Nuclear Assault – Survive
(REWRITTEN)
Background History
This band is a thrash-metal band which is mixing hardcore influences and metal. The band was created by former Anthrax bassist Danny Lilker. The band plays a very intensive and fast style of thrash-metal but they also have some really good rhythm sections in some of their material. John Connelly’s vocals has a whiney, yelling sound and it can be a little frustrating to hear in some songs but he his voice is yet effective and he sings really good though. This album is considered to be one of their biggest achievements. I just warn you because I don’t no what release date the album has, I know that it was released in 1988 but no more just so you know.
John Connelly - vocals/guitar
Anthony Bramante - guitar
Danny Lilker – bass
Glenn Evans - drums
Rise From The Ashes
Starts with fast and intensive riffing, you can hear Danny’s bass lines very clear, the guitars are good and the drum sounds nice. After 50 seconds the song is turning to a moderate pase but here are some really powerful rhythm riffs. And then after 50 seconds later the song turns into ordinary thrash which is destroying the song in a way. A good song to start the album. 4/5
Brainwashed
This song must be one of the best songs on this album. The songs ¨message¨ is that you must think for yourself and not let others think for you. The song is moderately fast with great riffs and a good guitar solo, the song is a non-stop rock song. 5/5
F#
An intensive, simple thrash metal song, have no idea what is has for kind of message because I can’t understand the headline of the song. 3/5
Survive
Also this song has an intensive pase. A little bit similar to F#, but not a good song though. It is not catchy and would sound uninteresting for listener. 2/5
Fight To Be Free
Starts with a calm electric –acoustic part and is later followed by a long guitar-solo. Then the pase turns up and after the second verse a new section of riffs a starting. It sounds like a reversed riff from Rise From The Ashes, a second guitar-solo is played here and it sounds good. 4/5
Got Another Quarter
23 seconds of wasted time, starts with fast bass and the rest of the bands enters for a little while. The song has no lyrics and the song suddenly stops. I will not rate this because of its structure and many other things. 0/5
Great Depression
Has the same speed as Brainwashed but turns into thrash in the chorus. The verse is a little bit catchy, still a good song. 4/5
Wired
This is one of the slowest song, and a very good song. Has the same structure and tempo through out the song and has a good guitar solo. The song has an deppressing feel to it but it is in a strange way catchy. 5/5
Equal Rights
One of the most intensive songs of the album, the song is about equal rights between humans, the chorus is terrible. You try to catch your breath when you hear Connelly’s voice in this song. (That’s what I feel when I hear the song) The verse is better where the bands ¨sings¨ together as they speak the songs headline. 2.5/5
P.S.A
This song is even worse than Got Another Quarter. Has growling and yell short vocals and high-speed tempo, for 10 seconds! I’m not going to rate this either because it’s sounds horrible and the headline doesn’t make any sense. 0/5
Technology
Starts with a laugh and has almost the same intro-riff as Megadeth’s 1000 Times Goodbye.
The solos are good but the rest of the song is bad, it sounds as the other songs with their intensive riffing and drumming. 3/5
Good Times, Bad Times
This song is about Connelly’s life (I think), from his youth to older days. The song has a great verse, vocals and good lyrics, a great song to end the album with. The song is not so ¨metallish¨ more just like some kind of blues/rock mix, the song is groovy and slightly catchy. 5/5
This album has both very great tracks and terrible/boring songs which makes this album hard to judge. The best songs of this album would be Brainwashed, Wired and Good Times, Bad Times and those are the songs that I can recommend. Songs like P.S.A and Got Another Quarter is typical stuff that can ruin a good album like this one. If you are a big fan of the thrash-metal genre then I can recommend this band and album.
PROS
+ The album is quite energic
+ The istruments are not overwhelming
+ People who like fast thrash metal would like this
CONS
- Bad Production
- The vocals can be annoying some times
- The filler songs are horrible
- You would tire very quick after listening to this album
RECOMMENDED TRACKS
Brainwashed
Fight To Be Free
Wired
Good Times, Bad Times
Overall album rating will be: 3.5/5
