UK thrashers Struck A Nerve have thrown its hat into the thrash ring with its eponymous debut album. Struck A Nerve is rife with speed, riffs, groove and a few breakdowns for added measure. “Nocturnal Terror” opens the album like a bat out of hell with thrashing riffs and wailing guitars. Drummer Christopher Williams is playing at a breakneck pace, while bassist/vocalist Aaran Tucker’s gruff, raspy vocals find their place amid the cacophony of chaos. The grooving midsection keeps the head bobbing while guitar duo Nathan Sadd and Lexell Garrido lay out brief, harmonic leads that are a sign of things to come. The title track has a punk rock attitude with its snarling vocals and straight ahead tempo. The first half of the track is a buildup before the relentless speed during the bridge, a lumbering breakdown concludes the track with dive bombing guitars that heighten the finale. “Parade of Violence” has a brutal, double picking riff that is lockstep with the drums that is just pugnacious. The midsection features a harmonious descending riff before both guitarists unleash vicious leads that sound like a cross between Slayer and Exodus.
“Inside The Torture Fortress” commences with a colossal riff while Tucker shouts, “Screams will never leave these walls/homicides are classified”. We hear the groove metal influence on this track, as the band plays in the pocket, while occasionally throwing out shards of thrash. “Raining Death” and “Moon Sniper” are a one-two punch of thrash with the former showing a glimpse of Swedish death metal influence with the classical sounding riffing. The latter track is a manic affair that speeds like a rat down a maze before the tempo slows during the chorus. The main riff on “Last Eyes See All” has an 80s crossover feel. A warm, punk infused, three chord affair that you would hear on a boom box at a skate park. The penultimate track, “The Knife That Scrapes The Bone” is a take no prisoners, thrashing affair with some merciless double drumming and some sick shredding guitar leads. “Leviathan’s Wings” is the darkest and most ambitious track on the album. Its clean guitar opening and disturbing bass line introduction is eerily similar to “Spill The Blood” by Slayer. This track does not copy the aforementioned track in the slightest though. Instead, it slightly borders on progressive metal with its five minute length, song structure and rhythm changes. The riff during the final third of the track is crushing and the sorrowful clean guitars close the song as it began.
Struck A Nerve is notable for its diverse songwriting, as each song is distinct with little to no monotony on this record. Some bands erroneously believe that speed is all that encompasses a thrash record. Speed, is an essential element, but it must complement the songs. Struck A Nerve correctly does this by providing the right dosage of speed on its debut. However, it balances it out with groove and melody. The songs flow well, providing ample energy before slowing things down on “Leviathan’s Crawl.” The musicianship is top notch, although Garrido and Sadd could have added a few more leads for good measure. This is a small critique though. The production is fine, particularly with the crispness of the drums and bottom end of the guitars.
Struck A Nerve have struck gold with its debut album. This album gets the job done in 32 minutes and will cause repeat listens. Fans of thrash metal should definitely check out this record as should fans of hardcore and crossover. A job well done.
Check out the band’s page for news and tour dates: https://www.facebook.com/StruckANerveUK
