Die Hard are a new band dedicated to sounding like old bands. They are avowedly trying to recapture the sound of proto-thrashers like Venom, Possessed, Slayer and Sodom, and I have to say they are doing a pretty solid job of it. Nihilistic Vision consists of ten tracks of raw, fat riffs somewhere between Possessed by Cruelty and Black Metal with vocals that wander between Tom Araya and Tom Warrior. There is s simplicity to the songwriting that definitely recalls Venom or Hellhammer, without becoming repetitive or boring. These are direct, go-for-the-throat bullet-belts-and-leather blasts of Paleolithic Thrash with chugging riffs and shout-along choruses. The production is right in the sweet spot: not too polished, not so raw it detracts from the mayhem. Tunes like "Bloody War" and the splendid "Ride the Incubus" churn out exactly what this band was aiming for. You can't dock a band for lack of originality when their stated purpose is imitative, and so even if this is mostly just a fun bit of retro, it is pretty damned kickass.
