Some bands think they’re brutal. Then there’s Nails. The dark and heavy hardcore band was all over every extreme-music fans’ radar when Unsilent Death was released three years ago. The record was ferocious and unforgiving, and Nails’ new album, Abandon All Life, is even more violent than that and other prior releases, including the 2012 EP, Obscene Humanity. Revolver caught up with vocalist-guitarist Todd Jones to ask him what’s got him so pissed off, his homestate of California, and hardcore cliques.
REVOLVER The amount of emotion dripping off Abandon All Life is insane. What is making this so genuine?
TODD JONES What makes something genuine is basically if you as a person can connect to whatever you’re doing or making. If you don’t feel some sort of emotional attachment to it, why are other people going to feel an emotional attachment to it? That’s why it took us such a long time to write the record. Most bands are on a two-year album cycle. This one took us three. We would have liked to have the album out in two years but the fact was we aren’t going to put out garbage. We took a long time crafting these songs and waiting for the right riffs. So that’s what it takes to be genuine. Like, if I’m playing guitar in my room and I’m playing something and I don’t love it, then I’m not going to use it, period.
I’ve heard that you recorded and ultimately trashed a whole album’s worth of material before making Abandon All Life. What happened to those songs? Were they reworked or did you never think about them again?
Our wasted material? It wasn’t good enough. I mean, I could sit at home all day and write riffs, but it doesn’t mean they are good and should be put into songs. I mean, we have one song we didn’t record but…we might record that. I like the song but I don’t think it’s good enough. It is a cool song, but the thing is, we’re not going to play it live probably so what’s the fucking point? I don’t wanna litter our discography with all these B-rate songs.
You guys consider yourselves to be a hardcore band, but on Abandon All Life, there’s a noticeably more death-metal sound.
It was the direction we wanted to go in. We just wanted to go heavier and darker. I was listening to a lot of Suffocation, which might not make sense to people. We don’t sound like Suffocation at all but I just wanted to go a little more brutal. I feel there is a void of bands playing straight-up aggressive music right now. They just want to play party metal or play songs with big structures. I’ve always been a champion of lean songs. I like metal riffs with lean punk structures.
That obviously played on the new record, which is 10 songs and only about 18-minutes long.
Yeah. Like I said, I like punk structure with metal riffs. That’s pretty much what I’m about right now. That’s why our albums are short–we’re not trying to like convolute our songs with lesser parts.
It seems like you’re pretty critical of yourself. What do you spend the most and least time on?
We spend the most time writing songs. No question. We want to perfect our craft. We want to make sure that we don’t put out a bullshit record and it’s something we love. We spend time writing songs but it’s not like we go in on a Saturday to our studio and practice for eight hours. That’s not how we write songs. Our process is I’ll play guitar, or everybody in the band does actually, and when someone has something they have an attachment to, they bring it to the table. Usually things come pretty quick for us. Everything we do happens organically and we don’t force anything. The hardest part about doing a band is making sure you write good music, which a lot of bands fail to do.
Nails with Kurt Ballou, far left
What’s it like recording with Kurt Ballou of Converge at his studio, GodCity ?
I’ve been recording with Kurt for 12 years. It’s fucking awesome. He’s someone I legitimately call a friend. Before I look at Kurt as a dude who records my band, I look at him as my friend. So I’ll have a different perspective that other people. It’s cool because I know I can go to him to help take care of everything. I’m a very impatient person. I absolutely do not enjoy recording. I don’t like playing parts over and over and over again. But I know I can go to him and not even have to think about it. I could put minimal input into it and he’s going to do a great job.
Unsilent Death’s cover art and font are visually evocative of black metal. Why did you go with that look?
I thought it was fucking cool. I didn’t mean for it to come off as a Hellhammer ripoff. I just wanted something that was brutal and sick. I know what you’re saying but what are we going do? Put, like, a varsity logo on our record? We don’t sound like that. I like the way it looks and I don’t know why we do what we do.
The new album’s cover art was done by Farron Kerzner, vocalist of Lightening Swords of Death.
He’s done a lot of artwork for us. We were into the idea of having some sort of cloaked figure on the album that didn’t really have any defining features and then having a pile of dead bodies. That’s what we told Farron to do and he came up with it. I didn’t expect him to do something as good as he did. That cover’s amazing.
Lyrically, the reoccurring themes on Abandon All Life include ignorance by others, inflicting pain, and hatred. What’s going on in your mind?
I don’t know. I’m a pretty happy person. After Unsilent Death, I’m not as angry as I used to be but I have that dark side still. I just fucking hate fake and corny people. I hate ass-kissers and I fucking hate posers. So my mindset is just very primal, almost like a teenager. That’s what I wanted to tap into with Nails. When I was getting into punk, I was excited about the fact there’s all there bands that played music I wanted to hear and said things I wanted to hear. They were angry. They felt the way I felt. It’s 15 years later and I still feel that way. I want to express myself that way and I hope there are other teenage people out there who read my lyrics and feel like they aren’t alone. That’s not even teenagers–that’s everybody. It might sound kinda silly but I don’t think it is. I just want to come from a very primal, young state of mind. I’m not interested in talking about personal shit or having some sort of concept. It’s just music.
That’s very hardcore state of mind. How did you get into metal and hardcore? Nails is from California and the scene there today doesn’t exactly sound like your band.
I got into mainstream music like Nirvana and Metallica when the Black Album came out. Punk rock grew, like, Green Day and The Offspring became big. Through that, my friends and I bought records. This was pre-Internet and information wasn’t readily available. You couldn’t just go to Google and download a record. Like, we really had to spend money and time with the random successes and failures of picking all these bands. Still to this day, I’m digging into new sounds of punk, metal, and hardcore. I mean, maybe we don’t sound like we’re from California but keep in mind Slayer, Terrorizer, Crucifix…there’s a lot of brutality coming from California. Maybe not in the past 20 years, but it’s still there. I don’t like living in California and I don’t like traffic. But Nails does not associate with California as it has no impact on Nails. Maybe it does subliminally. It’s not to say I hate California as far as the music scene goes, but when I started Nails, I never wanted us associated with any area at all. People want to associate a band with a city and I…I don’t care. It’s fine but I don’t think where we’re from has anything to do with where we sound like.
When you think of hardcore, you think of the regional scene and how everyone has their letters…
Yeah, and that’s not what I’m about. I hate the boys club of hardcore and all these fucking social cliques. It’s people who fucking look like they belong in a sports bar. I never fit into that. I want people like that to not like my band. I want them to feel like they aren’t welcome to listen to my band. I don’t care if anyone has a fucking problem with that. We don’t belong to any cliques, period. We just want to do our own thing and that’s why I’m saying, like, I guess you could say, we’re from California but we’re not associated with anybody but ourselves.
You have a family and that must make touring difficult. Do you have another job since you don’t tour as much as a lot of other bands?
I wish I had a job working manual labor. I don’t think anyone else is going to say that but I look at that stuff as creative. I wish I was handier but I work in Information Technology. I’ve been working in IT for 13 years. So I work with computers and I make decent money. I don’t want to tour full-time even if we had the opportunity. Touring six to nine months out of the year is bullshit and it takes all the creative energy out of you. It burns you out and it burns your fans out on your band. Nobody wants to see their favorite band play their hometown three times a year, no matter how much they like them. So, nah.
But going on the road is still an experience. What do you look forward to when heading out on the road?
My favorite part about going on the road is hanging out with the members of my band in a van and listening to music, along with playing shows. I don’t like anything else about touring. I’m not a very social person so I don’t try to make friends with people. I know a lot of people who say, “Oh, I’m going to go on tour and make so many new friends!” Well, I’m going to go on tour and make sure I don’t talk to people other than the people I already know.
Leading up to the end of the year, Revolver has asked some of our favorite artists to pick their Top Albums of 2012 and tell us why each record rules. Here, Craig “Goonzi” Gowans (pictured left), guitarist of the melodic death-metal band Bleed From Within, selects his faves.
5. Converge, All We Love We Leave Behind
“A band who, even after 22 years, can still write a genre-defining masterpiece so brutal and relentless.”
4. Deftones, Koi No Yokan
“Having been put into various genres over the years, one thing that has been obvious is that there is no band that sounds like Deftones. Another equally beautiful heavy album that no one could hope to match.”
3. Lamb of God, Resolution
“Lamb of God have been one of our favorite bands from the beginning and they never fail to disappoint. This is yet another incredible album that proves they are still the kings of modern metal.”
2. Meshuggah, Koloss
“We thought we wrote heavy music until we heard this album. One of the grooviest metal bands on the circuit today, and they seem to be going from strength to strength. If you have never seen them live, you are seriously missing out.”
1. Periphery, Periphery II: This Time It’s Personal
“This album is filled with groove and melody. They’ve taken that ‘djent’ sound and went somewhere completely different with it. They are six of the most creative and forward thinking musicians in metal today.”
Leading up to the end of the year, Revolver has asked some of our favorite artists to pick their Top Albums of 2012 and tell us why each record rules. Here, extreme-metal band Dragged Into Sunlight select their collective faves.
5. Converge, All We Love We Leave Behind
“The best Converge recording since the better parts of Petitioning the Empty Sky, everyone knows that’s “The Saddest Day.” What an evolution of sound. New, psychotic, out of step, off kilter, enjoyable, fucking CONVERGE. It’s possible that watching Jacob Bannon swing the mic 18 foot in the air and cough up chunks of venom and blood has never been this enjoyable. ”
4. Tragedy, Darker Days Ahead
“Tragedy is a crusty craft. A lot of reviewers had their ‘issues’ with this record. It isn’t fast. Oh well. Get a grip, it’s Tragedy, dwell under the intolerable weight. A force to be reckoned with at every level and total punishment from beginning to end.”
3. Be’Lakor, Of Breath and Bone
“This record is a game changer for Be’Lakor. Previously underrated and overly symphonic perhaps routine death metal. Now they make Dolph Lundgren sound Swiss. Swedish death metal to the final breath and bone. A profound listening experience.”
2. Lazarus Blackstar, Hymns for the Cursed
“Tone, heavy. Bludgeoning death. The slick of UK sludge. Faster than their previous efforts but still every bit as punishing. Members of Doom, influences of Medulla Nocte, a bit of Rudimentary Peni. Messy, crusty, grotesquely death metal, part Lazarus Bastard, this the creature that no man can cage. So fucking ugly. Press play and lie in the recovery position.”
1. Inverloch, Dusk/Subside
“Inverloch comprises 50% Disembowelment and 50% total fucking doom. This is what the end of the world sounds like, a before, middle and after. It makes you want to punch yourself in the face like a madman and then when you can’t take anymore. It makes you want to grab the nearest person by the throat and punch them in the face until it’s tough to tell the difference between human and hamburger. Brutal.”
Leading up to the end of the year, Revolver has asked some of our favorite artists to pick their Top Albums of 2012 and tell us why each record rules. Here, Jamie Hanks (pictured left), vocalist of the death-metal band I Declare War, selects his faves.
5. Haarp, Husks
“I can pretty much sum this album up in one hour or simply one word. I will meet in the middle and just say take a bong hit, sit back, and doom out. It’s a slow-moving record, but that really is the best part about it. New Orleans breeds yet another heavy-metal band for the ages.”
4. Whitechapel, Whitechapel
“A blistering pace and incredibly heavy leads are setting this band apart in the death-metal world right now. Not to mention the ever-developing range of the singer Phil Bozeman. Dare I say this band is the next career death-metal band? If they keep putting stuff out like this, it’s a lock.”
3. Cannibal Corpse, Torture
“Cannibal Corpse has been writing the same record for close to 20 years, it feels like. The thing is though, it’s a really, REALLY fucking badass record. Difference is this record really pumps up the production and tone a lot. ‘Scourge of Iron’ could be the heaviest song I have ever heard. Ever. For real.”
2. Converge, All We Love We Leave Behind
“Converge does it again. Dark, angry, fast, and uncomfortable are a few words that I can think of to describe this record. If you have had a reason to dislike Converge in the past, give this record a chance. You my be pleasantly surprised by this record. You get a little bit of everything along with a new thrash feel, too. Good record for a rainy day.”
1. Gaza, No Absolutes in Human Suffering
“This without question is my favorite heavy record of the year. Between the relentless pace, tasteful technicality, and bellowing vocals that would make even Death himself shit his robes–this record blends the prefect mix of grind, death metal, and punk. Perfect for someone that doesn’t have their head stuck in the sand.”
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Leading up to the end of the year, Revolver has asked some of our favorite artists to pick their Top Albums of 2012 and tell us why each record rules. Here, Jeanne Sagan (pictured left), bassist of All That Remains, selects her faves.
5. Early Graves, Red Horse
“I just love this band and every song on this is awesome. It’s fast, aggressive, angry, and has some ripping guitar riffs.”
4. Motionless in White, Infamous
“I was eagerly awaiting this one and they went the direction I was hoping. Dark, heavy, angry, and with more hints of industrial.”
3. Halestorm, The Strange Case of…
“An overall awesome rock album, and Lzzy Hale is a new hero of mine.”
2. Converge, All We Love We Leave Behind
“They are one of my all-time favorite bands. I like that the band as a whole is exploring and expanding more on their sound on every album.”
1. Baroness, Yellow & Green
“This album just hits all the right spots with me: the tones, the lyrical content, and the musicianship.”
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Leading up to the end of the year, Revolver has asked some of our favorite artists to pick their Top Albums of 2012 and tell us why each record rules. Here, Nate Derby (pictured left), guitarist of the melodic-hardcore band Such Gold, selects his faves.
5. Title Fight, Floral Green
“I was never an enormous fan of this band but still enjoyed their releases. With that said, Floral Green is right up my alley. Their angsty vocals finally work perfectly for me against the huge wall of sound they were able to create on this recording.”
4. Pinback, Information Retrieved
“I haven’t had this one on constant repeat yet, but Pinback has remained one of my favorite bands for years and any new Pinback record is going to make my Top Five pretty much no matter what. I love the crystal clear tones and clockwork rhythms so tight you can set your watch to them.”
3. Propagandhi, Failed States
“This goddamn band continues to rip so very hard after all these years and continues to top themselves with each release. Not much more that I can say that hasn’t already been said by someone more qualified than myself. If you don’t have this record then you’ve fucked up.”
2. Converge, All We Love We Leave Behind
“Converge return with a bang and a stern reminder that they are still here, still relevant, and still on top of their game. This band and album are untouchable.”
1. Torche, Harmonicraft
“Easily my favorite band of the last couple years. They continue to release incredible music with each full-length being better than their last. Crushingly heavy tones juxtaposed with perfectly honed rock sensibility. Buy this record and fall in love with this band as I have.”
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At Revolver, we are bringing this year to a close and making lists like we’re starring in a metal version of High Fidelity. Our January issue of Revolver (on newsstands now) features our Top 20 Albums of the Year. Online, we have posts and polls (like Best Music Videos), as well as a tribute to some musical heroes we lost this year.
In the meantime, we’re asking you to choose 2012′s Song of the Year. We’ve put together a list of the biggest and baddest songs in hard rock and heavy metal below; all you have to do is pick the best. And feel free to vote as many times as you want–until the poll ends on January 1.
UPDATE: The poll is closed. For the results, click right here.
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Leading up to the end of the year, Revolver has asked some of our favorite artists to pick their Top Albums of 2012 and tell us why each record rules. Here, Jacob Bannon (pictured left), vocalist of the hardcore band Converge, selects his faves.
5. Sun Kil Moon, Among The Leaves
“Another brilliant record from one of the best musicians out there today.”
4. Neurosis, Honor Found In Decay
“A potent and evolved new album from one of my all-time favorite bands in heavy music.”
3. Pig Destroyer, Book Burner
“Every Pig Destroyer album raises the bar for technical and intense music. They do it again here.”
2. Code Orange Kids, Love is Love // Return to Dust
“A frantic debut album, and just the beginning from this great young band.”
1. Torche, Harmonicraft
“Melodic yet intensely heavy music from some great friends. Recommended.”
Leading up to the end of the year, Revolver has asked some of our favorite artists to pick their Top Albums of 2012 and tell us why each record rules. Here, Austin Carlile (pictured left), vocalist of the metalcore band Of Mice & Men, selects his faves.
5. Stone Sour, House of Gold & Bones, Part 1
“Corey Taylor is one of my most respected vocalists. This album solidifies that statement so well. It’s amazing!”
4. Converge, All We Love We Leave Behind
“It’s Converge, must I say more? I love how they brought back some of the older sounds with this album. Converge never fails me.”
3. Bruce Springsteen, Wrecking Ball
“Can’t always be banging my head. I love driving around southern California with the widows down listening to this record. Or a Corona and lime on the back porch in the sun. Bruce has still got it!”
2. Mumford & Sons, Babel
“One of my favorite bands since early 2009. Mumford did it again with their new stuff. Really cannot get enough of this band.”
1. Lamb of God, Resolution
“This album is massive! So heavy and driving as they do best, and Randy Blythe sounds so damn angry. Hats off to them on this awesome record!”
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Leading up to the end of the year, Revolver has asked some of our favorite artists to pick their Top Albums of 2012 and tell us why each record rules. Here, Davey Muise (pictured left), vocalist of the melodic hardcore band Vanna, selects his faves.
5. Every Time I Die, Ex-Lives
“A band that gets better with time. This record is by far the thrashiest punk-rock jam from my favorite Buffalo five piece. Getting to know them better on Warped Tour and understanding all the songs just made listening that much better, not to mention they are the tightest live band ever and kill every stage they touch.”
4. Make Do and Mend, Everything You Ever Loved
“Hardworking upstanding dudes from our area. Right off the bat I listened with eager ears as they played stuff off this record on Warped Tour. Had to cop the album from them and it’s incredible, cover to cover. Sounds like a hardcore band went on tour with Foo Fighters. Why this band isn’t bigger and on the radio blows my mind. Get this one and work your way backwards through their material.”
3. Now Now, Threads
“Heard of this band word of mouth and I have this record on repeat all the time. Drive to it, hang to it, sleep to it. All around an amazing record, very into this band now.
2. The Chariot, One Wing
“So emotionally heavy and supercharged with great tone and riffs. It takes risks as the guys always do. They just surprised me with the risks in a good way. Proud of my friends.”
1. Converge, All We Love We Left Behind
“It’s everything I love about Converge all on one record. Fast and urgent yet so catchy and melodic all at the same time–and of course, amazing lyrical content. A total win from songs to art. This band gives such a total package.”