ALBUM REVIEW: Perpetual Chaos – Nervosa

They may have traded faces over the years but NERVOSA‘s mission statement has always stood steadfast; unremorseful, pulverising blends of thrash and death metal. Whilst the band’s strategy has remained consistent their execution has not always boasted the same sturdy poise. The Brazilian-based outfit’s 2014 debut Victim of Yourself was a masterclass in thrash/death but the headstart was squandered by 2016’s Agony and its penchant for mediocrity.

Two years later saw the, then, three-piece settle back into their stride with Downfall of Mankind – winning heaps of righteous acclaim from critics and fans alike with the band’s future a seemingly uncontested climb to success. Now, in 2021, the band unveils a brand new lineup, save for founding guitarist Prika Amaral, and all eyes now fall upon this new entity and what will become of their first full-length venture; Perpetual Chaos.

In short, although the hands that oversee this 13-track brawl of vitriolic rasps and guttural riff play are, indeed, unfamiliar, they’re certainly safe ones. With Prika Amaral providing a familiar backbone to the mayhem, NERVOSA essentially embraces the passing torch from forgone vocalist/bassist Fernanda Lira and drummer Luana Dametto and have no trouble in keeping the flame burning bright. How? Case in point being NERVOSA’s performances. The quartet is wound unbelievably tight with new recruits Mia Wallace [bass], Diva Satanica [vocals] and Eleni Nota [drums] bringing estimable pedigree from ABBATH, BLOODBATH and GHOST SEASON respectively for a collective worthy of the band’s quickly rising status. 

This, unsurprisingly enough, amounts to a robust set of tracks that attack with all the brazen subtlety of a skull-embedded axe, and highlights that can happily perch besides NERVOSA‘s gruelling catalogue of cranium shakers. Leading the charge come Venomous, Guided By Evil and People of the Abyss – a brutal trio of cutthroat numbers where the band revives their ‘the more the better’ riff ethos and Satanica mounts the helm with her array of acerbic barks. Ears-rattling and neck sore, it’s a promising first impression from the band’s new chapter. Marrying this palette of thrash/death metal is careful work by any measure and NERVOSA rightly entrusts the mastering wizardry to Martin Furia of DESTRUCTION and FLOTSAM AND JETSAM fame. Furia continues the solid improvements made on Downfall of Mankind, ensuring the grimey atmospherics are well-matched with riffs that bite and drum fills that could topple buildings – something sorely absent on 2016’s Agony.

The combined efforts of artist and producer make for a convincing mix of NERVOSA‘s chosen genres of influence but there is, in keeping with the band’s previous work, a distinction between the thrash tracks and the death metal tracks. This line in the sand makes it plain to see that NERVOSA puts its best foot forward when that same foot is hard on the thrash pedal. Until The Very End, Time to Fight, Genocidal Command, these singles may carry the gruesome tinge of your gnarliest death metal but inexorable tempos, excitable guitar chugs and crowd-pleasing hooks are the true makers of Perpetual Chaos’ finest moments. Death metal reared numbers like the title track, Kings of Domination, and closer Under Ruins are just as air-tight as the rest of the line-up but their mid-tempo plods come as a sort of emergency stop to what otherwise feels like a joyride through hell. 

It’s hard to avoid feeling that Perpetual Chaos could have been so much more with these speed bumps removed from the equation. At 43 minutes it’s no marathon but with the fat trimmed down there stood the potential for a lean and incredibly mean tracklist in the same vein as DEATH’s 30-minute masterpiece; Human. Looking at the bigger picture, however, it’s hard to lament the record too hard when its hit rate is so ruthlessly consistent elsewhere.

Fears and uncertainties can be set aside for now as NERVOSA and its new entourage of talent have proved more than capable of filling the large vacant boots – seizing the opportunity to bring a promising new era for the band’s discography. Their lineups have been rocky at best and volatile at worst but we can only hope that this remains the future face for NERVOSA. There are some teething issues to be fought through but all signs point in the right direction and that can only lead this band thriving, and our ears ringing. 

Rating: 7/10

Perpetual Chaos is set for release on January 22nd via Napalm Records. 

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