Review Summary: A highly engaging Screamo album that provides catchy riffs and quality vocals
Every state, city, and town believes its local music scene is the best. From the 90’s era grunge hotbed that was Seattle (Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden) to the modern day metalcore breeding ground that is Ohio (The Devil Wears Prada, Miss May I), local music scenes have exploded bands that became mainstream and popular, but I feel that Minnesota has one of the most unrecognized local metal scenes and one of the better bands in that scene was Nihilio.
Starting up in 2007, along with other local bands such as Emiliana, Charis, and Venia, Nihilio only lasted for two years, but gained a lot of exposure and were on the verge of being signed by Tooth and Nail Records before they eventually broke up. They released one EP during this time, entitled
The Battle Has Begun. This 30 minute, 5 song EP is one of the finest debut EP’s that I have ever heard from a local band coming out of Minnesota.
For The Love of God starts out this EP, and right out of the gate Nihilio makes it known that they are not to be messed with. Incorporating a dual vocalist approach of one screamer, and one clean vocalist, the band makes ample use of this, interchanging between melodic sung passages and harsher screamed ones. Subtle keyboard passages are also layered throughout the EP, adding texture and depth to Nihilio’s sound.
The highlight of
The Battle Has Begun is the guitar work. Nihilio’s guitarists lay down riff after riff, displaying a nice level of technicality and catchiness, as well as the ability to give a rhythm part if necessary. Riffs such as at the 2:41 mark in Your Worst Passenger, and the 29-second mark of Secret, Secret show the band’s ability to write engaging licks. The band also makes good use of dynamics with slowdowns appearing in numerous songs.
The bass and drum work is also solid on The
Battle Has Begun, but tends to take a backseat to the dual vocalist approach and the guitar fireworks. The band also takes a sharp turn in the form of their 10:02 track Mundus Vuly Decipi: The Mutiny, which is a contrast from the other four songs on the EP as it goes through numerous shifts and changes and really shows off the band’s talent and potential.
Nihilio was a band with immense potential, so it is really a shame that they disbanded when they did. If you are a fan of the screamo style, or are interested in a local band then I urge you to check out
The Battle Has Begun. It really shows that small local bands have the potential to produce something that rivals more well known artists.
