Nails - I Don't Want to Know You

After a long-simmering and somewhat public feud with Blast Beat Networks (which heads MetalSucks) and its operator Ben Umanov boiled over into a ruthless shaming of Umanov’s allegelly unethical business practices and unacceptably poor treatment of bands by frontman Todd Jones for all on Twitter to see, Nails have returned with two new songs (“I Don’t Want to Know You” and “Endless Resistance”) the first of which inevitably drew connections to the band’s recent feud.

I had kind of wanted to talk about it on here as it came to a head a few months ago because there were a few interesting points being brought up about the situation surrounding them. The busy business of life eventually got the better of it, and I never wrote about it.

In short, Todd Jones took issue years ago with MetalSucks publishing an article labeling him a “scene bully” and with Blast Beat Networks continuously publishing baseless hitpieces about bands whose labels were contributing to Blast Beat Networks for publicity. I don’t know what exactly brought it to a breaking point earlier this year, but Todd Jones repeatedly urged listeners and fellow artists to boycott Blast Beat Networks in a series of impassioned and aggressive Twitter posts.

Personally, I’ve already avoided MetalSucks for the past few years for exactly what Jones brought up. I don’t remember specifically what turned me away from them, but every so often I hear of another band taking issue with a hit-piece by the outlet, which has not made me eager to return to them.

Come to think of it, I believe it was the recent probing at Nergal for a tentative hit-piece about him taking a picture with a member of Graveland while on tour and therefore tolerating neo-Nazism.

My takeaways from the situation were not really in favor of either side of the feud. MetalSucks has long been reputed for trying to call out problematic actions of artists, and on a principle level, I of course have no problem with members of metal culture making an effort to keep harmful, unhealthy ideologies and behaviors from sprouting up within. The problem is that when it comes to almost everything I’ve seen from MetalSucks, it’s so misdirected and such obvious grasping at straws for the sake of stirring shit up, it’s frustrating and toxic.

The Nergal thing is no execption; it seemed like such an opportunistic baiting for drama traffic at the expense of a trending band fresh off one of the year’s biggest releases. Calling out Nergal for Nazi sympathizing for a picture with another musician in the field with a band that apparently dabbles in neo-Nazi themes (I don’t listen to Graveland, so I don’t know) just came off as desperate and exaggerated. There is indeed a conversation to be had about interactions with those known to support that kind of atrocious ideology, but MetalSucks, with their track record of opportunistic shit-stirring, is not the outlet to best address it. Like if Nergal did indeed support neo-Nazi stances, which he has expressed disdain for in the past, I would imagine the proof would be somewhere in Behemoth’s young, reckless past in the underground where expression of it was less restrained. I would think there would need to be more damning evidence than one innocuous picture with another musician.

As for Todd Jones on the other hand, his all-out, unfiltered hatred toward MetalSucks was the worst thing he could do, giving them ammunition to support their previous hit-piece’s assertion about him. Nothing says “I’m not a scene bully” like posting about taking joy in hurting Ben Umanov financially, right? Not a great look for his cause. Yes, MetalSucks’ journalistic practices do need to be confronted, but if Todd Jones is just going to lash out at them and give their vitriol credence, he’s not the best person to be taking them on.

Outside Nails and Blast Beat Networks though, the reactions people were having to the situation were surprisingly dumb. I saw so much ridiculous misrepresentation of Jones’ complaints and so much pathetic gatekeeping from those hardcore assholes who get way too liberal with branding of people as posers or pussies. It was a fucking shitshow all around, and looking back I do wish I could have added my best effort to quell the fires, but I guess since Nails is in the limelight with new music again, a belated chance taken is better than none. I know I didn’t get super in depth, but it is kind of old news at this point and I figured I would just get my main points out there. With that out of the way, on to the four-and-a-half minutes of new music from Nails.

The shorter titular track is nothing new for Nails, but the consistency they have when it comes to the high intensity and tangible aggression they channel, a continuation of it is more than satisfactory. The lyrics are the usual hardcore vitriol Nails usually goes for, ambiguously directed at some unnamed antagonist, and it’s no surprise that many have come to think they are meant to be for Ben Umanov. It’s a fast, relentless eighty-second basing its approach on the drum-accented wall of distorted guitar crunch and rapid vocal delivery, and it works.

The B-side, “Endless Resistance”, finds Nails linking up with Max Cavalera for a slower, sludgier three-minute groove fest, with much of the same approach and appeal, just stretched out a bit, which is alright with me. I’m not sure what this release is meant to serve as if not just a few more minutes of Nails’ now well-known signature assault, but that’s fine as well, there’s no obligation for this to be leading to something else, it just does feel like it’s about that time for another twenty minutes or so of Nails material. For now, this is a good addition, not quite on the same level as You Will Never Be One of Us, but it’s a one-off 7" release, no need to complain about it not matching their previous LP’s height of violence.

Everyone I know hates you/10