Helvete

by Ed Rivadavia

As one of heavy metal's most technically complex and intense sub-genres, grindcore doesn't lend itself to minimal personnel; but Sweden's Nasum defy these precepts by taking a stab at it as a power trio! Needless to say, this accomplishment only makes the blinding precision and incredible fury captured on 2003's Helvete (that's Swedish for 'Hell,' by the way) all the more impressive; especially when paired with the finely honed sense of dynamics displayed by the band's diversified songwriting -- in itself a challenge to grindcore's supposedly limited creative scope. Guitarist Miescko A. Talarczyk and bassist Jesper Liverod duke it out behind the microphones, their turn-taking ragged screams and low-end growls lending further variety to already outstanding cuts like "Living Next Door to Malice," "Relics" and "The Final Sleep" -- all of which respect genre guidelines by lasting no more than one or two minutes. But it's the band's distinctive riffs and compositional intelligence over these 22 relentless tracks that make it all work, confirming Helvete as that rarest breed of grindcore albums: an instantly memorable one. And if all this still doesn't perk your curiosity, ringing endorsements from guest performers Jörgen Knot Sandström (Entombed, Grave) and none other than Napalm Death legend Shane Embury should do the trick. Easily among the best grindcore albums of the new millennium, Helvete is an absolute winner.