NUCLEAR WINTER – “Judgement Day” Album Review

SUMMARY

Lineup:

Zach Bushey – Guitars, Alex Zillioux – Drums, Joe Lamoureux – Vocals, Guitars (lead), Drew Wood – Bass

IN SHORT

Listening to the debut album of Buffalo-based NUCLEAR WINTER made me wonder: is this how folks felt in the 80s when they heard the first TESTAMENT album? Judgement Day features unique, if unpolished, vocals and strong musicianship. Both of these factors remind me of TESTAMENT’s The Legacy album.  That is obviously a lofty comparison, but NUCLEAR WINTER has that indefinable “it” factor, at least on Judgement Day.

The album is rough around the edges, and far from perfect, but is a great introduction for the band. It is also an example of simple, yet effective, thrash metal. The band squeezes everything out of each riff on the album, and each song has good ol’ fashion bang-your-head qualities. Perhaps it is because they are in the early stages of their song-writing career, but NUCLEAR WINTER often goes for a less-is-more approach: many songs take on an AC/DC type of simplicity with 3 cord verses. By no means is this a bad thing. In fact, the band pulls it off so well that there isn’t a single weak song on the album. Its also exciting to think that if this is the ground floor of their song-writing ability, as they mature as writers, we could have a contender for a spot in the Big 4 of new generation thrash bands. This is especially true if Joe Lamoureux’s vocals mature in a similar arc to thrash legends like Chuck Billy (TESTAMENT), James Hetfield (METALLICA) or Tom Araya (SLAYER).

In all, every thrash metal fan will get a lot of pleasure from listening to Judgement Day. It is a nod to old-school thrash but also an example of a new generation ‘s potential to pick up the mantel from the original Big 4.

IN DEPTH

Judgement Day opens with a track titled after the band’s namesake. In my first experience with the track “Nuclear Winter” three things stood out. First, the vocals were unique (they don’t sound like every other new thrash band). As I mentioned in the intro, Joe Lamoureux’s vocals have a ways to go but the potential is definitely there. The second thing I noticed was that the song was relatively simple but changed things up enough to keep it interesting. The third, was that while the mix on the album is good, the sound production is lackluster – it sounds unnecessarily muffled for an album released at the tail end of 2020. Compare this sound production to their “Him” single from 2018. For some reason, the band takes a big step back in production quality on Judgement Day. Gripes aside, the opening track is a short and sweet appetizer for the rest of the album.

The opener bleeds right into the album’s title track, giving the listener a live concert feel (something we all could use right now). “Judgement Day” features good riffing along with a melody any metal band would be proud of. I need to point out the lead work performed by Joe Lamoureux on the guitar solo, but Alex Zillioux steals the spotlight on the drums.

The album continues with another transition directly to “The Catacombs”, continuing the live concert feel. This track continues the onslaught of great thrash riffing but slows things down to a more mid-tempo approach. The song doesn’t overstay its welcome; at 2 minutes in length it reminds me of some of SLAYER’s early material. The only issue I have with this track is the vocals seem to be a little low in the mix – a problem that is isolated to this track.

“Commander in Chief” is one of the catchiest and ear-wormy thrash songs I’ve heard in awhile. The vocals are not quite strong enough to meet the dynamic requirements of the track, but this did not ruin the experience for me. The verse continues the less-is-more songwriting trend but is super effective. It’s pretty apparent who the lyrics are referring to (I’ll let you decide for yourself). The guitar solo is a little more blues-rock inspired but still fits well into the song. “Commander in Chief” is certainly an early highlight in the career of NUCLEAR WINTER.

The fifth track, “Omaha”, opens with a fun intro that features the rhythm section – Drew Wood on bass and Alex Zillioux on drums get the song started off right. Once again, we have a simple, 3 cord verse. “Omaha” is not a weak track per se, but the attitude doesn’t quite meet the level of the other seven tracks. The bridge, however, is great! NUCLEAR WINTER gives us a thrash breakdown and it’s a standout moment. However, the track shifts very suddenly at the 3:18 mark to a slow instrumental section that has no connection to the rest of the song. It’s an interesting choice, but feels like a filler section and is out of place.

“Survival of the Fittest” is an example of a pure thrash song: fast, angry, riffs galore, shredding guitars, and lyrics that touch on social issues. The track has yet another catchy verse and is NUCLEAR WINTER’s “radio track” on Judgement Day.

The seventh song on the album is my personal favorite. “Murphy’s Law” contains the most densely written material on the entire album and includes everything I like in metal. It has tempo changes, brutal riffs, a touch of melody, double bass, squealing guitars, and allows for plenty of headbanging. I see “Murphy’s Law” becoming a classic NUCLEAR WINTER track should remain in their live set for years to come.

Between “Murphy’s Law” and the final track “Him”, Judgement Day ends with its two strongest songs. “Him” is the most melodic on the album and opens with a slow section of guitar plucking. This leads to arguably the single best riff on the entire album. The lead and rhythm guitars are often playing different parts that work off of one another. I hope the band does more of this in future songwriting because it elevates the complexity and creativity of the track. The last 2 minutes of the song (and the album) is a long instrumental end section that lets the listener catch their breath after the albumsfirst 31 minutes of full-speed thrash. It really highlights the musicianship and is a perfect way to wrap up the album.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, Judgement Day proved to me that NUCLEAR WINTER has the elements to become one of the most well-known bands in metal. The album showcases some great content and potential. The group does need better sound production but if they continue to build their skills as musicians and song-writers, the sky is the limit for NUCLEAR WINTER. This is a great debut album, may get some Album of the Year love, and is a must buy for thrash metal fans.

HIGHLIGHTS

“Commander in Chief”, “Murphy’s Law”, “Him”