But then after 2016s You Will Never Be One of Us, when the band was peaking and signed to Nuclear Blast, there was some controversy surrounding Nails frontman founder and Todd Jones, a very public feud with Metalsucks.com, and then everyone but Jones left the band.

So eight years later and with a new lineup that includes drummer Carlos Cruz (Warbringer), bassist Andrew Solis (Despise You, Apparition), and guitarist Shelby Lermo (Ulthar), Jones is back with a new Nails album and hoping all is forgotten, with the antagonistically named Every Bridge Burned.

Even with the revamped lineup, and time away, Jones and Nails are back with a vengeance, containing the band’s vicious d beat/crust/grind that they played way back when they blew me away with Unsilent Death 14 years ago and perfected with 2013s Abandon All Hope and 2016s You Will Never Be One of Us. Now, there is still some Rotten Sound/Nasum pure grindcore but there is plenty of  fucking filthy grooves (“Lacking the Ability to Process Empathy”, “No More Rivers to Cross”), nasty gallops (“I Can’t Turn it Off”, “Give Me the Painkiller”), and skin peeling blasts (“Imposing Will”, “Trapped”, “Punishment Map”, “Dehumanized”).

Of course, everything sounds disgustingly filthy and fuzzed out with Kurt Ballou (Gatecreeper, Fuming Mouth, All Pigs Must Die, Vallenfyre) delivering his trademark heft and buzz, and like all prior releases, it’s a swift, short but violent assault (21 minutes).

That all said, I don’t think Nails is hardly  ‘reclaiming the genre throne’ or anything, as in the eight-year gap, bands like Gatecreeper, Fuming Mouth, and such have certainly kept the throne pretty warm in their stead.

Southern CA based four man hatecrew, NAILS, have inked a deal with Nuclear Blast Entertainment to release their as-of-yet-untitled third album. This rabidly anticipated full-length, is currently tentatively scheduled to be unleashed upon the masses sometime in the first quarter of 2015.

Bringing two energetic but diversified contemporary hardcore acts together in one pure and primal slab of wax, NAILS and SKIN LIKE IRON will collaboratively self-release a split 7” EP this January.

San Francisco’s SKIN LIKE IRON have already become a well-known entity in modern hardcore with nearly ten releases on such admirable dissident hardcore labels as Six Feet Under and React Records. The split leads off with two tracks of their melodic, yet abrasive hardcore, boasting an ambitious and emotive energy that many similar contemporary acts lack in severely.

The B-side of this crushing joint venture is owned by NAILS, hailing from Oxnard, California (the same town as the legendary Dr. Know), and undoubtedly one of the most devastating acts within the present expanses of hardcore. As on their Southern Lord debut LP Unsilent Death NAILS get in, kill, and get out, just as fans expect on these two tracks, which are in fact a preview of what is to be expected of their upcoming full-length, now being constructed for release via Southern Lord in the first half of 2012.

This one-time pressing of 1000 copies will be split between a publicly available reserve of 900 copies on black wax and 100 copies on blue, available from the bands only. The artwork was handled by SKIN LIKE IRON’s Alex Capasso who has handled the art duties for previous releases for the band.

Stay tuned for preorder info, an exclusive stream of the release and more in the weeks ahead. Check out the artwork and more at this location.

SKIN LIKE IRON & NAILS Split 7” Track Listing:
1. Skin Like Iron “Disappear”
2. Skin Like Iron “The Parade”
3. Nails “Annihilation”
4. Nails “Cry Wolf”

http://www.blacksummer.com/sli
http://www.unsilentdeath.com
http://www.nailsmerch.com

Due to a super crunchy, mid-range buzzing guitar tone to die for, fans of Trap Them, Black Breath as well as Gadget, Nasum and Rotten Sound should also take note. Not only because of the guitar tone, but because even though Nails are a hardcore/d-beat/crust band (with members of Terror and Carry On), this savage little CD also carries some Swedish grindcore throes in many of its feedback drenched lurches and vicious blasts.

Seriously, this thing fucking rips. Its 10 track 15 minute durations, as about as intense as any thing you’ll hear in any genre this year, and while its over way too quickly, you’ll want to revisit it over and over again (much like sex with me). From skin peeling opener “Conform”, through thunderous closer “Depths”, the album reminds a little of all the above bands (“Your God”, “Traitor”, “No Servant”, “Scapegoat”) as well as a hefty dose of Wolverine Blues (“Unsilent Death”, “I Will Not Follow”) here and there.

Paying money for such a short term investment may seem like a strange choice, but it’s well worth it. Besides, Unsilent Death can be had for cheap (again; sex, me).

Get it!