For years nu metal has been scoffed at any time someone hears those two words in the same breath. Ever since a decreased level of popularity in the mid 2000’s, the style of music pioneered by Korn in the mid to late ‘90s has lost quite a bit of its staying power. However, in the past year or two the once-dead genre has begun to make a comeback. Up until now, much of this “comeback” has often been artists testing the water to see if they can stay relevant with this re-acquired sound; sometimes the sound is acquired for the first time. There hasn’t really been a new breed of artists yet that have seized the “nu metal” label. That is, until four guys from South Carolina stepped onto the scene, anyway. Around this time last year, the group caught the attention of Victory Records with their sophomore EP Pains. Now, with their first full-length album on store shelves everywhere, a hot new single at radio and a tour run all summer long with some of the biggest bands in metal, Islander has everything it takes to start a revolution in rock and metal. Enter Violence & Destruction.

The opening drum fill sounds the call to start the revolution, before the listener is bombarded with a blast of loud, down-tuned guitars. Vocalist Mikey Carvajal steps up to the plate and a parallel with POD comes to mind right away, with enough rapping and gang vocals to go around for everyone. The bass line in the bridge builds anticipation before the guitars come back and Carvajal’s chants are no longer a distant cry but an abrasive yell. “Counteract” is exactly what an album opener should be. “The Sadness of Graves” changes it up just a bit with more melodic-sounding guitars and a half-rapped, half-sung vocal approach. Carvajal sings completely for the first time in the chorus and bridge of this track, making this song significantly more melodic. This serves as perfect transition into the following track, “Coconut Dracula,” which is also the lead single off the record. The anthem of a chorus is really what makes this song so catchy. It’s virtually impossible not to sing along to “I wanna be someone more like you.”

“Cold Speak” keeps the sound from the previous track and turns things up a notch or two. The background guitar line towards the end of the chorus is subtle enough to miss, yet it’s exactly what seems to push the song over the top, until the bridge anyway. In fact, the aggressive-sounding, rap-driven bridge is arguably the best part of the entire song. At the very least, it gives the track an edge. “Cold Speak” ends and fades right into “Pains,” another phenomenal song with a crushing bass line, melodic guitars, and Carvajal’s singing. Like its predecessor, this one also fades into the next track. “Kingdom” seems like it will be a reprieve from the aggression and abrasiveness, until about halfway in when the song kicks it up several notches: Carvajal starts screaming in addition to singing and the guitars kick in full blast. Nevertheless, “Kingdom” is a beautiful song.

The following track is punk-inspired, with a few hardcore elements thrown in there as well. More loud guitars and a consequently fast beat make “Side Effects of Youth” a guaranteed foot-stomper. “New Wave” gets back to the sound that the quartet briefly departed from on the previous track. With soaring guitars and a powerful chorus, “New Wave” is a killer track with heavy undertones. “Criminals” is the heaviest song on the record, and features a guest spot from POD vocalist Sonny Sandoval, who absolutely slaughters the already-stellar musical landscape. His rapping is the perfect supplement to the down-tuned wall of sound. Eventually Sandoval and Carvajal join forces on the bridge, and that’s when things really get crazy, all the way up until the end.

“Criminals” is followed by “Mira,” a brief interlude previewing the title track. Before the closer, however, is the record’s only remake, “Hearts Grow Cold.” The 2012 song was initially released on the band’s debut EP, Side Effects of Youth. The ¾ time signature just adds to the edge, and the only real reprieve from it all is the sung chorus. The final track, “Violence and Destruction,” is one last loud rocker that closes things out on a solid note. The title track isn’t your typical album closer; the aggression is still there. While Carvajal may be singing for the majority of the song, that doesn’t take away from its intensity.

Violence & Destruction has standout tracks along with the “weak” ones, but even the weakest songs on the record really aren’t bad. Yes, their sound may be somewhat unoriginal, but when was the last time an artist came along who had a completely original sound? It’s virtually impossible, especially with the great amount of music available at the mere “click” of a button. The band not only resembles the vintage nu metal of the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, but they also offer a fresh new take on it all, rather than just completely re-hashing what’s already been done. The new album from Islander is a must-have for any fan of nu metal, past or present, and is undoubtedly one of the strongest releases of the year.

Score: 4.5/5

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