Twisting the Blade

Aside from Guinness, old school style metallers Stereo Nasty is my go-to Irish import these days. With already a couple of solid full-lengths under its belt, the Kildare quartet shan't be overlooked! With a name alluding to Video Nasties, low-budget horror films released on video cassette that were criticized or banned in the UK, Stereo Nasty is certainly not low-budget or lackluster. Nope, the compelling chunky tone and compactness of its digital, independent sophomore release, Twisting The Blade, might not re-invent the wheel, but by golly, sure give it a mighty spin.

Shorter in length and number of tracks than its predecessor, the equally 80s slasher inspired Nasty By Nature (dig its wicked "April Fool's Day" evoking cover!), Twisting The Blade starts off with a bang with "Kill Or Be Killed" to the tune of cut-throat palm muted riffing and kick ass double bass drumming as Stereo Nasty's phlegmatic front man Mick Mahon rasps ahead with his throaty yet concise vocals:

"Savage redone
Fading light
Swarming legion
Hunted!
Down To Zero
Out of sight
Die in fear!

Now, it's kill or be killed!
Now, it's kill or be killed!
Burning in the night
Stabbing in the light!"

For the most part, the songs follow the usual verse/ chorus/ verse…bridge/ solo back to verse formula, which makes Twisting The Blade perfect for when you're not in the mood for anything too complex, only straight-forward and heavy-hitting. Adrian Foley on guitars supplies both the stoic, punishing riffs and intelligently construed, melodic but not overdone leads, which come into play at the usual 2/3's mark. Some might label this approach as re-hashed or even generic; who cares? It sounds good right off the bat, er, machete and if this is what works for the band, the more power to 'em! As far as production goes, it couldn't be any better. While not sickly and menacing, it's not over-polished either.

"No One Gets Out Alive" follow a similar pattern with its psychotically rebounding guitar riff and plastering rhythm section (it's also the title of an awesome Adam Nevill horror tale, check it out as well!). Bassist Rud Holohan and drummer Fran Moran make up the rock solid battery; worth noting is how everything from the vocals and guitars to the bass and drums is even and consistent, without any one favoring the other. In fact, the bass lines are terrifically pronounced and provide each track with its own special undertow. "Reflections Of Madness" is a slightly faster, "thrashier" number with eerie, nighttime evoking guitar reverberations sneaking their way in at the just the right moments. The soloing here is cranked up a notch as well, followed by the cool sound effect I just mentioned.

The commanding bass line to "Near Dark" has me returning again and again; Stereo Nasty's Twist Of The Blade is a compelling no frills, back's-against-the-wall, meat & potatoes (definitely "potatoes"!) offering sure to assuage true blue, classic "heavy" yearnings whether you're an old salt like me or a younger buckaroo out to sow its wild oats in more ways than one. The longest "cut" at almost seven minutes "Through The Void" commences in most lugubrious fashion as it's festooned with both clear and hard-driving melodies eventually giving way to an all-out face-smashing riff and Mahon's most epic vocals so far immediately followed by Foley's exemplary lead break, which includes some neat finger-tapping as well. A grand (headless horseman) galloping, triplet infused "Haunting The Night" soars threw the darkness swifter than a will-o-wisp and will likely induce "replay" abuse.

The gripping treble to bass swell of the title track blew my already addled mind to kingdom come, solidly placing Twisting The Knife on my top shelf as far as 2017 "new wave of traditional heavy metal" goes. Some of Foley's finer fretwork lies here as his sinister and sonorous solo includes some killer natural harmonics to boot. The epic, horror (film) instilling two minute "Vengeance" certainly holds a black candle to Amulet and Dave Sherwood's tour-de-force mid-album instrumental from 2014, "The Flight" (from their awesome full-length debut The First, check that out too!), while closer "Becoming A Beast" provides the crushing finishing touch to an already crushing and compelling release. Expect more suave instrumentation on behalf of this fighting Irish!

Intensity wise, Stereo Nasty lies somewhere between North Carolina's Widow and Australia's Elm Street (you've got to love the horror movie inspiration) while duly earning its (straight up) "heavy metal" Archives classification. This isn't angry or politically motivated thrash such as Brazil's Woslom or America's Warbeast (both cool bands nevertheless), only good old fashioned, (if not "campy") solidly woven fare borrowing from metal's 1980s heyday and propelling onwards into a new (albeit messed up) era. This is the kind of stuff I enjoy waking up to in the morning and going to bed to at night. Check this out post haste - you'll be glad you did.