Cassette Review // NEF100: Burn After Hearing (Nefarious Industries)

https://nefariousindustries.bandcamp.com/album/nef100-burn-after-hearing

Growing up, in my teen years especially, I loved a good compilation.  Give me Vagrant Records' "Five Years on the Streets", Punk-O-Rama or Survival of the Fattest.  Some of my favorite artists and songs were found through compilations.  We need to bring that idea back and it can start with NEF100: Burn After Hearing because this will introduce you to a lot of great artists you may have not heard before.

El Drugstore starts things off with a big instrumental number which is math-metal rock.  The DRX is up next and they have this big operatic synth sound, like Coheed meets Rush, and it kicks in screamy as well.   Arbogast is more of a hardcore/metal sound, blistering guitar riffs are there and it's fast paced like Sick Of It All.   Risk Relay really reminds me of the band Garrison as they have that post metal / post punk type of punk sound.

Humans Etcetera keeps the first side going and it feels like if you took a big metal band like Helmet and combined them with some complex indie rock and I don't even have a comparison point but this just rocks.   Psychosomatic has both qualities of rock n roll / punk / rockabilly and Metallica, which might be inventing a new genre.   Zvi closes out the first side with these big, electronic beats and a nice instrumental groove.

On the flip side we begin with Nequient who has this fast paced screaming and growling hardcore/metal/punk feel like Fall Silent.   Gematria is a big metal drumming sound with much chaos.   Bedtimemagic takes us into that Skarhead type of hardcore, a bit of Bane.  We're screaming into distorted beats on Gridfailure and then Fuck Your Birthday has this "Barricuda" drive with a little bit of The Mars Volta.

Cinema Cinema have a short song that is loud and says "Must've made a wrong turn somewhere" and the whole thing ends with Zevious who has ambient sonar.   One of the best parts of a compilation is not just hearing songs by artists you know, but being introduced to new artists.  And then hearing those artists and just thinking about how you've never heard anything quite like them before and you didn't even know they made music that sounded like this.  That's what, in many ways, a great compilation should do and it is happening here.