Album Review (Obscurus Metalus): Stereo Nasty's Nasty By Nature

Sorry for the wait fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

I personally blame a mix of Elden Ring, a bit of forgetfulness, and just a touch of laziness as the reasons for why this review took a little longer to put out. I’m sorry for dragging my feet on this one, since I promised it would come out a week after my last post. However, I hope that the band in question makes up for this. It’s been a long time that I opened the dusty tome known as the Obscurus Metalus, but given that it’s still March, I figured that flipping to the chapter on Ireland was appropriate, for the land that has no snakes does have metal. So sit back, grab a leftover Guinness if there is one, and enjoy my review of Nasty By Nature by the sadly obscure Stereo Nasty. Let’s begin.

Background
And here’s where things are going to be difficult. Formed in 2013 in Kildare, Ireland, Rud Holoran (Bass), Fran Moran (Drums), Adrian Foley (Guitars), and Mich Mahon (Vocals) set out to bring old-school Heavy Metal to a modern world. Their name came from the term Video Nasties, which were low-budget horror films released on video cassette that was criticized at best or banned at worst, in the UK. Outside of this, there’s practically nothing else I could find.

Basic Description
Old-School in the modern era.

Right away, metalheads from the 1980s will immediately gravitate towards Stereo Nasty. Though the band had modern recording & production capabilities at their disposal, the sound & vibe is unmistakably from that time. The band are really going for that feel throughout the entire album, and while I think that perhaps they’re trying too hard in that regard (More on that a little later), the end result is something that longtime fans of the genre will appreciate. I’d even say that metalheads from the 1990s and beyond will dig Nasty By Nature, as the whole CD acts as a gateway into a time where they can get an audio glimpse of the Heavy Metal of yesteryear. A time that is, at least right now, just over 40 years old.

Best Track
Black Widow was definitely the right choice to start Nasty By Nature. This song is perhaps the best example of Stereo Nasty capturing the essence of the 1980s with trying too hard: the music comes across like something that Iron Maiden or Accept would have done in the early 80s, but the modern recording & production makes things crisp & clean. The band opt for going the middle route when it came to pacing, as they don’t play off of the train tracks, but still stay nice & heavy. Absolutely delicious!

Black Widow

Worst Track
Unfortunately, Stereo Nasty has been broken up since 2019. On top of that, they were signed to an independent record label, so finding a physical copy of Nasty By Nature (And their 2nd album by default) is nigh impossible. Fortunately, finding download links both legal & illegal is pretty straight forward, so it’s not completely out of reach to locate on a digital front.

And while this isn’t a detriment to the record by any stretch, I do want to leave something personal here. Now I love me some old-school Heavy Metal. The 1980s were the genre’s heyday, and the 1970s to very late 1960s were the bedrock on which it will rest eternal, and to see The New Wave Of Heavy Metal (TNWOHM for short) come around & be a force warms my heart. However, I feel that most of the bands in this movement try too hard to capture the feel of the 1980s. They definitely project the sound of that decade, but I don’t think it’s possible for any TNWOHM band to truly get the essence of one of the most iconic decades in the world’s history. To me, almost every TNWOHM band relies too much on 1980s nostalgia, and this includes Stereo Nasty. These guys aren’t awful by any means, as I thoroughly enjoyed every track on this record. I just feel that maybe they’re relying on nostalgia a little too much.

Other
If you’re curious about listening to this album, then click on the link below:

Nasty By Nature

Overall Impression & Rating
Nasty By Nature is a fantastic starting record of a band that could have been. Harkening back to the 1980s, but with a slathering of modern recording & production behind the whole thing, Stereo Nasty’s first release is fantastic! While I do feel that they’re possibly trying too hard to come across like a band from the 1980s, I still kinda appreciate the old-school vibes that emanate from the songs on Nasty By Nature. If you’re up for some old-school style metal in the modern age, then Nasty By Nature is a great choice!

Nasty By Nature gets a 9 out of 10.

And that was a look at some metallic might from the Emerald Isle. Again, sorry this took a little bit longer to put out, but I hope you don’t mind the end results. So, April is near, and with that some fresh reviews & surprises for the month of my birth. See you soon!

5 Of My Favorite MTG Cards (Green Edition)

Happy St. Patrick’s Day everybody!

It’s that time of year again. The time of year where Green is everywhere, Whiskey flows, and Corned Beef is extra tasty. To celebrate the holiday, I wanted to go back to the world of Magic The Gathering, and talk about some of my favorite cards. Given what today is, I’m gonna be talking about some of my favorite Green cards. The cards of nature, might, and fury. Now, I did not order these in a specific manner. I just simply thought of the ones that happened to be ones I like, and just put them out for you all to see. With that out of the way, here are 5 of my favorite MTG cards.....Green Edition!

1) Kodama of the West Tree (Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty)

Nearly 18 years after our visit to Kamigawa, it’s incredible refreshing to visit it once again. The world may be drenched in cyberpunk, but the soul of what made that first trip is still evident in each & every single card. Chief among them is one of the plane’s most powerful spirits, Kodama of the West Tree. It is the living embodiment of both versions of this world: a nature entity not to be trifled with, but also takes advantage of a new mechanic that could only come from a world of neon & technology. I’ll have a bit more to talk about with Neon Dynasty around the end of the year, but suffice it to say this second trip to Kamigawa holds a special place in my heart, and Kodama of the West Tree is one reason why!

2) Ayula, Queen Among Bears (Modern Horizons)

It’s the number 1 threat to America......BEARS!!!!!

Nearly 3 years since it’s release, one of the most surprising legendary creatures has given credibility to a tribe that’s been begging for a lord. Lo and behold, those who loved Winnie The Pooh have been given a surprising powerhouse. Ayula is actually surprisingly versatile: she can either give your bears a semi-permanent buff when one comes into play on your side of the field, or she can make your bears fight creatures your opponent controls. She’s not complex in any way, and is one of the easier legendary creatures to build around. Definitely a card that’s.....un-bear-able.....for your opponents.

3) Garruk Wildspeaker (Lorwyn)

Planeswalkers have always had a presence in the story of MTG, but it wasn’t until 2007 when they finally became something that players could finally use. Originally meant to appear in Future Sight (Part 3 of the Time Spiral block for those who didn’t play it), it would ultimately the idyllic fantasy setting of Lorwyn that we would finally get our hands on them. Though virtually all of the original five are awesome in their own way, I’d have to say that the planeswalking master of nature may be my most favorite oddly enough. He can untap lands, call upon beasts to aid him, and can grant your creatures the power of one of the most famous sorceries for a turn. What’s not to like!

4) Avatar of Might (10th Edition)

Green excels in many things, but it’s most famous for having some of the biggest creatures that can stomp someone’s face in. This behemoth from 2007 is one that I can recall from memory pretty easily, as it was one I got for the release tournament for this output from WotC. There’s not that much to say, as it’s just a giant stompy that can smash someone’s face in. Fortunately, his cost to cast him can be offset by an opponent having just a few more creatures than you. Now that cool!

5) Kashi-Tribe Warriors (Champions Of Kamigawa)

So, there’s a story behind this one.

Let’s rewind the clock to 2004. It was a few months into my final year of high school, and one of the teachers made an after-school MTG group for people to stay after hours & play for a little. Conveinently, the forming of this group just so happened to take place not long after the release of the first part of the OG Kamigawa. The teacher had one of the packs, and we all took turns picking out a card from the booster after it was shuffled. I didn’t get the rare of the pack, nor one of the uncommons, but instead was a common. A shiny one, in fact.

The card itself is nothing special. In fact, it’s pretty simple, and I’d easily understand why someone would throw it back in the bulk bin if they saw it. However, I’ve got a fondness for it because of when I got it. I had only been playing the game for a few months at that point, so something like this at the time was very special. I still have it in my collection, and it will stay in there until the end of time.

And those were 5 of my favorite green Magic The Gathering cards. Eventually, I’ll talk about cards from the other colors, but I figure I’d start with Green given what today is. Well, join me in a week or two, we we’ll bear witness to Heavy Metal from the Emerald Isles. See you soon!