Bomberna Faller Fanzine

Three years ago I picked up a tape from an (for me at least) unknown band called Nagasaki. It was really raw, and I mean both the songs and the production. It actually sounded like an assault if I ever heard one. People use that expression every now and then, "an assault on your eardrums", but many times I don't really agree. Sure, if you play it at maximum volume (which oftentimes is recommended right on the cover), it's pretty brutal on your ears, but at max volume so is Frank Sinatra. Nagasaki accomplished the goal of sounding really rough and primitive right off the bat and never let up throughout the tape, so when I heard they were about to release another one I knew I had to pick it up right away. This time it's on vinyl, an EP, but they also made a few tapes for promo purposes and Bomberna Faller Fanzine is one of the places they sent a tape for review.

So what do I think of Nagasaki's second release? Is it as good as the first one? What's different? Well, 'E.P' is just as good as 'Kriget Utan Nåd', even a bit better I'd argue. The same formula is present but this time around they've dialed down the levels on the recording, cleaning it up a bit while keeping the grit. The recording/mixing is pretty much all that's new, in every other area it's "more of the same" which is honestly just what I wanted.

Nagasaki plays primitive ("troglodyte") kängpunk which means the usual suspects: d-beat, rugged lyrics about social despair and war atrocities and short, repeating riffs. They also have an emphasis on the chorus effect for the guitars paired with a bit of reverb on the vocals, making them pretty distinct from other active bands at the moment. My best description of them would be "it's like Anti-Metafor but dirtier".

Nagasaki doesn't really do slow. There's no slower sections or a four stroke song in the mix, which I think is a good thing. Sure, slower parts can add both variety overall and urgency to specific segments, but I find myself almost waiting for the speed to pick back up when it happens.

On the first tape Patrik did everything except for the drumming (which was handled by Jens Jefvel). There's more people on board for the second release, namely Nate (bass/vocals) and Ced (drums). Since the music is pretty much the same, despite the change in personnel, I can conclude that the common denominator Patrik is the one with the overall vision. For now. He's hinted to being open to change in the interview I recently conducted with him, link below.

There are six tracks on 'E.P' but the opening one is an intro (we all know how I feel about intros at this point, right?) so: five tracks! 'Född för att dö i rännstenen' is a direct translation of the Discharge song title 'Born to die in the gutter' but the lyrics add some variation instead of being a straight up copy. I also immediately picked up on the nod to Anti Cimex in 'Krigshetsare', but I haven't been able to identify further references. Regardless of what else might have went over my head I very much enjoyed the roughly ten minutes of ruckus that's on offer here. My favorite tracks are 'Bombad av en stridsvagn' and 'Värld av skit' but there's really no duds what so ever so I'd say buy yourself a copy before they're gone (it's a comparatively small batch). You're gonna regret missing out.

NAGASAKI - E.P