14th August 2023

Review: “They Prey” by La Nausée

A third EP in three years from Ghent Belgium based Groove Sludge Metal band La Nausée is evidence of how inspired by the World that they wage war upon, born of the rage to overcome, to decide our state of being and make ourselves whole. Politically and socially aware as well as being inspired by bands like Iron Monkey, Left Behind and Sepultura, they have forged another five cuts of mosh pit ready songs for your listening displeasure. Such is the stock of the band at the moment that Gio Smet Records have wrapped “They Prey” together with last years “Disorder” for a physical release as an album.

Over the past three years La Nausée have been the quiet child in the corner that you should have kept an eye on because they’ve been playing with knives. In doing so they have carved themselves a niche with the gradual refinement of their sound and the growth on display here is nothing short of astonishing. “Pest” incorporates a wealth of nuances into the bands core sound, the blunt force of aggression now counterbalanced by tension building whispers, Hardcore Punk bass drives, sinister riffage and a glorious downtempo ending. It is still very much a battering ram of an opening cut however it now has a witty line to utter before it breaks your face. The caustic unclean vocals of “Blinders” enhance a feeling of claustrophobia that accompanies with sonic abrasion, the band a boa constrictor that chokes off the air supply as this one plays out. A lethal track that lacks the nuance of its predecessor, it’s one that grows on you with repeated listens. There is an element of Chaotic Hardcore within “They Prey“, La Nausée at times sounding like they want to break out from a cycle of low, slow, hard and anvil heavy sounds but never quite do so. Instead they choose a more avant-garde path, taking the sheer sonic brutality they have created and adding in moments of left field thought that elevate it in intriguing ways. This one pummels you into submission before a warm passage of lead that sounds like its been borrowed from Faith No More comes in and leaves you wondering what you’ve just witnessed. Returning to the crushing, violent abrasions of Sludge fuelled Hardcore, “Venom” slaps harder than a lover scorned over 140 seconds of relentless riffage from which there is no escape. There can be no doubt that what makes these songs is their brevity, another verse and chorus on each and you might find a brain haemorrhage arriving pretty damn quickly. But by distilling them down to their bare essentials, the raw power is allowed to shine without totally destroying the ear drums. “Spectre” rounds off the collection with another savage, jagged edged cut that decimates, the eerie fade offering a haunting that Stephen King might struggle to replicate… [7/10]

Track Listing