Nasum - Doombringer (Album)
Nasum are one of the few seminal grind bands that are still heard and referenced by pretty much every violence band in the world. Doombringer is a live album from their 2nd visit to Japan in 2004 with Napalm Death, AxCx and Pig Destroyer. The main reason this is recorded in Japan is because of their awesome live music scene, the enthusiasm of the crowds, efficiency of the promoters and not to mention the 3 other awesome bands they played with on that trip. This show was the first one in their trip in Osaka, although their traveling sound engineer recorded all live sets undoubtedly their first set was the best.
Years later this recording has been touched up and originally released on a split picture disk with Napalm Death, and Mastered by the one and only Scott Hull (Pig Destroyer, Captain Cleanoff). As originally released on FETO Records this has been re-released on Relapse with an additional video Scoop and a whole new look on the live recording years later.
This is my first experience of Nasum after hearing many great reviews from some close and not so close friends. This super fast grind has really blown me away. Quite different to what I expected with a lot more structure in the songs and sound scapes which I was not expecting originally and the ability to understand every word he sings using a much more hardcore type singing style. Yet the guitar and drumming is so fast its freaking ridiculous. Although it is a live album the sound and mixing is amazing you would not think that this was performed in front of hundreds of people, and in an actual studio. They seem so tight and on the ball with all their songs. That said you could really hear Scott Hull’s influence in the mastering of these songs, the drums are unreal and the use of guitars in left and right channels makes the mess seem so planned and structured through every song.
16 songs is a great length for this Live Album, playing for a whole 23 minutes is a pretty standard length for most grind releases, not too long that it bores you but not too short so you still have that satisfied ripped my ears off feeling after it has played through. I really enjoy their slow bits just as much as their continual song blasting, the slow breakdowns really give you a chance to enjoy his vocal techniques and great lyrics. Nothing is overdone or seems put on, the whole thing is just plain awesome.
If you are a big Nasum fan of course I will recommend this CD as you will never become dissatisfied with Nasum, as all Nasum fans either love them or haven’t heard them yet, nothing really in between as far as their fan base goes.
