This year, we decided to ask musicians that we truly admire to pick their favorite albums of the year and name a band they’d like to get together and make a new record in 2014. Check out the answers that we received from Todd Jones, vocalist and guitarist of California's raging quartet Nails.

What are your top 10 releases of 2013?
1. Innumerable Forms / Blessed Offal - Split-12"
2. Hatred Surge - Human Overdose
3. Gorguts - Colored Sands
4. Framtid - Defeat Of Civilization
5. Sepultura - The Mediator Between Head and Hands Must Be The Heart
6. Hoax - s/t
7. Sickoids - No Home 8. Disma - Unwept In Oblivion / And The Dawn Of Life Arises
9. Ooze - Dansing On The Edge Of The Times
10. Bone Sickness - Alone In The Grave

What’s the best concert you have seen this year?
My favorite live performance from a band I saw in 2013 was Blind To Faith.

What band would you like to reunite and make a record in 2014?
I can't think of any off the top of my head. Although I hope that if any band reunites and makes a record in 2014, it has as much fire as Gorguts did on "Colored Sands".
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There are so many albums to choose from; so many demo tapes, 7”s, splits, et al, and I’m allowing all of these to be in the best-of lists. With that said, here are my personal top jams from 2013.

1. Left for Dead - Devoid of Everything (A389 Recordings)

Kevin Bersten/Developing Nations remixed the entire ‘96-’97 output by the legendary Hamilton, Ontario hardcore/fastcore/angry-as-fuck act Left for Dead, and it was mastered by James Plotkin, to which I have to say: thank you. Most of Left for Dead’s releases were of awful quality, but with Devoid of Everything, the quality is absolutely perfect. It’s gritty, mean, and vicious; Left for Dead is quite possibly the angriest hardcore band I’ve ever listened to. Sure, you can make a case for fellow Hamilton destroyers Haymaker and another band appearing down this list, but the Chris Colohan fronted act are just fucking mean. Devoid of Everything is brilliant; it might be straightforward and to-the-point, but that’s what hardcore should be. No frills, no bullshit; just unrelenting anger. I’m forever ashamed of myself for missing them at the A389 Anniversary bash AND Chaos in Tejas, but I will be going apeshit during their set at Maryland Deathfest XII. Listen

2. Deafheaven - Sunbather (Deathwish, Inc.)

What can be said about this record that hasn’t already been said? Part redefinition of black metal and part post-rock soundscapes, Deafheaven’s seminal work goes down as one of those releases that touches absolute greatness. Amazingly layered and full of clarity, Sunbather is just one of those albums that you can never get enough of. Beautiful, organic, and textured brilliantly, the album is definitely worth all the praise it has ever been graced with, and then some. Listen

3. Column of Heaven - Holy Things are for the Holy (Iron Lung Records)

I can’t get enough of Canada, apparently. Toronto’s Column of Heaven released that masterwork known as Mission From God last year, and everyone ate it up. Holy Things are for the Holy is an extension of the wacky noise/experimental/drone that was heard last year, and on this 7”, it’s cranked up to new levels. Blast-beats, awkward drum patterns, and odd sounds/general weirdness pepper the two-track 7”, and it’s amazing. Column of Heaven continually pushes boundaries, experimenting wildly with cacophonous noise and layers. Listen

4. Vattnet Viskar - Sky Swallower (Century Media)

I’ve talked about this album too much. What is my top album of the year, it contains everything I desperately want from a black metal album. There’s so much dynamic going on. Textured layers of guitar work, drum tracks, atmospheric noise. Everything. Black metal changed over the years and with it came the change of musicianship. Taking notes from post-rock and post-metal, Vattnet Viskar’s Sky Swallower is a down-right fantastic display of black metal bliss. Listen

5. Weekend Nachos - Still (Relapse Records)

What would my end-of-the-year list be without mentioning Chicago’s own Weekend Nachos? It’d probably be stupid. Seriously. Still is a menacing album. I already wrote about it here. A furious but lovely blend of hardcore, powerviolence, sludge, and various other genres create a cathartic atmosphere. Another great effort by Weekend Nachos. Listen

 6. Nails - Abandon All Life (Southern Lord)

Let’s get one thing straight: I fucking love Nails. I own every variant of Unsilent Death on vinyl and I pre-ordered Abandon All Life the day the sale went up. Seeing them live for the first time at the Broad Street Ministry was a helluva an experience; they completely tore the place down. Nails are one of the most vicious, destructive hardcore bands and Abandon All Life just pulverizes, decimates, and other synonyms for destruction that I can’t think of and wouldn’t do the record justice anyway. Listen

7. Oranssi Pazuzu - Valonielu (Svart Records, 20 Buck Spin)

I’ve always held a soft spot for weird music, and Oranssi Pazuzu is no different. Combining elements of psychedelia and black metal to form wondrous soundscapes, Valonielu is one of those albums that doesn’t take a lot of time to sink its teeth in. Sure, there’s black metal riffage going on here but that’s not what makes the album special. What is special about it is that it branches off in wide directions seamlessly. How many times can you have a black metal release that combines New Wave and Krautrock with the heralded lo-fi, foreboding genre? Not many. Listen

8. Cülo - My Life Sucks and I Could Care Less (Deranged Records)

So who here has heard of Chicago’s Cülo? Anyone? The Chicago hardcore punk act put out a ton of EPs that were really awesome, and their first full length retains that energy and drive. It’s super punky with full speed thrashing attacks, and at times unrelentingly angry, but that’s what makes the band so awesome. Brutal honesty and catchy riffs make for an album that feels unique and inspired amidst all the same bullshit. Listen

9. Windhand - Soma (Relapse Records)

Virginia’s Windhand outdid themselves. They put together a doom/stoner metal masterpiece. While some of the tracks are long, and it takes some time to be fully immersive, the riffs themselves are wondrous beasts of doom metal glory. It’s a different animal of stoner doom altogether. These riffs are sickly sweet; infectious, if you will. Slow and churning metal, coupled with Dorthia Cotrell’s amazing vocals make for an album that is just the pinnacle of what stoner doom should be. Listen

10. Perfect Pussy - I Have Lost All Desire for Feeling (self-released)

Okay, this is totally not metal or hardcore or whatever, and I know everyone in “the underground” has talked about them already, but Syracuse’s Perfect Pussy released this demo tape some time in April and Christ, I’ve been hooked. They’re one of those bands I’ve heard through word-of-mouth, instead of scouring the Internet (read: tumblr) to find something completely out of left-field. They’ve blown up a little bit (with good reason); this demo tape is absolutely fantastic. It’s jangly, wild, and noisy -- definitely things that I find attractive in music. If you like your music raw and unfiltered, this one is definitely for you. Just don’t expect, like, death metal or something. Listen

Editor-in-Chief at Scratch the Surface, Bill Haff is a Philadelphia-based music critic who also contributes for Cvlt Nation, Metal Injection and Ghost Cult. You can follow him on Twitter at @bill_haff

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Next month, California's raging four-piece Nails are hitting the UK with their abrasive and powerful cocktail of d-beat, hardcore and metal, headlining a small tour with British crew Blind to Faith as support.
This is the band's first UK shows in three years so we caught up with vocalist and guitarist Todd Jones to find out more about this tour and their future plans, including a brand new album planned for 2014.

You're hitting the UK with Blind to Faith very soon, are you looking forward to these headlining shows? 

“Yes, possibly more than any dates we've done this year so far. The reaction we got from our fans when we announced we were coming has been immense. Can't wait to get over there and play for all the UK maniacs.”

Prior to these headlining shows, you have toured the US along with Early Graves and Xibalba and just recently you have played at This Is Hardcore Festival. How did that go?

“Incredibly well. Good enthusiastic crowds every night. Couldn't have had better shows.”

Are you happy with how your new songs from “Abandon all Life” translate live?

“Absolutely. Our crowd goes wild when we play the new shit, as expected because it's much more maniacal than anything else we've ever done. Pure aggression.”

Speaking of the new album, there has been an immense amount of praise to “Abandon all Life”, especially in the British and North American press. How satisfying is it to have your music appreciated in such a positive matter?

“Extremely satisfying. I had no idea people would appreciate our new album as much as they have. It's an honor.”

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"If your favorite Nails material is Unsilent Death, you may not like our new songs. If your favorite Nails material is Abandon All Life, it'll be right up your alley."

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After this small tour, Nails will be heading to Japan for a few dates. What's on the agenda?

“The agenda is the play shows with our friends in Twitching Tongues and Palm and Inferval Reluvision, eat as much mochi ice cream as I can, and buy as many records as I can. The record stores in Japan are not like anywhere else on the planet. I'm going to be broke.”

I recently read that you already have a bunch of new songs lined up for new album. Are you playing any of these new songs on this tour? 

“No, we won't be playing any. We need to play all the songs from Abandon All Life and Unsilent Death as we haven't been to the UK in 3 years. I probably shouldn't have said we have new songs because now people want to hear them, but we won't be playing those live for at least another year or so.”

From the songs that you already have, what can expect from the third album of Nails?

“More brutal and unsettling than Abandon All Life. It's more antisocial sounding and less catchy. If your favorite Nails material is Unsilent Death, you may not like our new songs. If your favorite Nails material is Abandon All Life, it'll be right up your alley.”



The UK tour dates is as follows:
Wed 13 Nov – Glasgow, Classic Grand
Thu 14 Nov – Manchester, Star & Garter (with Esoteric Youth)
Fri 15 Nov – Bristol, The Exchange (with War Wolf)
Sat 16 Nov – London, Underworld (With Hang The Bastard)

More info at: www.facebook.com/NAILSoxnard
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Sometimes you look at a band and you just know they’re going to hit you hard and fast, and California’s Nails are exactly one of those bands. Their second album “Unsilent Death” released two years ago, offered us a violent concoction of grind, crust, hardcore and metal in just fourteen minutes. This one doesn’t mess around either. Clocking at a mere eighteen minutes, “Abandon All Life” gets in, beats you hard, and gets out just before you know what hit you.
Nails waste no time and get straight to the point with opener "In Exodus", which displays blindingly fast, crusty guitars and throat-shredding vocals. I’m actually a bit worried about vocalist Todd Jones, because anyone who thrashes their voice like he does would need a lifetime supply of throat syrups or in the worst case surgery. Most of the songs fly fast with the explosive power of a high-caliber bullet, only “Wide Open Wound” and final track “Suum Cuide” show the band ease off on the gas pedal and slow down a bit to churn some crushing, mid-tempo riffs.
This is one of the nastiest and heaviest slabs of extreme music you are likely to hear this year. But then, I guess you weren’t expecting any subtleties with an album title like that, were you? 

Band info: www.unsilentdeath.com
Label info: www.southernlord.com

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