wondering what is happening next. 666am has more groove and even some catchy punk elements are incorporated but when the vocals come in, it eliminates all structure and immerses you into a realm of hardcore chaos. Tricky Plays starts off with a great introduction that delivers intensity and suspense with a great use of riffs and drums. When the vocals kick in, it is fair to say that this song serves as one big breakdown. Betrayer is when everything kicks in again at once but this time, you should be well indulged into the album to the point where you are one with the composition. The semi melodic vocals return once again that add more darkness to the intensity. You will Know my Name is once again, very groove and rhythm oriented once again. The double bass in the background behind the intense screams elevate the track even further. Inhale/exhale has that more suspenseful start once again. There is some great melodic riffing incorporated that uses melody to set a tone of narrative and emotion. After 30 seconds, you get the signature chanting vocal style that delivers the real hardcore grit that we all know and love. The melodic riffs also end the song to slowly lead you out of the intensity. Blood Crop carries over from Inhale/exhale, almost as if it as continuation and it works perfectly. It doesn’t only demonstrate experimentation, but evolution on how a track can evolve.  Addicted Starts off with a quick but very melodic and atmospheric intro before the intensity returns full force again. You still hear some remnants of the riffing style from Blood Crop and Inhale/Exhale but you see how the album is evolving even more. The point is driven home completely with an intense guitar solo that adds a whole new layer of emotion and intensity to not just the track, but the whole album. You will find yourself rewinding this song just to hear it again. When we get to  Table of Kings, starting off with an incredible drum fill that drags you further into this void of intensity. After a minute and a half, you feel all the instrumentals descend down into one last break down of all out brutality.In The End of the World, you slowly hear instrumentation emerge from the fog followed by intense fog before kicking in full force with riffs, pitch harmonics and vocals that will ring right through you. This track has a great bridge between old school hardcore elements and new school ones. Then we get to Ballad of Bullets, an instrumental track. I guess you can say it somewhat of a ballad. Great melodic and epic guitar notes with intense drums to up the epic vibe even further. The melody incorporated serves as a strengthening or dooming sound to brace you for impact one last time. This allowed the instrumentation to demonstrate their technical excellence one last time, showcase the experimental elements and end the record on the perfect note. 

It can’t be said enough, hardcore is in great hands, and Nasty’s album Menace is a great example of it. With all out intensity, energy and power, Nasty is able to say everything they have to say and then some. They manage to take a sound that has evolved so much and make it their own and with that, they are able to take the world by storm. 

Out now on Century Media