{"id":530853,"date":"2026-04-14T19:45:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T19:45:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/530853\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T19:45:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T19:45:10","slug":"nukem-the-grave-remains-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/530853\/","title":{"rendered":"Nukem – The Grave Remains Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Thrash\u2014my first love. Before I worshipped at the altars of black and death, my masters cloaked themselves in denim and set my soul on fire with aggressive speed, snotty rebellion, and fist-pumping anthems. Like 2016, the godfathers of thrash have already made the last twelve months a resurgence of the old school, with<\/a> varying<\/a> degrees<\/a> of<\/a> success<\/a>. Newer acts have also made a splash, with Cryptic Shift<\/a> and Zerre<\/a> wickedly pummeling our poor score counter into requesting early retirement. 2026 at large betrays no signs of relenting, and thankfully, neither does thrash. Ten years after dropping their 2016 debut, The Unholy Trinity, California\u2019s Nukem reemerges with sophomore effort The Grave Remains. After such a long incubation period, does Nukem prove that they have what it takes to claw out from the grave?<\/p>\n

Despite forming in 2012, Nukem oozes classic thrash spunk by blurring Bay Area melody with East Coast attitude and gang vocals. Death Angel<\/a>, Nuclear Assault, and Overkill influences punctuate The Grave Remains\u2019 twelve tracks, although flashes of a dozen other bands course through Nukem\u2019s veins. Guitarist\/vocalist Steve Brogden\u2019s snarls remind me of Warbringer<\/a>\u2019s John Kevill mixed with a more pissed-off Mark Osegueda, delivering serrated crossover barks with conviction. Rob Cavestany even makes a guest appearance on \u201cInto the Kill Zone,\u201d cementing the Death Angel frame of reference. Exodus staples Gary Holt and Lee Altus also sling some riffs on \u201cEmpress of Evil\u201d and \u201cDon\u2019t Believe a Word\u201d respectively, the latter of which is a Thin Lizzy cover. In total, Nukem blends a multitude of inspirations into a confluence of so many thrash wellsprings that they precipitate a voice at once familiar and distinct.<\/p>\n

\ufeffThe Grave Remains by Nukem<\/a><\/p>\n

Nukem plays infectiously fun thrash that overflows with shout-along choruses and a bass tone so plump and meaty that it quickly became my favorite aspect of The Grave Remains. Brogden\u2019s guitars flit, chug, and cajole throughout the forty-nine minutes, yet bassist Don Lauder steals the spotlight time and again. From the slinky rumble in \u201cUnconditional Surrender\u201d to the coquettish interplay in \u201cEmpress of Evil,\u201d Lauder\u2019s bass bounces and parades with low-end jubilance. \u201cTorture, Murder, Mutilate!\u201d and \u201cRandom Acts of Violence\u201d further emphasize the bass while showcasing Nukem\u2019s six-string attack, with Xander Gambini augmenting Brogden\u2019s core. Additionally, ex-Nukem axe-wielder (and current Dark Angel guitarist) Laura Christine joins her former bandmates and Gary Holt on \u201cEmpress of Evil,\u201d while \u201cRandom Acts of Violence\u201d includes an appearance from Russ Tippins (Satan<\/a> and Tanith<\/a>). Drummer Norm Leggio rounds out the rhythm section, ably pounding out rolls, fills, and tight rhythms in support of Nukem\u2019s well-crafted performances.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Nukem executes thrash with the eager verve of a hungry up-and-comer, but a couple of missteps limit The Grave Remains\u2019 ceiling. While the riffs are fine when experienced in isolation, as a whole, they often lack the hooks or memorability to distinguish themselves from one another. The Grave Remains shines brightest during bass performances and rousing choruses, but those two alone can\u2019t support an entire thrash album. This issue wouldn\u2019t be as glaring if the track lengths were shaved down, but as-is, only two songs (besides needless instrumentals) stay under the four-minute mark, and one of those is a cover. Repeat spins reinforce the opportunity to trim thirty to sixty seconds off several tracks, which would help punch up The Grave Remains and leave listeners craving MOAR. On a positive note, the production glows with a well-balanced mix that supplies ample room for each instrument, and Nukem\u2019s earnest embrace of head-banging gusto guarantees I\u2019m never having a bad time.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, Nukem offers a classic thrash platter with a few blemishes I can see, yet easily look past. The Grave Remains won\u2019t change the landscape of the genre, but fans will find plenty to enjoy, and despite the melting pot of references, Nukem manages to claim their spot within thrash\u2019s wing of the metalsphere. Songs like \u201cUnconditional Surrender\u201d and \u201cCurse of the Devil\u2019s Bible\u201d are welcome earworms that have found homes in my playlists, and I look forward to the next time Nukem asks us to come get some.<\/p>\n

Rating: Good
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Redefining Darkness Records<\/a>
Websites: Bandcamp<\/a> | Facebook<\/a>
Releases Worldwide: April 10th, 2026<\/p>\n

\n\tGive in to Your Anger:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Thrash\u2014my first love. Before I worshipped at the altars of black and death, my masters cloaked themselves in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":530854,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[47816,6446,6447,69265,178402,160768,75182,177298,42855,96,115847,183792,7263,25229,128,183793,183794,86705,40446,263,129,162355,42858,183795,65237,183796,76414,20383,56,54,55,83345,183797],"class_list":{"0":"post-530853","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-47816","9":"tag-3-0","10":"tag-american-metal","11":"tag-anthrax","12":"tag-apr26","13":"tag-cryptic-shift","14":"tag-dark-angel","15":"tag-death-angel","16":"tag-destruction","17":"tag-entertainment","18":"tag-exodus","19":"tag-flotsam-and-jetsam","20":"tag-megadeth","21":"tag-metallica","22":"tag-music","23":"tag-nukem","24":"tag-overkill","25":"tag-redefining-darkness","26":"tag-redefining-darkness-records","27":"tag-review","28":"tag-reviews","29":"tag-satan","30":"tag-sodom","31":"tag-tanith","32":"tag-testament","33":"tag-the-grave-remains","34":"tag-thin-lizzy","35":"tag-thrash-metal","36":"tag-uk","37":"tag-united-kingdom","38":"tag-unitedkingdom","39":"tag-warbringer","40":"tag-zerre"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/530853","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=530853"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/530853\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/530854"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=530853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=530853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=530853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}