June has been a fun little month. We’ve seen Anthem’s start in the 80s, a glimpse into their brief time in the 90s, and saw their return at the dawn of the new millennium. Today’s review concludes this portion of our trip in Japan, and it harkens back to the relatively recent year of 2019. By the time of that year, Anthem released classic after classic, but that elusive U.S./European market still seemed just out of their grasp. That all ended with the subject of today’s review! So sit back, relax, and enjoy my review of Nucleus. Let’s begin!
Background
From 2000 & onward, Anthem were back with a vengeance. Seven Hillis, Black Empire, and Engraved were just a few of the musical colossi they unleashed in the land of the rising sun, but their presence in the United States & Europe was still within the realm of cult territory. However, fate in the realm of Heavy Metal can be quirky & strange, and the band got the biggest opportunity to finally gain a significant foothold in those territories after they signed up with Nuclear Blast Records. After acquiring the services of Swedish producer and engineer Jens Bogren (Longtime Anthem producer Chris Tsangarides died a year prior), Anthem got to work cranking out a hell of a statement by the name of Nucleus. Released on March the 29th, 2019, the album was seen as something of a success for the group, as it also helped them get into the 2019 Keep It True Festival. The crowd for them was largely unfamiliar with their work, but they would ultimately steal the show!
Basic Description
Heavy Metal Anthem 2.0.
If the previously mention release was a vision into the past, then Nucleus is a look into Anthem’s present. Well, more accurately it’s a look at material from 2001 to the late 2010s. However, much like HMA, there’s improved instrumentation & production, and you also have the entire album sung completely in English. Granted, Anthem didn’t call upon the services of Graham Bonnet this time around, but Yukio Morikawa’s grasp of the English language is surprising & impressive! I do have one huge gripe with Nucleus (More on that below), but it in no way ruins how good this release is for me.
Best Track
I was kinda surprised when the revised version of Venom Strike came on. I was so used to the original, that when this edition was playing, I found it just as good as the Domestic Booty release! It was shocking to hear it completely in English, but it was very welcome since I could finally understand it all. Not only that, but the highly improved instrumentation & production value give this new release some much needed de-ageing, even though the original kicks all kinds of ass!
Venom Strike
Worst Track
Nucleus suffers the exact same problem that Heavy Metal Anthem did. Mainly, I’ve heard all of these songs before on prior albums. Granted, these are tracks from their return after 2000, but I’ve listened to them before. Perhaps the single biggest problem Nucleus suffers from is that there’s no older songs on this album (Apart from the one I mentioned above), and that’ll serious dampen the enjoyment factor for older fans. This certainly feels like a release that caters heavily towards people (Particularly those in the U.S. & Europe), and while those in Japan will definitely enjoy it, the more old-school fans will probably not like it as much. I can understand why Anthem didn’t cover old songs, since they already did that with Heavy Metal Anthem nearly 20 years prior. Teaming up with Swedish producer & engineer Jens Bogren, you can tell that a more modern direction was needed to push the band into the newer markets they were going into.
Other
If you’re curious about listening to this album, then click on the link below:
Nucleus
Overall Impression & Rating
Nucleus, much like Heavy Metal Anthem from 2000, is a damn good collection of tracks, and acts as an anchor into a market that has eluded the band for decades. Granted, there is the big dent in the armor in the form of a lack of pre-new millennium tracks, but this release isn’t trying to conjure up the past. Nucleus is an album that is showing the world who Anthem are, and that they’re ready for new fans to come into the fold. If you can get past the lack of 80s & 90s songs, then you might dig this energetic compilation.
Nucleus gets a 7 to 7.5 out of 10.
And so, the first part of our tour of Japan is done. Anthem has been an absolute treat to listen to, but they’re not the only legends from the land of the rising sun to kick ass. So join me in July, for I’ll look at a band that managed to gain a surprising foothold here in the United States. See you all very soon!
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