Hi, everyone. Graythony Hairstano here, the internet's busiest music nerd. It's time for a review of this new Nails album, Every Bridge Burning.

Yeah, here we have the latest and fourth full-length LP from California, loud rock outfit Nails, led by songwriter, singer, guitarist, Todd Jones. The band has built a consistent and impeccable reputation for themselves in the worlds of metalcore and power violence since forming in 2007, bringing nearly unmatched levels of viciousness, ferocity, and intensity on every break neck record they dropped.

Their latest effort over here was pretty much eight years in the making and features a run time of 17 minutes spread out amongst 10 tracks, which makes me laugh because with each new Nails album, Todd Jones has been just extending the length of these records just a little bit to the point where I had to wonder where maybe one day he might flirt with the idea of making a record that is in the ballpark of 30 minutes. But no, we're dropping the length back down. 17 minutes is enough. I mean, it truly is when your music is this loud, fast, heavy, and antisocial.

Now, in many ways, the music presented on this record is just quintessential Nails, even with the band having undergone a pretty massive lineup change since their last full-length LP. I mean, you could say this record lives up to its title based merely on the fact that pretty much everyone who helped bring Nails up until this point is gone now. Hopefully, those bridges didn't burn too aggressively. Still, this change does go to show how much of the band's signature sound really came down to Todd as well as the legendary producer, Kurt Ballou, because on this record, it really does feel like Nails is picking up exactly where they left off on You Will Never Be One Of Us. Even with the cover art on this new record, seeing pretty much the same font placements as well as that definitive dark devil character being consumed once again, not this time in weird, aggressive little figures surrounding him, but this time, flames.

But even if in a lot of ways this record is business as usual for Nails, I can't deny that drummer Carlos Cruz makes a pretty significant impact throughout multiple parts of this album, like with the tom-heavy buildups on the track "Lacking the Ability to Process Empathy" or on the sped up hard rock rhythms that come with "Give Me The Painkiller" or with that hype ass little drum solo on "I Can't Turn It Off".

Cruz really does bring a punchier backbone to Nails' usual flurry of crushing riffs and breakdowns, which at times on this record can be pretty predictable by Nails' usual standards, to the point where the music can be missing that thrill factor a bit. Take the opener "Imposing Will", for example, which I think is typical to a fault for the band. Structurally and sonically, I feel like this cut could have opened up any of their three previous albums or maybe even three of their next albums, and it more or less would just fit in pretty snugly. However, despite starting things off on a pretty light foot, I do think the band manages to up the ante past this point, not only vocally as Todd Jones's singing somehow sounds more gargly than it's ever been. It's like he's coughing up blood with every single word coming out of his mouth. But also lyrically, it's like the band's antisocial tendencies have been amplified tenfold. I mean, it really is a huge increase when you read into it.

For sure, the band's past work by no means was ever friendly or approachable. But Todd is truly going the extra mile to make sure the content on these tracks lives up to the title of this album.

For an understanding of this, I think we can start with the closing track, "No More Rivers to Cross", hence why every bridge is burning. And yeah, this is the longest track on the record at 3 minutes and change. It's a pretty heavy and brooding song by Nails' usual standards, loaded with lots of very sick, Tony Iommi-esque hammer on licks, with Todd singing over them, things like, "I don't see things the way you see. The way I am is no way to be. All I want is to be left alone, pay my bills, and die in my home. Got no time for your bullshit cause. Don't look for me. I'd rather stay lost. Got no, got no, got no more rivers to cross." The guy clearly doesn't want any associations with anyone and somehow spirals further from here, deeper into the track.

Of course, other songs on the album can be pretty unforgiving, too, like on "I Can't Turn It Off". "I've been told that I'm a terrible person," which is always a strong start. "A piece of shit. There is no one who is worse than. The truth is, you didn't get what you wanted. Tell all your friends, you hate me. I won't try to stop it. It's not my problem at all. I don't want it to stop. While everything got soft, I can't turn it off. I won't justify. I won't apologize. I did it my way, and I could never compromise."

When you look at the greater history of hardcore and metalcore, the canon is just ripe with songs about toxic interpersonal dynamics, betrayals, deceptions, lies, with many of the songs often becoming a platform for grievances around these issues. And while Every Bridge Burning certainly does its fair share of that, especially on the title track. Todd also seems to have no qualms with sometimes painting himself as the totally uncaring dick in these situations, with lyrics like, "I did what I did. It is what it is." It's a question as to whether or not Todd is working from a place that is totally autobiographical, or if he's using these songs as an outlet for thoughts and feelings that most likely would lead to a very dark, angry, and solitary existence. Because narratively, there is most definitely a progression from the righteous and angry highs that are being ridden on "Lacking the Ability to Process Empathy", a track that is way catchier than it has any business being, to the very lonely state of being that is depicted on the closing track.

So even if there is a lot of aggression and pushing away to be had throughout this record, there is definitely a note of self-awareness, too. Also, despite all of the darkness throughout this record, there is at least some fun to be had as well, as Nails does manage to drop at least a few of their most replayable and infectious tracks to date on this thing, like with the refrains of, "Meet up in your mind, made up in your mind" or on the final moments of "Punishment Map" where Todd can be heard singing, "Don't give a fuck how you fucking deal. Make you feel the way you make me feel."

Hurt people, hurt people, bro. That's what happens.

Also, "Give Me the Painkiller", which might be one of my favorite Nails tracks of all time at this point, is this weirdly cheek embrace of heavy metal licks and riffs while nails still maintains their trademark sound. These make a great combination with those hard rock drums I was alluding to earlier in the review. The band has really never sounded more rock and roll, and this track is easily the closest thing the band has ever done to dropping an anthem.

But yeah, including those tracks, there are highlights abound on this thing. In fact, I would go as far as to say that Every Bridge Burning is one of Nails' most holistic albums to date. You could even call it a suite in honor of cutting things off.

There are some overall criticisms that I have here and there, like with the predictability factor of a lot of these tracks and the band's overall sound here. I mean, without a doubt, the band continues to be one of the best at what they do, but all the more reason to switch things up and stay ahead of the pack, in my view, especially given just how great tracks like "Painkiller" came out, with the band really taking a risk on a different guitar style.

There are also several cuts on the record that I don't think add that much to the overall thematic concept of the album. These are often the shortest on the record and don't really leave a lot of musical impact either in terms of like, riff or rhythm ideas. But still, these tracks don't really make up the bulk of the record and are listenable all the same.

But yeah, overall, I walked away from this record impressed, enjoying it a lot, loving it in fact. Nails just continues to write, perform, and produce some of the hardest and most visceral music in their lane while still somehow finding enough wiggle room to create an album that I could see myself going back to for different reasons than their three previous projects to date, which is why I'm feeling a light to decent eight on this one.

Anthony Fantano, Nails, forever.