Nuclear have been alive and kicking since 1995 playing then as the band Escoria and releasing a couple of demos before disbanding in 2001 and reincarnating two years later as Nuclear. These guys have gained a cult following in Chile’s prospering metal scene, and have released three full-length albums so far, toured constantly since 2003, and picked up numerous underground metal awards along the way. This is the first time I’ve crossed paths with Nuclear and after reading about them I’m looking forward to what their latest release Jehovirus has to offer.

At first glimpse it’s a journey back to 80’s thrash with the disturbing album artwork and intelligent lyrics to back it up. As “Belligerence” kicks things off with a heavy, harmonized riff sounding as timeless and haunting as early Metallica, before bursting into a full out thrash extravaganza, it’s clear that’s exactly what Jehovirus is. The Tom Araya-style vocals, thrashy riffs, and aggressive speed of the album all date it to the times of our early thrash heroes. Though paying homage to the so-called “Big Four” is nothing new, it’s refreshing to hear Nuclear really take this ancient formula to heart and keep it alive in a way that’s as aggressive and precise as ever. They give a spirited performance I could only imagine as one hell of a fun time at any of their live shows and any fan of old thrash had better go check out this band immediately.

Highlight tracks include “Brutal Yet Precise”, “On Killing”, “Defleshed”, and “Belligerence”.

7.5/10

• Genre: Thrash metal
• Origin: Chile
• Link: http://www.nuclear.cl