Alas, the all-female incarnation of thrash. It’s been a long time coming, although we are almost positive bands prior to Nervosa existed, they simply didn’t make it this far. Nervosa is a Brazilian thrash power-trio, pumped up by their appearance (read: they’re nice-looking gals), and have received all sorts of praise and encouragement via the press from some of metal’s more recognizable names, ala their fellow countrymen Max Cavalera and Andreas Kisser, Overkill’s Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth, and Cannibal Corpse’s Alex Webster. Pleasant tidings aside, the band fares well for itself on its Victim of Yourself debut.
The band’s sound is rooted in the crosshairs of Teutonic and mid-80’s ugly thrash, as in, technicality isn’t the preferred route, neither is melody. The reliance on crunchy riffing, paired-down arrangements, and the acidic vocals of Fernanda Lira, though, generally give these tunes some legs, specifically the ill-named “Nasty Injury,” which boasts the album’s most memorable arrangement, along with some bouts of extremity. Such is also the case for “Morbid Courage,” which grinds along into a mosh-ready verse, and the heads-down rumble of “Into Mosh Pit” (okay, we get it: English isn’t their first language), a song that instantly recalls Mad Butcher-era Destruction.
Nervosa’s influences aren’t as obvious to affix as some of their fresh-faced, male contemporaries, which gives Victim of Yourself a slight shade of its own. Coupled with the fact that a bunch of Third World gals are pulling this stuff off, and it becomes more apparent as the album progresses that Nervosa could be one of 2014’s best newcomers. Girl power indeed.