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Vocals:  Anders Jakobson, Mieszko A. Talarczyk
Guitars:  Mieszko A. Talarczyk
Bass:  Mieszko A. Talarczyk
Drums:  Anders Jakobson

Nasum out of Sweden have been around for a very long time.  Coming into existence around 1992, they have hit the grindcore scene by storm.  Inhale/Exhale is Nasum's first full length album, and they display a very strong influence of classic grindcore, although they also throw in a slew of groove and top it all off with some outstanding production.  Outstanding, clean production on a grindcore release?  Yeah...I don't understand it either.

While Inhale/Exhale certainly can't be considered the best thing to ever happen to grind like everybody claims them to be, they certainly aren't that bad.  The drumming by Jakobson is off the wall and doesn't rely on an overfeeding of blast beats to keep the music intense.  The strings by Talarczyk do a phenomenal job of piecing everything together, and have no problems shifting on the fly.  The high/low dual vocals work incredibly well, which is good since many bands seem to like the idea of two vocal stylings, but don't quite know how to make it perform.  None the less, Inhale/Exhale is merely above-average grind with the majority of their 38 songs being a hit or miss situation.  There are plenty of better bands out there, but for somebody new to the genre that would like something easily digestible to start out with, Nasum fits that bill.

Song Notes:

1. This Is - Jumps right into a full-on crazy assault.   B+
2. The Masked Face - Catchy, punishing grind.  Slows down about 45 seconds into the song for the worse, but adds a sick flailing guitar solo at the end.  C+
3. Digging In - Very short, effect, but typical grind.  C
4. Time To Act - Starts out with some killer infuriated grind, but eventually turns into more of a hardcore sound.  Not a bad break.  B
5. Disdain And Contempt - 30 seconds of crazy, Nasum-style grindcore.  A-
6. I See Lies - Cool effects on the guitars in the beginning which makes it sound like air is being sucked right through the strings.  Overall a memorable, beguiling song.  B+
7. Inhale/Exhale - Simple lyrics to compliment a simple song.  Almost sounds like Nasum trying to play Chaos A.D.-era Sepultura.  Far too slow, but does a nice job of leading right into Too Naked To Distort.  C+
8. Too Naked To Distort - Great furious, tight grind.  A-
9. There's No Escape - Very cool structure trading between mid-paced hardcore and medium-fast grindcore.  A
10. The Rest Is Over - Starts off with a little feedback so I already don't like it.  Decent style, but I could do without the mosh b.s.  C-
11. Disappointed - Grind based around Victory Records-style hardcore.  Sounds absolutely terrible.  D-
12. Lägg Om! - Short, sloppy, off-key, and highly memorable.  A
13. You're Obsolete - For some reason, this leaves about 4 - 5 seconds of silence right at the beginning.  Decent song regardless although it fades right when it sounds like it's going to take a turn for the better.  B-
14. Tested - Awesome, powerful mix of crazy drumming, high energy guitars, and speed.  A
15. Shapeshifter - Above average groove grind.  C+
16. Feed Them, Kill Them, Skin Them - Boring and highly forgettable riff, but a very nice mélange of drums.  C-
17. When Science Fails - Most distinct song on Inhale/Exhale due to the beginning lo-fi radio beat along with the way the guitars cut in and out around the mid-paced drumming.  Doesn't mean it's any good, though.  D
18. Closing In - Very ordinary grind, but includes a smokin' solo.  C+
19. The World That You Made - Boring little abrupt riff centered around some overly routine grind.  D
20. The System Has Failed Again - 33 seconds of blistering anger.  B+
21. For What Cause - Really cool southern rock wild guitars mixed with some obnoxiously thrashy grind.  B
22. Fullmated - Concentrates more on the beat than anything else.  I was half-expecting Anthrax to do a guest appearance and start singing "Bring The Noise!"  F
23. Screwed - One big grinding explosion!  A-
24. Shaping The End - One of Nasum's best songs.  Simple and power blends of death/grind, grindcore, and hardcore.  A
25. The New Firing-Squad - Starts out with some simple, energetic grind, but about 45 seconds into the song Nasum attempts some slow/mid-paced technicality which sounds horrid.  C-
26. No Sign Of Improvement - Ironic name for such a generic groove grind song whose only distinguishable feature is some wailing guitars about 20 seconds into it.  D+
27. My Philosophy - Annoying, slow, boring riff which kicks off into the same annoying riff but played at hyper speed.  D+
28. I'm Not Silent - Very cool, muddy speed, but nothing groundbreaking.  C+
29. The Breathing Furnace - Very intense effort from Nasum.  Slows down about a minute into the song to build up some steam for an explosive ending.  Not typical of Nasum, but awesome regardless.  A-
30. Information Is Free - Napalm Death-ish Nasum with thrown together vocals and pathetic lyrics.  C-
31. Burning Inside - If "nu-grind" was a genre, this would fit right in.  F
32. A Request For Guidance - A whole blend of speed and anger, although the guitar squawks are entirely out of place.  B-
33. Grey - Very generic but straight forward death/grind mix.  C-
34. Worldcraft - Two and a half minutes of slow, abusive heaviness.  Vivid drum work with a slight touch of ambiance.  B+
35. It's Never Too Late - 30 seconds of banality.  Wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for the sludgy break in the middle.  D-
36. Du Är Bevakad - Above average grindcore teetering on blurcore.  B-
37. Blinded - Focusing the guitars on power and using an overly simple drumbeat to hold it up.  Final result is poor.  D
38. Can De Lach - Intro sounds a lot like the intro to Seasons In The Abyss.  Apparently Nasum likes it as they focus way too much time on it, using it as both intro and outro to the song which stretches this generic ditty well past the three minute mark.  I can appreciate what they're trying to accomplish, but Nasum needs to stick to what they know.  C-

Average Song Rating:  C+
Overall Album Rating:  B-

Track Listing:
1.  This Is...
2.  The Masked Face
3.  Digging In
4.  Time To Act!
5.  Disdain And Contempt
6.  I See Lies
7.  Inhale/Exhale
8.  Too Naked To Distort
9.  There's No Escape
10. The Rest Is Over
11. Disappointed
12. Lägg Om!
13. You're Obsolete
14. Tested
15. Shapeshifter
16. Feed Them, Kill The, Skin Them
17. When Science Fails
18. Closing In
19. The World That You Made
20. The System Has Failed Again
21. For What Cause?
22. Fullmated
23. Screwed
24. Shaping The End
25. The New Firing-Squad
26. No Sign Of Improvement
27. My Philosophy
28. I'm Not Silent
29. The Breathing Furnace
30. Information Is Free
31. Burning Inside
32. A Request For Guidance
33. Grey
34. Worldcraft
35. It's Never Too Late
36. Du Är Bevakad
37. Blinded
38. Can De Lach

Website:  www.nasum.com

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