Every Bridge Burning, the fourth record from the Californian hardcore punk group Nails, marks a new beginning for the band. The first release by Nails in roughly 8 years, Every Bridge Burning follows significant turnover with Todd Jones (the lead vocalist) being the band’s only original member. The reasons surrounding the band’s absence are somewhat ambiguous. Jones himself cites burnout, and recently stated “I never said [we went on hiatus]”.
The opening track “Imposing Will” very effectively sets the tone for the record with its incredibly heavy riffs and high-tempo drumbeats matching the intense and violent themes of the lyrics. Additionally, I found the instrumental section between the final chorus and the outro particularly enjoyable as it allowed me to better appreciate the instrumentation in isolation from the lyrics.
“Punishment Map” immediately follows with even higher tempo drumbeats which seems to reflect some of the shifting lyrics from the “Intent to kill” in the previous track to the more active violent suggestions in this track (“Rope tied, terrorize”). Lyrically, this track could’ve been developed a bit further. It felt like the verses were significantly shorter than the choruses (which could be on account of the track’s overall short length, however).
The title track, “Every Bridge Burning,” very effectively blends the strengths of this record into one cohesive track. The opening drumbeat serves as the perfect hook, and the song emphasizes its theme of betrayal through metaphors like “Judgment deemed in dirt” and “The knife inside is turning”. This track marks a definite high point in the project and segues perfectly into my personal favorite track, “Give Me the Painkiller.” The incredibly grimy and distorted guitar tones in this track suit the nihilistic and dark imagery to a T. We see similar lyrical themes in this track, albeit with more of a moral message (clinging onto humanity rather than being consumed by rage).
“Lacking the Ability to Process Empathy” stands out as somewhat of an outlier considering its slower drum tempo and slightly more introspective lyrical themes. Similarly to “Punishment Map,” the following track, “Trapped,” contains a lot of interesting choices both sonically (using cymbals to create suspense that climaxes into the opening verse) and lyrically (tight and prominent rhyme scheme) but does little to expand upon them. To me, given the track’s short length, it feels almost like an afterthought.
The lyrics on “Made Up In Your Mind” distinguish it as a track, with its skillful dichotomies skewering the psyche and hypocrisy of Jones’s target. The very guttural vocals
when saying “I don’t fucking feel sorry for you” hammer home the rawness/emotion associated with this pseudo-confrontation. The proceeding track “Dehumanized” by far feels the heaviest of the record, the distorted bass riffs and an almost drone-like sound created by the drumbeats accentuate the hyper-nihilistic lyrics like “Your life ripped to shreds” and “God failed you again.” The subject/target of this track also felt somewhat ambiguous making it stand out in that way.
“I Can’t Turn It Off” shows off Nails’ lyrical chops yet again with Jones responding to criticisms he has received, presumably from the same person he addressed in many of the earlier tracks. However, in his response he avoids complete denials, as evidenced by “I did what I did” and “I won’t justify”. Instead, he portrays his actions as necessities that this other person refused to take (“Say you can do it too, but no one’s seen you get it done”). Lyrically, this track portrays an interesting grey-area that gives it quite a bit of character.
The closing track, “No More Rivers to Cross,” sends the record off on a high note with its heavy almost looming bass riffs, and emphasized, dramatic drumbeats. This track feels like a lyrical coup de grâce when Jones discusses his search for a life of solitude, with the target of the previous tracks notably absent. The lyric “got no more rivers to cross” feels very final, as if this “conflict” that has been unfolding throughout the record has reached its natural end and can subside.
Overall, this record is a stunning high-point in Nails’ discography and serves as an excellent return from a long-awaited absence. Instrumentally, the drumming by Carlos Cruz added so much to every track and helped to accentuate the bass guitar making each track feel heavy and intense. Although some of the bass riffs felt a bit played-out by the end of the record, they did well to feed into the emotion/energy of the lyrics. The emotion and intensity of the lyrics was palpable. Jones’ guttural delivery and blunt imagery really hammers home the rage behind the lyrics. If I were to criticize this project, I would say that “Punishment Map” and “Trapped” had interesting lyrical and instrumental features that felt particularly underdeveloped. “Trapped” had some of my favorite instrumentation and rhyming on the record, but its miniscule 38 second duration left no time for development which, to me, felt deeply unsatisfying. Beyond this, Every Bridge Burning is definitely one of my favorite projects to come out this year, and I am incredibly excited to see what is next for the band.
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