Ten years after their self-titled release, Nothing More are set to re-release their acclaimed album, re-recorded and better than ever. Every track has been enhanced and the results speak for themselves, they are crisper, cleaner and deliver the full force of the band; the way it should be.
Opening with “Ocean Floor” an electro-metal intro that acts a gateway to some of the most ferocious and fantastic tracks you will ever hear. “This Is The Time(Ballast)” was cracking on the original with a killer bass line but on this, holy shit, when it hits it goes fucking boom, the drums follow suit and the crunching riffs add really accentuate the heaviness of the track, Jonny Hawkins vocal range is outstanding and he delivers here big time. “Christ Copyright” is another that benefits from the rehash; it is brasher, crisper, feels faster and heavier, the drums are cleaner and you can really feel each beat, this is a particular favourite of mine for no other reason than its power. “Mr MTV” starts out with the Dire Straits intro from “Money For Nothing” before breaking down into a bass stomping monster that has cool elements of electro and Hawkins vocals soaring to the heights before dropping to pleading desperation, the chorus is off the hook and seriously catchy, this is one of the best tracks on the album, it has it all metal, metalcore, electro, simply put outstanding.
“First Punch” is a bouncing pop punk style track that has a nice kick to it, a darker punk side in the middle, this is just a great track to jump around to. There is a brief interlude in the form of “Gyre” , an instrumental with philosopher Alan Watts speaking on it. “The Matthew Effect” starts out low key before exploding into a killer track with a savage rhythm from Oliver’s bass and Anderson’s drums while Vollelunga’s cutting riffs and Hawkins’s amazing vocals all combine to make this an unreal track. The power ballad stylings of “I’ll Be OK” and “Here’s To The Heartache”, slow things down a bit, they both have a much sharper sound and combine the slow with the heavy really well, monster bass and drum beats really set them off and Vollelunga’s mastery on the guitar both riff and solo wise play nicely off Hawkin’s high notes, two cracking tracks. The crushing opening riffs of “If I Were” are the gateway to another unreal track, muted vocals and a thumping beat in the verse’ lead nicely into a heavy bouncing rhythm at the chorus’ where Hawkins comes into his own, the guitar play on this one is off the chain and backed up big time by Anderson’s killer drums and Oliver’s booming bass. “Friendly Fire” is a beast; after a subdued opening it goes off big time; the track is built off a thunderous drum beat combined with Vollelunga’s cool riffs and Oliver’s rumbling bass all of which allow Hawkins to stretch his pipes switching between spoken, snarled and soaring vocals, one of the best tracks on the album.
As the title suggests “Sex & Lies” is a down-and-dirty rocker with an anthemic feel, a thumping bass line sets it up, and gritty riffs and the deadly drum beat accentuate the edgy feel to this one, packed with an attitude you can only love. “Surface Flames” is more akin to an electro/techno album than a metal one but it fits in nicely with the rest of the album and has a decent heavy beat to it. “Take A Bullet” brings the metal back with a bang, crunching riffs and a blistering drum beat set the tone as Hawkins screams and snarls his way through the verses before hitting the higher notes for the chorus’, underpinning the whole thing is a serious cool slapping bass line from Oliver. The biggest track of the album when originally released was “Jenny”, there is not much to say about this other than it is still as kick ass now as it was then but just with a better and much heavier sound, a real standout track which is hard as the album is packed full of them. “God Went North” is a melancholic track that has Hawkins switching between pleading and soaring heartfelt vocals all to a savage backdrop of a band that is putting everything into it, this one just grips you, it’s like an emotional rollercoaster, you will feel spent after listening to it. The album closes with “Pyre” , another instrumental that has Alan Watts speaking over an atmospheric keyboard riff.
As is the usual case with re-records or re-releases there are a couple of bonus tracks on here in the shape of a “This Is The Time” remix and an acoustic version alongside an acoustic version of “Jenny”, which is absolutely unreal!
What was an amazing album when released ten years ago, has been enhanced and made even better.
Review: Conor
Nothing More are:
Jonny Hawkins Vocals
Mark Vollelunga Guitar
Daniel Oliver Bass
Ben Anderson Drums
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