Some albums are like a gun shot; like an instant wound. The phrase “love it or leave it” has been uttered by plenty of patriots (mostly during the Vietnam War). A quick combination of these things should give you a clear cut picture of what Nomads are all about. Love It or Leave It.
A little lesson on Nomads: they play fast, furious and unfair. The L.A. hardcore/punk quartet plays hardcore in one of the rawest veins heard in a long, long time. Straight to the point, no bullshit, no frills, no filler, nothing but solid brass knuckles track by track.
Let's just get this out of the way: every genre of music, every single one of them, has a swarth of mediocrity surrounding it. Doesn't matter what you're listening to. It all comes down to execution. And Nomads have it. When it comes down to peeling the skin back and wasting no time, Nomads hit the the listener over the head constantly with glass bottles. When the vocals on “Falling Down” kick in, Nomads whirls through forty seconds of caustic destruction. And it doesn't slow much from there. A cover of GG Allin's “Commit Suicide” is the most definitively 80s slab the album has to offer.
But obsession with old school hardcore/punk isn't strictly reserved to stuff like Poison Idea or Wasted Youth (or Allin). Nomads also aren't shy about their love for bands like Discharge or Motörhead. Tracks like “Omegalomaniac”, “C Word” and “Too Little Too Late” are all vicious d-beat bangers. “Omegalomaniac” especially stands out with its slower intro and guitar lead. It's a nice break up from the constant onslaught.
However, the biggest surprise comes from the cover of “Lucretia, My Reflection” (originally by Sisters of Mercy). The song at first sounds like something you'd find on Wire's Pink Flag. The post-punk influence is strong throughout, even when the screaming vocals punch on. However, it's the low spoken vocals that add a great deal of mood to the song too, closing the album on a melancholy note.
Speaking of destruction, as if you weren't used to Taylor Young crushing you enough in his band Nails, he also does some damn fine recording with Nomads at his studio The Pit, with mastering by Brad Boatright (Full of Hell and Magrudergrind). Sound wise, Love It or Leave It is excellent. It's noisy and not too bass-driven, managing to scrape up that 80s sound and transform it into something modern.
When alls said and done, Love It or Leave It is a glorious punch in the gut. It's approach isn't new but it's got that approach that can grabs one's attention and keeps screaming in the face of the listener. It's another reminder of how fucking good the 80s sound was, and how goddamn good it can still sound today. Nomads have been doing their schtick for awhile now. And Love It or Leave It's pissed stomp is something that shouldn't go unnoticed.
Score: 8/10
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQq8Wf1Hfjw[/youtube]
