AGGRESSA — Nuclear Death + Demo 1 (review)

AGGRESSA — Nuclear Death + Demo 1 album cover Boxset / Compilation · 2013 · Speed Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
Time Signature
Out of obscurity...

Genre: speed/thrash

Aggressa were an Australian underground band who were active back in the 1980s. This release captures their EP "Nuclear Death" and a demo release in all their 1980s gritty glory.

If we address the production first, this stuff is old school. The production of the tracks from the "Nuclear Death" EP is fuzzy and extremely lo-fi by today's standards, and I am sure that a number of younger listeners will find it totally unlistenable. The tracks from the demo are characterized by imbalance in the mix with the bass being even more dominant than the drums and the vocals. However, we must remember that this is a collection of two underground releases from the 1980s, and back then, they did not have the technonology to record a professional-sounding album in their bedrooms using home PCs. So, I hope you can forgive the production (or maybe you will even find it charming) and be able to focus on the music.

Musically, Aggressa's style is a blend of speed metal and thrash metal with a healthy dose of traditional metal. Thus, 'Torture and Pain' starts out with a traditional metal intro, but then morphs into a fast paced speed metal track akin to very early Metallica, and with a hint of punk. The title track and 'Break Down the Walls' offer up some strong old school metal riffage. Indeed, riff-wise, this release has a lot to offer, and the up- and mit-tempo tracks are generally strong. What is really interesting though is that Aggressa also flirt with the at the time nascent extreme metal, with 'Tunks' and parts of 'Voo Doo Doll' leaning towards grindcore, complete with blastbeats and all (sloppy blastbeats, but still). The latter is a particularly interesting, as it combines fierce extreme metal with melodic traditional metal.

An unearthed gem which, musically, has srprisingly much to offer (performance-wise, it is a bit sloppy), "Nuclear Death + Demo 1" is recommendable to anyone with an interest in the history of extreme metal. I don't know if Aggressa were influential or anything back then, but their style does capture metal's transition towards the more extreme.
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