Unitron "FUCK, SCRAPE OUT HIS EYES"

Violence, fitting for its album title, is one of the most genuinely aggressive albums out there. The pure unbridled rage that Nothingface exudes is both blood-pumping and cathartic, with some added melodies to create an effective contrast. The aggression and heaviness never take a back seat though, it all works perfectly together.

The massive grooves bring the hooks to reel you in, but the late vocalist Matt Holt is perhaps the biggest highlight of the album. He screams out some of the most seriously angry vocals I've heard, to the point that he can sound legitimately intimidating. Songs like Make Your Own Bones, Same Solution, Can't Wait for Violence, and especially Hidden Hands, show someone that you don't want to mess with. Lines like "YEAH, YOU'll DIE YOU FUCKING BITCH" from Same Solution and the aforementioned lyric from Hidden Hands that opens this review are some of the most intense moments in metal history.

Coupled with the minimalist yet threatening Roy Lichtenstein-esque album cover, this is as intensive as music gets.

aglasshouse Nothingface's little-known 1995 debut unsurprisingly shows them at their most vulnerable and creatively amateurish. As a result the band seems to play much of their sonic onslaught safe, leaning heavily on their contemporary influences to guide them through the ordeal of a studio debut. These influences mainly revolve around the increasingly-popularized Korn sound with stocky, punchy drum fills and semi-reserved riffing to make way for what is generally the most-sought piece- the vocals. Such a production choice is a bit of a problem though as Matt Holt in his earliest stages really hadn't quite perfected his scream nor his clean vocals, both of which would become hallmarks of the classic Nothingface sound. At his best, Holt sounds like a mediocre proto-Chad Grey-esque character, with his emotional value not nearly being up to par with his future work.

The band occasionally hits some marks though- mainly because these lovable bastards are so talented- with really well-thought-out constructions in their music. For example, 'Severed' is likely the most epic and impressive tune out of the bunch, showcasing not only Houck at his best with his blistering syncopation but also a rather fantastic and roaring breakdown that makes the track hold up to even some of their greatest hits. I cannot for the life of me understand why it wasn't chosen as a track to re-record for Pacifier in '97. Another highlight is the atmospheric 'Communion', another very Korny track where Holt channels Jonathan Davis with a warbling, weak-sounding whisper layered on with microphone distortion effects, creating quite the formidable atmosphere for fresh-out-of-the-underground band. But while these tracks are indeed great and a fun romp either way, Nothingface 1995 is still an album that could do with much improving, which is almost certainly to be expected with such a new band who hasn't quite found their footing at this point in the music world.

aglasshouse With nu metal, the quality can go one of too very polar-ended ways: either it is structurally basic, repetitive, laughably edgy, or just plain uninteresting, or it's surprisingly competent and able to incorporate more interesting elements than the genre is known to allow. This is not an original observation by any means, but it is important to keep in mind as to distinguish quality nu metal releases from the mountains of drivel that also occupies the genre. And this pile of drivel is enormous- so enormous that I wouldn't really put it past someone to dismiss the medium in it's entirety. In my case when I find something actually good that happens to be golden-age nu metal, it is surprisingly and extremely refreshing. Today's pick is Nothingface, an act arising from the surprisingly vivacious hotpot of Washington D.C. They were rather early to the scene with their 1993 emergence and shot a slew of well-judged bullets through their 90's career, and didn't even end of up petering out by the time An Audio Guide to Everyday Atrocity came out in '98.

Then came Violence. This breakout disc was the band's second to last release but also happens to be their most caustic, interesting, and violent. Right off the bat it's clear from the title and the minimalist cover bearing only the album and band's titles and a strip of a Roy Lichtenstein-esque illustration that Violence is about as blunt as a ball-bearing cosh swinging at your skull at 25 mph. Fear not, the music certainly reflects that. Thematically it is very reflective of the era's newly born alternative metal scene with somber and often times volcanically pugnacious lyrics, which blend very well with Matt Holt's low-pitched and melancholic self-harmonizations. The raw aggression is conveyed through snarling guitar licks and barely-restrained yet pretty complex at-times drum fills from Chris Houck (who has probably become one of my favorite nu metal drummers of all time). Also, some of the hooks on this album in particular are extremely catchy at times either with the vocals or the guitar. I think 'Can't Wait For Violence''s chorus had been stuck in my head for several days after listening all the way through the album. Going back to Matt Holt; harmonizations are present but something that really brings the apoplectic rage is his extremely raw vocal screams, which would likely not sound out of place on any other more respected metal album. Not only are these screams very well done and do well to get my heart kicked up a few notches at some points, the unapologetic use of juvenile curse words is a good motif and a conveyance of a sort of loss of humanity amidst the animalistic fury that is used on this record. I think the line: "FUCK! SCRAPE OUT HIS EYES!!" from 'Hidden Hands' will go down in my books as one of the unabashed incitements of ultra-violence I've heard in music.

Violence, as well as Nothingface in general, is a real diamond in the rough and I hope they do get more recognition, especially considering Matt Holt's horribly unfortunate death a few months ago. Even nu-metal naysayers I believe are safe near this record.

pointandclick Nothingface are a rare example of a band that got better with each album. They go out with a bang on 2003's "Skeletons". It's an engaging and always interesting mix of soft ballads and angry pseudo metalcore. It's hard to believe the same guy is singing on tracks like "Ether" and "I Wish I Was a Communist". "Scission", "Beneath", "Patricide" and "Ether" easily sound like songs that could of been made by some faceless multi-platinum alt-rock band, in stark contrast to tracks like "Big Fun at the Gallows", "All Cut Up" and the aforementioned "I Wish I Was a Communist" where the singer just sounds so incredibly pissed off and vicious.

Another thing about this album is that the band really got creative with the song titles, in contrast to their previous albums which had generic titles like "Filthy". I doubt any band had ever named their songs "Murder is Masturbation", "Big Fun at the Gallows" or "I Wish I Was a Communist" at this point. The album's lyrics are much more interesting and mature (save for the random f-bombs) than before, they touch on subjects such as sexual abuse by Catholic Priests, corrupt politicians and the wars in Afghanistan/Iraq.

All in all this is probably one of the best nu metal releases ever, obviously that isn't saying much but still.

Originally written for www.rateyourmusic.com