Description

Black vinyl with gatefold cover. Limited 2400 copies

As one of heavy metals most technically complex and intense sub-genres, grindcore doesn’t lend itself to minimal personnel; but Sweden’s Nasum defy these precepts by taking a stab at it as a power trio! Needless to say, this accomplishment only makes the blinding precision and incredible fury captured on 2003’s Helvete (that’s Swedish for Hell, by the way) all the more impressive; especially when paired with the finely honed sense of dynamics displayed by the band’s diversified songwriting — in itself a challenge to grindcore’s supposedly limited creative scope. Guitarist Miescko A. Talarczyk and bassist Jesper Liverod duke it out behind the microphones, their turn-taking ragged screams and low-end growls lending further variety to already outstanding cuts like Living Next Door to Malice, Relics and The Final Sleep — all of which respect genre guidelines by lasting no more than one or two minutes. But it’s the band’s distinctive riffs and compositional intelligence over these 22 relentless tracks that make it all work, confirming Helvete as that rarest breed of grindcore albums: an instantly memorable one. And if all this still doesn’t perk your curiosity, ringing endorsements from guest performers Jorgen Knot Sandstrom (Entombed, Grave) and none other than Napalm Death legend Shane Embury should do the trick. Easily among the best grindcore albums of the new millennium, Helvete is an absolute winner.

Track listing:
1. Violation
2. Scoop
3. Living Next Door To Malice
4. Stormshield
5. Time To Discharge
6. Bullshit
7. Relics
8. We Curse You All
9. Doombringer
10. Just Another Hog
11. Drop Dead
12. I Hate People
13. Go!
14. The Final Sleep
15. Slaves To The Grind
16. Breach Of Integrity
17. The Everlasting Shame
18. Your Words Alone
19. Preview Of Hell
20. Illogic
21. Whip
22. Worst Case Scenario