Jan 152014
 

(TheMadIsraeli has been on a reviewing roll, and the subject of these thoughts is the latest album by Nausea.)

Nausea is a death grind powerhouse that includes guitarist/vocalist Oscar Garcia of Terrorizer fame and guitarist Leon De Muerte of Murder Construct.  Nausea have also been around forever, having been formed while Terrorizer were still together (there is a split with both bands from ’88), yet this album, Condemned To The System, is only their second full-length, their catalogue mostly consisting of demo’s and EP’s (lots of them). Their only other full-length is Crimes Against Humanity from ’91.

Nausea appears to be Oscar’s way of carrying on the legacy of the World Downfall Terrorizer sound, and he succeeds magnificently.  If you ever wanted something that could serve as an evolved sequel to that legendary grindcore record, Condemned to the System is it.  The gritty as fuck, sharp as nails guitar tone is back; the grooves and the power chord, slide, and tremolo-picked heavy riffing are there; and of course Garcia’s rancid, bestial roar remains perfectly intact. Continue reading »

Nov 032013
 

In the last three days I saw three signing announcements for three bands who kick so much ass that they produce epidemic proportions of asslessness. It finally dawned on my foggy mind that all three signings were with the same label: Willowtip Records, based in the incomparably named borough on the left bank of Connoquenessing Creek — Zelienople, Pennsylvania. The three bands are Nausea, Mithras, and Plague Widow. In case these names are unfamiliar to you, here’s a bit of background along with more details about the new albums that are headed our way — and some music to hear from each band.

NAUSEA

An introduction is probably unnecessary in this case, but here goes: Nausea are a seminal SoCal grind band whose earliest demos go back to 1987, yet their only full-length album was 1991’s Crime Against Humanity. They split up in 1994 but reformed in 2001, and they’ve been playing a lot of live shows in the last three years, including Maryland Deathfest and a recent European tour. The current line-up consists of original vocalist/guitarist Oscar Garcia and original drummer Eric Castro, plus two new members: Bassist Alejandro CB (Pounder, Chemical Bitches) and guitarist Leon del Muerte (Murder Construct, ex-Exhumed, Phobia, Impaled, Intronaut).

The new album is entitled Condemned To the System, and Willowtip will be releasing it on January 7, 2014. It will include both new songs and previously unreleased vintage tracks. Continue reading »