Nothing More // Carnal // Album Review

Nothing More were an unknown entity to me when this came into my possession and to be completely honest I was a little wary, but boy was I wrong. Their seventh album, “Carnal, is due out on the 28th of June and it is a doozy, fifteen tracks in total, albeit five of them are instrumental breakdowns with a philosophical spoken word track over the music. The opener and title track “Carnal” is one of the tracks above and leads nicely into “House Of Sand” which gets things going in earnest it’s a beast of a tune; one of the heaviest tracks on the album it has frantic pace to it that accentuates the booming bass and drum beats with a great mix of clean and screamed vocals that adds to the manic nature of the song, a brilliant number. While not as heavy “If It Doesn’t Hurt” packs a big punch, there is more of a pop-punk vibe to this one but the aggression is still very much evident, again the bass plays a massive part and Oliver’s playing is unreal and sets the tone perfectly with help from Anderson on the drums laying down a killer beat, Hawkins continuing to blend the clean and screamed vocals to perfection as Vollelunga drops some savage riffs and also a cool solo midway through, all in all, a really solid track. David Draiman guests on “Angel Song” and it has a very Disturbed sound to it but regardless of that it is an excellent song, Hawkins puts in a shift while Draiman does as he does sounding as powerful as ever, and there is a brilliant rhythm to the song with a kicking drum and bass tone while Vollelunga slays on the guitar, his riffs are very understated but mega and the funky solo he throws in is a real high point, a cracking track. “Freefall” is one of the more radio-friendly songs with a bouncing rhythm that will have you nodding your head along, like “If It Doesn’t Hurt” there is a pop punk vibe but the heavy bass and guitar still keep in the land of rock, a real earworm is this one. The guitar and bass opening on  “Blame It On The Drugs” set this one up; Hawkins’s vocals are immense as he goes from calm and even to pleading, the tone from Vollelunga’s guitar is killer and Anderson’s thumping drum beat props it all up, another monster tune.

My favourite track on the album is “Existential Dread”; opening with a thunderous bass line that gives way to a funky electro beat that in turn ramps it up to the chorus where the drums, bass and guitar come crashing in as Hawkins lets fly, the song goes back and forth for the duration but what really makes the track is the interplay between the metal and electro style it’s just amazing. The soft opening of “Down The River” lures you into what quickly becomes a truly amazing pop-rock track that is packed with emotion as is quite evident in Hawkins’s vocals, the acoustic guitar is a nice touch along with the restrained drumming until it breaks down at the chorus, another excellent track. “Give It Time” is like something off an Alter Bridge or Tremonti album, with rousing verses’ and soaring chorus’ all to the backdrop of Anderson’s sensational drumming that has the perfect blend of reservation and power, a blinding track that will no doubt be a huge hit. The heavy and hard comes in the shape of “Stuck”; a real metalcore track that has a booming bass and thumping drum beat with a good mix of clean and screamed vocals, the screamed vocals, courtesy of Hip Hop star Sinizter, play of well against Hawkins more melodic style, the combination of the gritty riffs and the synth is awesome giving the track a nice edge. “Run For Your Life” blows up with a massive bass line before dropping to an atmospheric synth lead track that raises to a crescendo around the chorus’ where a heavy guitar riff and drum beat kick in as Oliver’s bass runs over everything, the end of the track reverts back to a synth outro that leads to the closer “Sound” which is the final spoken word excerpt.

Overall this is an exceptional album, but it would be better served without so many spoken-word tracks. Having never heard any of their previous material I am looking forward to going through the back catalogue as they have gained a new fan.

“Carnal” is out 28th of June

Review: Conor

Nothing More are:

Jonny Hawkins Vocals

Mark Vollelunga Guitar

Daniel Oliver Bass

Ben Anderson Drums

NOTHING MORE ANNOUNCE HEADLINING  “CARNAL TOUR 2024” FEATURING SET IT OFF, FROM ASHES TO NEW,  AND POST PROFIT ARTIST PRE-SALES START TODAY (MAY 21) @ NOON (ET) GENERAL ONSALE BEGINS THURSDAY, MAY 23 AT 10AM LOCAL TIME VIA NOTHING MORE’S WEBSITE HERE GOLD-CERTIFIED ROCK MAINSTAYS CONTINUE TO RISE ON ACTIVE ROCK CHARTS AT #4 WITH SINGLE  “IF IT DOESN’T HURT”  FROM UPCOMING ALBUM ‘CARNAL’  DUE JUNE 28 VIA BETTER NOISE MUSIC NEW TRACK  “ANGEL SONG (FEAT. DAVID DRAIMAN OF DISTURBED)” OUT DIGITALLY NOW; LISTEN HERE

RIAA Gold-certified and 3x Grammy Award-nominated rock mainstays NOTHING MORE today, May 21, announce their headlining “Carnal Tour 2024” produced by Live Nation. Earlier this week, NOTHING MOREwrapped up their co-headlining spring tour with Wage War which sold out various shows. The late summer “Carnal” tour will kick off in the U.S. on August 31 in Columbia, MO and stretch to September 24 in Cleveland, OH. It will feature direct support from rock outfit Set It Off along with special guests, alt-metal vanguards/Better Noise Music labelmates From Ashes To New and rock outfit Post Profit.  Artist pre-sales and VIP meet and greet upgrades begin today at Noon (ET). General onsale beginsThursday, May 23 at 10 AM local time via NOTHING MORE’s website HERE. “If the tour we just finished is any indication of what’s to come, this is going to be the best NOTHING MORE tour yet,” says NOTHING MORE frontman JONNY HAWKINS. “The CARNAL TOUR will be a chain reaction of energetic release across the U.S. We’re bringing out Set It Off, From Ashes To New, and our good friends Post Profit. Don’t miss this one. Your future self will thank you.” “I had the pleasure of meeting the guys in Nothing More at a show of theirs in Nashville recently, and they are just the kindest guys,” says SET IT OFF vocalist CODY CARSON. “But on top of that, what impresses me is their relentless work ethic and their incredible talent on stage. We hit it off right away, and we are very excited to hit the road with them! The whole tour package is extremely talented and really cares about their live show so these cities are in for a hell of a night!” “It’s been a long time coming and we’re excited to finally be hitting the road with our labelmates in Nothing More,” states FROM ASHES TO NEW vocalist DANNY CASE. “The whole lineup is huge and we’re looking forward to sharing the stage with them and Set It Off as well.” NOTHING MORE “CARNAL TOUR 2024”  DATES 8/31    Columbia, MO – The Blue Note 9/3      Little Rock, AR – The Hall # 9/5      San Antonio, TX – Boeing Center at Tech Port # 9/6      Houston, TX – Bayou Music Center # 9/7      Dallas, TX – South Side Ballroom # 9/9      Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle # 9/10    Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works # 9/13    Myrtle Beach, SC – House of Blues # 9/14    Lake Buena Vista, FL – House of Blues # 9/15    St. Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live # 9/17    Asheville, NC – Orange Peel # 9/19    Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore # 9/20    Richmond, VA – Virginia Credit Union Live 9/23    Buffalo, NY – Buffalo RiverWorks # 9/24    Cleveland, OH – Agora Theatre # # with Set It Off, From Ashes To New and Post Profit * no Set It Off or From Ashes To New ADDITIONAL 2024 TOUR & FESTIVAL DATES 7/23    Johnston, PA – 1st Summit Arena at Cambria County War Memorial # 7/25    Gilford, NH – BankNH Pavilion # 7/26    Bangor, ME – Maine Savings Amphitheater # 9/21    Camden, NJ – MMR*B*Q 2024 ^ 9/26    Saint Paul, MN – 93X Family Reunion 9/27    Milwaukee, WI – 102.9 The Hog’s HOG Havoc 9/27    Louisville, KY – Louder Than Life ^ 10/13  Sacramento, CA – Aftershock Festival ^ 10/17  Colorado Springs, CO – Sunset Amphitheater # 10/19  Park City, KS – Hartman Arena # 10/20  Saint Charles, MO – The Family Arena # 10/22  Pikeville, KY – Appalachian Wireless Arena # 10/23  Wheeling, WV – Wesbanco Arena # 10/25  Allentown, PA  – PPL Center # 10/26  Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena # # with Godsmack and Flat Black ^ festival date