Ach, time to bask in a whipping of local old school annihilation. Nailgunner and Wounds are both Finnish bands laying it down unrelentlessly raw and punishing on this split release. Hi-fi-afficionados and people looking for peaceful dishwashing-background music should steer clear.

Nailgunner comes to the bat first with their prominent thrash metal assault. First pitch and the highly unpolished production scratches your senses to either direction, give or take, depending how you like your album to sound. The very live-in-the-studio sounds are well understandable, as if I remember correctly my chat with the bands drummer, most of Nailgunners part on the split was recorded on the first take and left raw on purpose. The guitars are prominent and very biting, but the drums could be more high up, as they tend to get buried from time to time. As a member of the aformentioned afficonados who liked their production megapunching and polished, I unfortunately have to deduct points from this. The live feel does support the material well though as it, emphasises the energy squeezed into the tracks, that is of very high levels.

Shortcut To Hell starts chugging with great twisting speed metal riffing and a driving "humppa-komppi", also known as "thrash metal-beat" in English. Slayer is written all over the please, especially in the unashamedly Kingesque solo. Singer Sami Kettunen has definitely one of the most interesting voices I´ve ever heard. Imagine Steve Souza going on a death metal trip and instead of plain singing, literally spitting the words out. The prominent spitting effect that sounds a bit like a lisp is quite unique. Come to think of it, his singing would be bestdescribed by everyones favourite Looney Tunes quackmeister Daffy Duck taking a jar of horse steroids and singing Exodus all night long. Denim Stallions injects he same speed from the grooving drum beats, but for some reason when the chorus starts at roughly 2.00 the whole tune falls flat. Usually tempo changes are very welcome in my books but here it doesnt work for me. Luckily the double bass-attack picks it up in the end.
Nailgun Attack is a fine peace of midpaced bulldozer-turned-sadistic-fast-moshpit -tune but it ends too damn quickly. Riffing this fine could have easily used a second verse and choruses. Nuklear Tormentor saves the day as a real jewel of the disc, as not only is the song a killer pit-anthem, Kettunens delivery in the very catchy chorus is beyond belief in unbridled dedication. Yeah, it may not be completely on tune or in tempo, but dammit if this aint thrash metal-feeling I dont know what is. Real smilebringer this song, and in a good way. Human Warhead suffers accordingly in trying to follow the awesomness that is Nuklear Tormentor. Great riffs abound, but it just doesnt match the previous one in sheer aggression - or catchyness for that matter. A collectively fine work from these thrashers, which would have been made much better with finer production. On a five star scale, three-outta-five. www.nailgunner.cjb.net

Where Nailgunner offered five tunes of new material, Wounds´ half introduces two demos from the bands history, Holocaust Reich from 2003 opens the pack with the title track that takes the split on a much harder death metal influence. Suffocation and Dissection come to mind as the blast beats break down some walls. The very infectious chorus makes the track above the best in Wounds´ part. the thrashy grooves in the middle are a nice touch. Barbarized And Brutalized also keeps it fast and extremely heavy but the singer-bassplayers half-vomiting voice starts getting to me at this point. It does suit the material but isnt really my piece of pie.
Violent Warfare and Ritual Afterlife both feature some prime riffing and shout-along choruses, but dont match the openings feverish feeling. Points though for the solo in the latter, which brought out the air guitar in me. The demo features some nice bass-heavy production, which appeases me as a fan of bass mayhem. The latter part that features the Brutal Mutations demo from 1999 is more of the same with singer Soldeheds voice having a much more prominent guttural growl instead of the vomiting effect, which pleases me more. The thrash metal element is more prominent on these earlier pieces, as more killer solos abound. In comparison to Nailgunners material on the split, Wounds´ part is not as memorable or catchy to me, but does fare much better in the production side. Therefore, I decree two´n´half-outta five twinklers. Find info about the band at www.wounds.fi