2013
There are some things that should never fall out of fashion and one such item is traditional heavy metal. No matter how much metal's landscape might change, with newer bands trying to outdo the older ones in the extreme department, there will always be room for good, old-fashion, traditional heavy metal bands. Or as long as we the fans support them. What worked so well back in the late 70s and early 80s can (and does) work just as well now. That's of course if you know how to do it and how to do it right. For a band like Pennsylvania's Nitro (the ONLY Nitro that matters boys and girls) they not only knew how to do it right back in the day (their lone album, "Lethal + II", is a true heavy metal classic kiddos), but they still know how to do it right all these years later! In celebration of the 30th anniversary of Nitro's "Lethal + II" (which you can find on iTunes and Amazon) the band is releasing the first single, "Uranium", from their upcoming new album, "Flechette". When you take into account the length of time that Nitro has been away from the scene (and really just how much the musical landscape has changed in all that time) it's one thing that they were even able to pick things up so well and so smoothly, but it's even more impressive that the same spirit of true heavy metal that helped the band find a loyal following back in the early 80s is still alive and kicking some serious ass on "Uranium"! While I'll never be able to figure out why this Nitro didn't have the same level of success as the "lipstick and hairspray" Nitro did (despite the fact that "Lethal + II" is so much better then anything put out by those pop metal princesses!) maybe the second time around will be the charm? Even if it has taken Nitro far too long to release a proper follow-up to their lone album (the scene really could have used Nitro on more then one occasion honestly) this new single makes up for the wait. It also points towards bigger and better things for the band. "Uranium", which sounds as if it was forged by the gods of hellfire rock n' roll, is catchy as hell and will get stuck in your head for days on end! It's a mixture of straight-up heavy metal, crunchy hard rock and the more aggressive side of radio rock. And yes, it kicks ass! In a way it's Nitro in a new and improved fashion for today's heavy metal crowd while it's also the same Nitro that so many of us considered cult heroes back in the day. The cool thing about Nitro's new single is that you can easily see it getting love from both the metalheads (thanks to it's crunchiness) and the mainstream (thanks to it's catchy rock appeal) meaning it's a single in the truest sense of the word. If all was to be right with the world, and the band gets the proper press and airplay they rightly deserve, "Uranium" would be ruling the radio in no time flat! It would get plenty of airtime no doubt. I saw how effective it was first hand. As I played the single many times over for review purposes (and honestly so I could also just rock the f**k out as this cut is killer!) it proved to be a hit with my teenage children and their respective friends. Given that it's a diverse crowd we're talking about (my own two like everything from The Beatles to AC/DC while their friends like everything from Skrillex to One Direction) "Uranium" was warmly embraced by all who heard it. I even played it for another long-time heavy metal fan (one of my friends who is also seeing more and more grey hairs appear in his beard!) and the general consensus was that Nitro has a potential heavy metal hit in their hands. So, there is no reason to think "Uranium" couldn't give Nitro the exposure they so rightly deserve. If your a longtime fan of the group, or even if you just like straight-up heavy metal, be sure to support bands like Nitro. True heavy metal isn't going anyway as long as songs like "Uranium" keep the scene rocking. "Uranium" will soon be available for download on iTunes and all other digital music outlets so be sure to keep an eye out for it. And hopefully fans of the real Nitro won't have to wait too much long for the group's new album. If it proves to be even half as good as "Uranium" is then Nitro could end up with another classic release on their hands! In the meantime be sure to check out the band's Facebook page for updates and you can read my original review of "Lethal + II" below.
Nitro's Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nitro/291420000913566
My review of Nitro's "Lethal + II"
http://metalmark.blogspot.com/2012/06/forgotten-gems-nitro-lethal-ii.html
No comments:
Post a Comment