Album Review: Final Siege - Nuclear Doom State
Reviewed by Matthew Williams
I always have one of those strange moments when I hear intro’s like “The Day After”. As it booms out sounds of war and terror and bombs being dropped, surrounded by sirens signalling some sort of cataclysmic events, I’m always waiting patiently for the inevitable riff to kick in, and my brain goes into overdrive with questions such as; what sort of riff will they begin with, will it be slow or fast, what else lies ahead for the unsuspecting public?
Not so much of an explosion as I’d hoped for, more of a tease with drum fills and guitar licks, but then the expected riff rips your head off, with accompanying heavy snare drum and angry aggressive vocals from Gil Anthony Vives begin. “WAR” seems quite an appropriate title for the song, and the rapid drumming from Ameer “The Beheader” Aljallad, is in keeping with the blistering guitar tempos from Vives and Robert Maldonado. The song is “a rallying cry for the middle and poorer classes to unite” and they’ve taken their influences from the likes of Exodus, Gojira and Death to create songs that shed some light “on what we are experiencing in societies all over the world”.
The album title track is next, “Nuclear Doom State” and as the sirens blare, you can sense the people rising to challenge the wealthy and what they’d like to see happen to them. That opening rhythm holds the song together perfectly, and then the pace goes up a few notches, before the venomised lyrics are spewed forth by Vives. The pace is consistent, but I do like the middle section where it just drops and then the solo takes over once again and its where you can hear the Slayer influence coming through. “Psychological Maceration” is up next, and has a slower, more menacing build up that really draws you into the song. They have that familiar chuggy metal riff blasting out, then gets heavier towards the middle, but I do admire the rhythm on display, with George Garcia doing his bit on bass.
With the wonderfully titled “An Insatiable Lust for Violence” coming next, the eerie opening gets you prepared for what’s about to be unleashed. It’s easily my favourite song on the album, as it’s a bit more complex, not as reliant on one dominant riff, more a coming together of all four members, channelling their inner demons into one hell of a cracking song, that ends with a storming solo.
“Primordial Combat” sees Maldonado’s contribution to the album, with lyrics heavily influenced by the anime series Baki Hanma. It’s a bit of a slow burner with a collection of abstract noises piercing your ears at the beginning before the guttural scream from Vives signals their intent. The band who began life over a few beers in a New York City bar, end the album with “Taxed to Death” something we can all resonate with. It’s more riff heavy and relentless from the start, with The Beheader living up to his name, as he pummels away on the drums. It’s a decent song to end with and I can sense that there’s still a lot more to come from the quartet in the future.
Be the first to comment