Rage Nucléaire

The one noteworthy thing about Rage Nucléaire is that Lord Worm is a member. Yes, that Lord Worm: the legend who was hands down Cryptopsy's best vocalist, whom unleashed bitter wrath and defined brutal death metal vocals with the Montreal act's classic None So Vile, and whom we haven't heard from since their 2005 record, Once Was Not. Now, Lord Worm returns with a new unit, but it's definitely not the technical death metal we're used to his growls being backed by, as Rage Nucléaire perform '90s-esque black metal, influenced by the likes of Emperor and Immortal, featuring gloomy, goth-style keyboards. While the group's aptly titled debut, Unrelenting Fucking Hatred, offers just that, in terms of attitude, it tries way too hard and lacks any particular kind of focus. While Lord Worm's mechanical, psychotic vocals are powerful and vicious, Unrelenting Fucking Hatred disappoints with moments of underwhelming, undefined instrumental work and a lethargic attempt at production that's too muddy. If Rage Nucléaire's intentions were to compete with Cryptopsy's recent self-titled comeback, the latter are unquestionably the winners this round.