Nails’ stripped down take on hardcore, crust, and grind is brutal and ferocious, and isn’t for the weak of heart or mind. At the center, Todd Jones spits venom-caked invective at those piss him off the most. It’s a volatile Molotov cocktail of a sound – and their fans wouldn’t have it any other way.

Like its predecessor, Unsilent Death, Abandon All Life is loud, brutish, and short. But where Unsilent Death clocked in at about 12 minutes, the new one stretches out to about 17, with a few of the songs going over the three-minute mark — closer “Suum Cuique” is an epic five minutes, 21 seconds. The songs are also more dynamic, despite their short lengths. “In Exodus” opens with the squall of feedback, accelerating into a furious pace, before pumping the breaks a bit for chugging finish — all within a scant minute and 18 seconds. “Tyrant” and “Absolute Control” are less-than-a-minute scorchers that the band is known for, while “Wide Open Wound,” which is one of lengthier songs, features an almost calm intro, giving way to doom-y chug and some insane breakdowns that are noisy and nasty. The title track blasts back and features a noisy break that sounds like a machine crashing and dying, while closer “Suum Cuique” is five minutes-plus of heavy apocalyptic vibes and hateful invective, which features more dirty crust/doom riffs, along with a biting guitar solo

With this release, Nails have managed to broaden their sound without diluting the intensity and violence inherent in their nasty art. In fact, minute-for-minute this could be the most pissed off record of the year.

(Southern Lord Recordings, PO Box 291967, Los Angeles, CA 90029)