Album Review: Struck A Nerve - Struck A Nerve
Reviewed by Matthew Williams
Over the past few months, I’ve been fortunate to see Struck A Nerve twice at venues in Manchester, most recently when they tore Thrashchester a new one at Rebellion, and I was genuinely impressed with their no-nonsense, heads down approach to putting a new edge on my favourite metal genre.
I knew of guitarist Nathan Sadd and bassist/vocalist Aarran Tucker from their time in Shrapnel, so expectations were high when I knew this record was coming out, and having heard several of the songs live, it does not disappoint. “Nocturnal Terror” comes firing out like a bullet from a machine gun, and just as rapid, as it’s full of imposing thrash riffs, domineering drums from Christopher Williams and pure aggression all round, that will get the pit whipped up into a frenzy.
They have the album’s eponymous title as the next song, which has a bit of a hardcore groove flowing through it, as the full-frontal assault on your cranium continues, but it explodes into life with a scintillating solo leading to an anthemic chant. Sand has said, the band “are aiming to be the most aggressive and intense thrash band the UK has ever produced” and songs like “Parade of Violence” and “Inside the Torture Chamber” are doing them no harm in reaching this lofty perch, with catchy rhythms wrapped around searing solos.
“Raining Death” is the midway point of the album, and it’s a short sonic blast of intense thrash that will leave many an aching body in its wake. There are elements of death metal splattered across the album which adds to the aggressive nature of the music, but again, this song hits like a stinger. However, there’s little respite, as “Moon Sniper” is another out and out bruiser of a track, that fans of thrash are really going to enjoy.
The riff that greets you at the start of “Last Eyes See All” is like a big hug from an old friend. It’s all warm and comforting, and you know exactly what sort of song you are going get, and this is a damn fine one. With guitarists Sadd and Lexell Altair Garrido locked in some sort of personal guitar duel, they continue to pummel away like a frenzied attack on “The Knife Scrapes the Bone” as they seek to comment “on the violence inherent in some of the populist movements of the present day”.
They end the brutality by lulling you in with a soft, calming introduction to “Leviathan Wings” which lasts all of 30 seconds before they return to form with what appears to be a heavier track. With several twists and turns across the composition, it allows Tucker to explore his vocal range further as the two guitarists continue their fight for supremacy, whilst complimenting each other perfectly. As debut’s go, this is a damn fine start, and I suggest that you catch them live to experience their full-on intensity.
