Metalcatto
It’s been a while since we reviewed something remarkably sad. Like, more depressing than a puppy getting put down. Anyway, Nail by Nail has a strange approach. It’s this old school Black Metal mixed with crushing Melodic Death Metal. That sounds exciting, right? Especially if you’re a crazy masochist like all of us. Yet I can’t help but worry about this thing being too safe. It’s a familiar formula, and familiarity can be a double-edged sword—comforting, yes, but also predictable.
Alright, I’m pumped. Inferno makes honor to its name. It’s cathartic, atmospheric, but most of all, an album that blends rancid aggression with depressive feelings so well that it’s hard to achieve. The tracks have some length, but nothing feels like it’s dragging. Jeez, I even liked the freaking intro track. It’s not actually a total waste of time. It primes you the right way to endure this ordeal, setting the mood without overstaying its welcome. That’s a rare skill in a genre full of pointless ambient passages.
Sure, the vocals are the right kind of decadent—expressive, but ruthless. Yet the guitars are the main character here. They throw so much energy at you, with proper thick riffs that hit like a sledgehammer. However, it’s the melodic leads I really want you to focus on. They’re sentimental without being overly mellow. Sometimes these melodic albums can become almost cheesy, but that’s not the case at all here. The leads add depth without sacrificing the grit. They give the music attitude without turning it into a soap opera.
It’s hard to complain about something so built for me. However, if there’s something to point out, it’s that despite the short breaks, all the tracks are similar to each other. To the extent that I struggled to tell them apart. They also all work more like individual pieces than a whole cohesive organism. The album doesn’t have a clear narrative arc—it’s more like a collection of intense moments stacked together. Still, for an underground release, this was something more interesting than usual.
Did Nail by Nail nail it? Good lord. Kind of. Inferno offers something refreshing that, even though it doesn’t revolutionize anything, has a soul. The unrelenting anger and the deepest sadness can meet every now and then. It’s not easy, but this work achieves that. So it’s time to angry-cry. Put this on, let the riffs wash over you, and let the melancholy sink in. You won’t come out of it feeling better, but you’re not here for comfort. You’re here to feel something real. Just don’t expect to remember every track by name.
Label: War Anthem Records
Release date: September 25th, 2026
Website: https://nailbynail-war.bandcamp.com/album/internal-inferno
Country: Germany
Score: 3.7/5.0
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