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!
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