Daily Press
Sam McDonald | Sound Check
October 24, 2008
That thud and clang you've been hearing from a few blocks down the street could be the rumblings of something great — or at least something greatly interesting.

This week, we take a look at three new CDs made by local musicians. Hometown songsmiths have been making menacing metal, off-beat soul and sweet, swinging blues.

First up, a collection of hard-rock tunes that pulls no punches.



Nervis "Tales of Power"
"I hope we offend you, in your castles made of sand," sings Kurt Langley, who describes himself as an Army diver stationed at Fort Eustis. "It would be my pleasure to hurt each and every one of you." That line, plucked from a tune called "The Places That Scare You," contains the kind of fear and loathing that his band Nervis paints so vividly. The grinding, metallic grooves on the 10-track "Tales of Power" album are informed by Langley's two tours in Iraq. He says he was frustrated by heavy rock bands that try to capture the essence of war, but ultimately fail. "System of a Down, Rage Against the Machine, Metallica — a lot of it rang hollow for me," Langley said. Looking beyond the disturbing lyrics, Nervis makes hard-hitting, thoughtfully crafted heavy rock. It's clear that Langley — and his drumming collaborator Jay Marr — are in command of the language of modern, melodic metal. By using sharp dynamics, rhythmic shifts and a catalog of foreboding guitar riffs, Nervis tackles harsh subject matter with a heavy — but artful — hand. Ten percent of the album's sales will go to the Wounded Warrior Project. Find out more at www.nervismusic.com.