Heavy Song of the Week is a feature on Heavy Consequence breaking down the top metal and hard rock tracks you need to hear every Friday. This week, the top honor goes to “Seed of Death” by Brazilian metallers Nervosa.
Brazilian thrashers Nervosa have operated with a revolving door lineup since forming in 2010, with founding guitarist Prika Amaral being the group’s only constant member. In particular, the band has struggled to retain a vocalist — longtime singer/bassist Fernanda Lira left to form Crypta in 2020, and Diva Satanica’s work on 2021’s Perpetual Chaos appears to have been a one-off — leading Amaral to take matters into her own hands.
Nervosa’s forthcoming album Jailbreak will be the band’s first to feature lead vocals by Amaral, and the LP’s second single “Seed of Death” begs the question: What took so long?
Considering Nervosa’s vicious blend of extreme metal — blackened, kinda deathy, and laced with old-school heavy metal tropes — it’s sensible that Amaral would want to concentrate on playing guitar. But as “Seed of Death” proves, she’s a fine multitasker, handling the complex riffs and solos while unleashing harsh vocals to boot. While she may not be as showy or trained as prior Nervosa frontwomen, Amaral’s scratchy howls are arguably more befitting of the band’s decidedly evil brand of metal.
Honorable Mentions:
Graveyard – “Twice”
Sweden’s Graveyard are one of the better examples of ’70s rock revivalism. They take their sweet time making a record — it’s five years since their last — and one gets that sense that not a single riff, vocal, or production choice is laid down without the upmost consideration. For example, on the band’s new single “Twice,” everything is tidy and in its proper place: the warm analog Zeppelin riffs, Joakim Nilsson’s Fogerty-esque delivery, the compact three-minute arrangement. Consistency (with a hint of perfectionism) appears to be the M.O. for these long-haired Swedes.
Mammoth WVH – “I’m Alright”
Wolfgang Van Halen’s lineage will forever be linked to the electric guitar, but the man can also sing his ass off. “I’m Alright” puts his vocals front and center, letting Wolfgang show off his soulful side as he extends vocalizations and hits some impressive melodic vibratos. And despite being one of the vocal-dominant tunes we’ve heard from Mammoth WVH, there’s still plenty of fancy guitarwork to gawk at.
Pelican – “Gasoline” (Karate cover)
Chicago reissue/archival label Numero Group has become the de-facto home for much of the forgotten post-hardcore, emo, and slowcore of the 1990s. No doubt aware of this fact, the label has launched a new project in which it taps modern bands to cover some of the obscure, cult acts on its roster, i.e. the defunct Boston group Karate. Here we have Numero’s fellow Chicagoians in the post-metal band Pelican (plus Pinebender’s Chris Hansen) taking on Karate’s “Gasoline,” and the results are spine-chilling. All of the depressive longing of the original remains, but Pelican bust out the metal amps for the song’s crushing breakdown, injecting a new level of climactic grandeur.