Customer Reviews

Point Blank

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

'Point Blank' is the first of two releases by this short-lived band.Nailbomb was a side project of Fudge Tunnel's Alex Newport and Sepultura's Max Cavalera.Boy,is this CD H-E-A-V-Y!!Maybe too heavy for it's own good.It's decent,though.Good industrial metal to take in,that is if you're willing.All thirteen cuts kick ass,like "Wasting Away","24 Hour Bullsh*t","Cockroaches" and "Sick Life" especially.Just might appeal to some fans of Godflesh,Corrosion Of Conformity,Ministry and Napalm Death.

Side projects can be a dodgy proposition. Look at the likes of Brujeria, Six Feet Under, Meathook Seed, Superjoint Ritual, Viking Crown or any number of other projects. All contain members of better known bands who want to try a different musical style to their normal gig, but fail to deliver a satisfying performance. They're often indulgent record company favours to keep artists interested.

Of course, there are exceptions; SOD, Mr Bungle, and Down immediately spring to mind as projects enjoyable to fans of the original artists as well as a wider audience. So does Nailbomb.

Former Sepultura main man Max Cavalera and Alex Newport, of Fudge Tunnel fame, combined their collective forces and produced a master work of massive proportions in Nailbomb, in the process creating one of the best albums of the year for 1994.

The basis for Nailbomb was a guitar sound of titanic proportions melded with a number of rhythms- hardcore, electronic, metallic, synthetic and organic. Over top of it all, Alex and Max trade vitriolic hardcore shouts, keeping it simple and angry in their lyrical targets. Further messing up the mix are some excellent samples, including an absolute classic from "Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer". The pair was helped out by a veritable metallic supergroup; including Igor and Andreas from Sepultura, and Dino Cazares of Fear Factory.

And what was the final result? An album of hardcore inspired tracks, combining anger filled political and social commentaries with one of the most crushing guitar sounds ever heard. While most comment on this album has concentrated on Max's involvement, it sounds more like a spiced up Fudge Tunnel album than it does a Sepultura side product. The vocals are often held back in the mix, as Newport was fond of doing in his full time band. There are more Fudge Tunnelisms in the basic hardcore riffing and some of the song structures.

The rhythm guitar on this album is part sonic boom, part jet engine roar. It really needs to be heard to be believed. Pick any song at random, except the mainly electronic "S**t Piñata", and you will hear it crushing all before it. Whether it's the unstoppable juggernaut in "Sick Life", or the hidden ambush attack of "For F**k's Sake", the sound is just staggering. This may sound like hyperbole and over emphasis, but take a listen for yourself. Anyone who is not impressed is either deaf or being deliberately obstinate.

This album far outstrips anything either man has been involved with since. Many thought it would be the direction Sepultura would follow. If they had, perhaps they would still be champions of the underground, rather than the split entities of tribalist Soulfly and the reinvented Seps we have now. This is a metal classic, in every sense.

I love Sepultura but Max went the right way with this one, straight for the throat! The guitars drone and throb like a swarm of killer bees and the sampling is done in just the right amount.I bounce off the walls when I fire it into my CD player and my neighbors bang on the walls but I just crank it up.It's the feel good hit of the summer!Worth the cash and the summary eviction notice

As the popularity of true metal music is fading again (don't worry it will rise again eventually), it's nice to see this album is being reintroduced to a new audience. When this album was first released, everyone was blown away. I would blare this from my car until the speakers were cracked and melted, I listened to Nailbomb in a village in West Africa, I still listen to this album when the need for aggression overcomes - it doesn't matter, this album kicks ass all over the world and will never sound dated because it's so brutally honest. The guitar riffs are simple and the lyrics straightforward. But the combination of these particular musicians and the music they made is completely devastating. I still think this is some of Max Cavalera's best work ever. There are guest players all over this album, but the core is cavalera and alex newport and their unique sounds/styles. Almost every song is a metal anthem. Elements of hardcore, punk, thrash, whatever heavy music you want is evident on these songs.

If you play guitar, you will play these songs. If you don't play guitar, you'll want to. And everyone will want to scream these songs until their eyes bleed.
Get this album and you will see why most metal today is yoo-hoo and nailbomb is the real-deal chocolate shake.

That's right. Nailbomb is a side project of Max Cavelera (When he was in Sepultura) and Alex Newport (When he was in fudge Tunnel) While there is the occasional appearance of Igor Cavelera and Andreas Kisser of (also of Sepultura) this is entirely Max and Alex's show. It's a Punk filled Metal album with all the anger and hate you could expect. The drum machine and samples work rather well and add certain style that is only found with Nailbomb. The opener Wasting Away shreds where as the closer Sick Life...does the same thing! It reflects back on the problems in society, police, religion, etc. I often find myself laughing at the beginning of the cover of Doom's Exploitation.

Here we have the remastered version with bonus tracks and more artwork/pictures/lyrics in the sleeve. Problem though, is that all the bonus tracks have been released before. They're all on Proud to Commit Commercial Suicide. This is an Album and a half. If they were going to do this they might as well have re-released both in a 2 disc set. We know that the energy on the live songs isn't as good as the studio versions, but they still entertaining. Most notably is the cover of Dead Kennedy's Police Truck. The only remotely bad song on the whole package is the B-side Zero Tolerance. If you like punk or metal or both you can not pass this up.

While Nailbomb may not be the most original band, they're one of the most powerful. Ministry was the first to use a two-man operation, a guitarist / vocalist, a bass player, and a drum machine, to play guitar driven industrial. Following in the footsteps of Ministry were Skrew, Rig, Godflesh, and Nailbomb. Next to Godflesh, Nailbomb was the best of the followers.
Max Cavelera, of the well-known Sepultura, plays guitar and Alex Newport, of the less well-known Fudge Tunnel, plays bass. Together they made some of the heaviest and fastest industrial metal ever made.
The suggested intensity and violence on the cover of "Point Blank" are a good preview of what the music is like. Also, the real life picture is sure to repel the antiwar hippie types, which is probably an intentional thing.
The album has a military feel to it, but not in a patriotic sense. It's more like a full-scale destructive assault for destructions sake. The diving, grinding guitars have an acidic quality and can eat a hole right through flesh. The hammering drums can knock holes in brick walls.
The album kicks off with the hyper-speed "Wasted Life", which foreshadow the punk nihilism that partly defines the lyrical theme of the album. The music along with the lyric gives a "nothing to lose type" feeling of freedom. "Sum of Your Achievements", "For F:(ks Sake", "World of S:(t", and "Sick Life" drive their message home.
The album is worth owning for the one of the greatest thrash anthems of all time, "Sick Life". Lyrical and musically, it's a glorious moment in all of music. Forget my friends, they already forgot me!" and "Because I hate myself" is some of the greatest sing along lines ever. The sawing guitars and hammering beat give away to a scream and heavy guitar power cords that lift you up like an explosion. The song falls apart into feedback and chaos in almost reminiscent of Sonic Youth. Then, it comes out even more powerful than before. It's easily one of the greatest songs of all time.
There are very few albums out there can pummel your head like this one. If you have the bravery to listen to it, you will be forever changed.

Nailbomb is the side-project of Sepultura/Soulfly Vocalist/Guitarist Max Cavalera and Fudge-Tunnel Vocalist/Guitarist. Sepultura was the best thrash band ever ( before Max left and they became some hideous abortion of a nu-metal band) and Max brings that aggressive style into a punk influenced album. They both share the vocal duties, trading off lines and choruses. The music is pretty simplistic, maybe half-a-dozen chords a song, but it is very catchy, and heavy enough to please even me. This CD is all about aggression and anger. Highlights include: "Wasting Away," "Vai Tomo No Cu," Guerillas," Cockroaches," and "Sick Life." The cover of Doom's "Exploitation" is pretty cool too. Check out this band if you like any sort of metal, punk, or hardcore, you won't be disapointed.

For years I hunted CD stores looking for another CD of this band, but then I found out it was a one time side project deal. Oh well...it's just one of those classic "must have" Cd's like SOD, or Evil Dead.

It's basically like the other reviews - take the best guitars and aggression from Sepultura and that "brazillian" sound, and electrify it with some techno bits and samples. It is so flipping awesome, I love it. Some of the riffs are just badass...

Must have if you're a metal head.

if you're into metal then you should own this! Nailbomb were the band responsible for my conversion from pop to metal and are my undisputed favourite band. Recording only twice Nailbomb are hard to forget and the album covers leave a very strong lasting impression, reading the insert of the live album gave me a very definite insight as to how Nailbomb operate and I'm sure you to will be set in your ways by it.

Max Cavalera is probably the single most talented musician of the speed metal scene next to Dave Mustaine. I love the guy. I wish he'd get back with Sepultura, but that's beside the point.

(Seriously, Max, get back with Sepultura).

Anyway, I was just sampling some metalcore on YouTube because I enjoy torturing myself from time to time. Listen to Trivium or Bullet For My Valentine, then throw on this CD and you'll understand how amazingly great it is. There can be no heaven without a hell. Metalcore is hell and Nailbomb is heaven. Or, rather, since metalcore is lame and Nailbomb are brutal and evil and fun, would it be the other way around? Whatever. This CD rules. If you like Ministry, you'll love this. Anyone who calls Point Blank "noise" needs to listen more closely because these songs definitely groove. Nailbomb wouldn't be the band of choice to entertain the residents of your local nursing home, but I'd still wager that Nailbomb rocks harder than Frank Sinatra.

It's almost a pity that this remains their sole studio release, but I'd be missing the point if I fully believed that. Nailbomb's whole reason for being was to show up, make a racket and then disappear out the back door. Point Blank is a metal album with punk spirit. Bravo on a job well done, boys.