Band: Nations Afire
Release: The Ghosts We Will Become (Album)
Release Date: Out Now
The first thing that should hit you is that if the Californian quartet Nations Afire have played with the likes of NOFX, Rise Against and The Get Up Kids, then they have to be an awesome band. Not only does the last part of the previous sentence stand true to this word, the band incorporate elements from each band and include a sound original enough to make them sound like they could be the next big thing.
Heads start banging with the anthem of ‘I Am an Army’ which cuts to the relentless ‘The Ghost We Will Become’ that decides to cut away from most bands who resort to copying and pasting pointless introduction instrumentals from each other, with Nik Hill having an fantastic set of vocals on him, and the perfect musicians with him, from Todd Hennig’s chaotic and slightly militaristic drumming and spot-on guitar work from the bands lead guitarist Chris Chasse.
The standards of the songs never drop, only getting higher and higher with the pop-ridden hooks of ‘Nine Lives’ and the perfect ‘One Perfect Day’. Nations Afire suddenly decide to become a punk rock outfit halfway through with the unbelievably brilliant ‘Occams Razor’ and ‘The Legacy We Leave’, and possibly the best outro song for an album ever – ‘Wolves’. The album may be seen as suffering from clichéd love songs such as the tiring acoustic track ‘Even the Blackest Heart Still Beats’, but apart from the minor issue, this album is practically flawless.
If you want to look for bands that are getting out in the world and have a unique sound that you won’t find anywhere else, we recommend you take a look at these guys. They’re not just good, they’re bloody awesome.
9/10
Reviewer: Connor Flello
