If Deftones, Mudhoney and Pantera had a three-way which resulted in an aural lovechild that was bitten by a rabid raccoon, it would be the sludgy mirror image of Nomad Zero, who could never be accused of posturing their aggression. Their latest single, Padded Room, practically convulses with angst as it toys with the hallmarks of grunge, hardcore, and grindcore, resulting in a salaciously vehement, cathartically visceral session of annihilation.
Padded Room has the kind of loose-limbed violence that feels dangerous because it breathes, bucks, and throws itself against the walls. It has no interest in being as tight as a straitjacket, because its real force comes from where the seams strain, split, and let the rawness spill out. The guitars snarl with swamp-thick distortion, the rhythm section lands like furniture being hurled across a basement, and the vocals sound ripped from a nervous system running on pure threat response.
The Northwest Indiana band are already building a reputation as a live act that leaves rooms feeling altered, and releasing their premiere single in the same week they open for The Bunny The Bear is a clear sign that there’s little that could get in the way of this juggernautically unreckonable force as they refine rage with feral resonance.
Padded Room is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.
Review by Amelia Vandergast