Nailed Promise calls their music "heavy, abrasive, aggro-rock" and list their sound as being at home with "Stavesacre, Helmet, Glisten, Puller, and Snapcase." Hmmm. Well I don't know about Snapcase, but they DEFINITELY sound like Helmet. Fast start/stop riffs through the verses and then lending to chugga choruses.
The CD is 12 tracks long, and clocks in at just over one hour, so you do get your money's worth out of this CD. It's mixed well, with distinct instruments throughout, and the vocals lay right on top without overpowering the music what-so-ever.
Highlights, well a few songs stand out including Jabberwocky, which has probably the catchiest groove on the disk. However in the middle of this song is a huge bass drop, you know the kind found in Hip-Hop songs, and it just comes from out of nowhere. Every time I hear it I find it incredibly out of place. I'm sure some people think it's the coolest thing since press on tattoos, but I don't like that effect.
Speaking of Hip-Hop I've got to tell you about track #11, called Inner Fire. This track features label mates Dirt, who join up to rap it out to the music of Nailed Promise. This song is the only song that I have any lyrical complaints with. Not that the lyrics are bad in any way, but I just don't get into lines like "microphones from heaven" and "Shadow of the Locust gettin' down with Nailed Promise." Dirt is a serious hip-hop band, perhaps too much so to fully click with this band.
However the band is very sound in their lyrics throughout the rest of the CD. I really like the setup of the song You Let Me Go, that is a sinner going to hell talking to a Christian who did not witness to him. The song ends with:
Why didn't you tell me about your God.
Why didn't you help see His face,
now I'm going down.
Beyond that, many of the songs sound very similar, and there is not a lot of variety on this CD. If you are into Helmet and have been wondering where the Christian version is, this is the band for you.
6.5/10
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #77Reviewed by Doug Van PeltThe album that's been hinted at for nearly two years is finally here. By all estimates, it sounds like the wait was good for the band. My memories of the band's live shows were good, bordering on intense, but not riveting. This release, however, finds the band fulfilling its potential. These four guys sound not like they're only on the same page, but on the very same letter. While not exactly…HM Magazine #74Reviewed by Brian Vincent McGovernThick, solid guitar riffs eat this thin silver disc, chew it up, and spit it out with the precision of a Swiss timepiece and the weight of a Caterpillar dump truck. Aggro-rock at its bone-jarring best, Nailed Promise kicks the devil's behind and takes no prisoners. Abrasion is all over the vocalists' confirmation, "I will not waiver, I will not fail / God is the reason I stand up tall." The only…Dead Zine 1998Reviewed by sesspoolAlright, this album actually starts off very good... resembling the newest Slayer album and mixing in some Metallica with that (for those who HAVE to have a comparison). However, the album trails on with a sort of... angry monotone that doesn't necessarily get OLD per se, more... gets ignored. Lyrically, the band seems to be rooted in the "be saved or die" aspect... but approaches it with a…Dead Zine 1998Reviewed by thOrNSeeing these guys at last years TOM and this year was a definitely good idea to spend 30 minutes a set of good ole hardcore. Are you sad that Everdown broke up? and Snapcase is gone too. Well these guys fill that void with the same style of hardcore. I know D doesn't think they sound like Snapcase, but when I heard this album Snapcase, Everdown, and Helmet all came to mind. Though they sound…Dead Zine 1998Reviewed by MuchWithout the smallest doubt, I can tell you precisely the sound of this band......HELMET. In fact a better description was given to me by D_Lister, "They're HELMET all over the place!" Now, some of you are on this big "anti sound-alike" kick , well I too enjoy originality. Let me tell you this much, I really embrace this LP. Especially because I think HELMET took a turn for the worse after the…
