Obliteration Ritual

I first heard of Ontario’s Nuclearhammer through a split with Antediluvian and Light Am I. Although that material was rather raw, it was enough to keep Nuclearhammer’s name in my head. Fast forward a couple years, and here we have the band’s debut, “Obliteration Ritual”. As one would expect due to the name and image, the music here is a bestial blend of death, black and war metal. Nuclearhammer delivers their savage brand of metal with true conviction, which makes them fit in perfectly with many other fellow Canadian hordes that have forged their name in the extreme metal scene.

If you were to imagine the war-like barrage that bands like Revenge/Conqueror play, and the bizarre nuances that make Lust so unique, Nuclearhammer would fit right in between. The riffs are pretty primitive, and the song structures generally fairly straight forward – I sense a huge influence from bands not only like Blasphemy, but the classic grind bands like Napalm Death, Terrorizer, and Repulsion. Check out the song “Witchfuck”, and you’ll know exactly what I’m getting at. The drums are pounding, much like being trampled under goat hooves. The solos are noisy and atonal. Just when it seems like you’ve figured out what Nuclearhammer is about; they’ll throw something weird into the mix.

There are some odd effects utilized throughout this recording. Check out “Dementia”, just on the vocals in the intro, there are odd whispers, groans, covered in reverb and delay. This is where I hear the Lust influence. This breaks up the faster chaotic parts quite nicely, and at the same time contributes to the overall maniac feel of this record. These parts can be found on several different tunes, and manage to act as hooks within themselves, as well as add a nice texture to everything. "The Ancient One" is probably the weirdest interlude on "Obliteration Ritual", so pay close attention to that track.

Nuclearhammer is definitely deserving of all and any credit they get. I think that if the band keeps up their hard work and continues to play music this chaotic and barbaric, their name will be a staple next to other fellow Canadian acts when it comes black/death metal. I certainly have no problem recommending this to any war metal fan, or anyone that just wants to hear a quality band from the East part of Canada that can give the West a run for its money.