THE NASUM VAULT - 1998-2004: THE ALBUM YEARS
Human 2.0 reviews in English and in Swedish
Here's a bunch of reviews of "Human 2.0" that were collected at Nasum.com back in 2000 when the album was released, starting with a number of reviews in English...
Scando grind merchants' second cacophonous slab.
"NOISECORE" IS a term employed far too wantonly, often used to describe any combo with a discord or two in their repertoire. Sweden's Nasum (pronounced naw-zum, don't ya know), however, make such a racket, you begin to question how such cruelty could be inflicted on instruments.
Piling on guitars so abrasive they could shave girders, the trio blur through 25 tracks of unsullied, nutterspeed grindcore. It may sound like the whitest of noises to ears permanently tuned to Limp Bizkit, but closer inspection will reveal caustic riffs of the highest order, topped off with tonsil-tearing apocalyptic shrieks. Crank this and watch the mushroom cloud form above your stereo.
Mark Greenway, Kerrang, Rating: 5/5
Nasum's last album, Inhale/Exhale is arguably one of the best, if not the best, grindcore albums of all time. Yes I'm taking into consideration the old school grindcore of Carcass, Napalm Death (yawn), and Brutal Truth, and I still stand by my statement. Trying to overcome such a debut is a daunting task, one that very few bands are able to overcome. So the big question regarding their new effort isn't if it's worth buying (duh), it's whether it's better than the last masterpiece. A short answer… I just don't know. I've had time enough with Inhale/Exhale, but I'm still on the honeymoon when it comes to this new grindfest. Let me put it this way, even with my titanic expectations for this album, I am not disappointed in the least.
This new platter takes the framework that was old Nasum, and just injects a little more maturity into it. This is probably the best-produced grindcore album ever made. I almost think they got a prog metal producer to finally listen to some music with balls and heart. The unfortunate side to all of this is that grindcore isn't supposed to be produced well, just look at the direction Brutal Truth went. And I hope that the scene doesn't see this as a sellout, because this is the future of grindcore. It allows for the aggression and chaotic beauty that is grindcore, but makes it seem more mature. I mean, shit, I can actually hear a distinct bass line in these songs. That's impressive. To point out standout tracks is pointless for reasons that are twofold. First, the whole album kicks ass. And second, by the time I look to see what track I'm listening to, the song is over.
This is in a dead heat with Cephalic Carnage for the best grindcore album of the year (and Hell, maybe of all time). But I don't want to think about it now. Buy this album as soon as you can. I'd praise it a little more, but I don't want to sound like a kiss ass and there are two other things I'd rather do now that I've met my deadline. Those would be getting drunk on a couple of Bombay Sapphire martinis, and sitting back and enjoying Human 2.0 some more. Not thinking about what I'm going to write about it… not thinking about how well it compares to its predecessor… but just enjoying the brutal beauty of it.
Abyss, metaljudgement.com, Rating: 5/5
Point! Click! Grind! Oh wait, that's Relapse.com. Well then let's just leave it at grrrrrrrind, baby grind. Anyway you slice it, Nasum's Human 2.0, is a pretty killer record. And yes, it is still grindcore, although it is undoubtedly wrapped in an more modern and accessible sound and packaged with a more professional-looking look than you otherwise might expect. At its core, however, this is pure venomous bile, tightly executed and delivered yet expertly produced. You can even hear mainstream sounding guitar solos on tracks like the killer "Shadows." But the feature of greatest note on this new Nasum record is the presence of many more Riffs. Yes, that's "Riffs" with a capital "R." Together with the warm and downtuned guitar sound straight-crossed between early Sepultura and Obituary's Slowly we Rot record, Nasum finds itself mixing a little more metal into the grind for good measure.
Sure, the record can still be wildly chaotic, only without the undercurrent of sloppiness which is generally part of the grind aesthetic. Call this refined grind, if there is such a thing. Leaving aside the Shakespearean "to grind or not to grind" question, as a metal record, Human 2.0 completely and totally works, and works well. Surprisingly, the lyrics are also fun. The entire package here is first rate. Nasum have delivered the goods and should be commended for it. Sure, they've polished things up a bit, but the core rage remains at the forefront. To quote Skid Row (in a Nasum review?!!?), the band shouldn't be forced to always remain total "Slaves to the Grind."
Death, metaljudgement.com, Rating: 4/5
Human 2.0 starts out with a blast. I figure that's the least I can do as well. Nasum returns with their second effort, as brutally unrestrained and quirky as the first. The longest song on the album clocks in at "2:57.692". The shortest? "18.868". Yes, folks, several of these songs are so short, they necessitate carrying the time out to the thousandth of a second. This album is as blistering with intensity as it is unpredictable. A good example of what I mean by unpredictable - "När dagarna" - the entire song is, I believe, in their native Swedish. Not being able to speak Swedish, I could be wrong. The song durations are the core of their unpredictability, but there's so much more to this album than just that - the musicianship is fantastic.
Listening is an adventure. You don't know at the beginning, whether this will be a 30 second jaunt or a 2 minute opus. It is a journey of discovery, if you will. What you will quickly find out: this band rocks. "Resistance" catches my attention every time, maybe because the guitar sounds very much like my alarm clock.
I admit it, I was predisposed to liking this one. But what I enjoy most about Nasum is their ability to sound fresh regardless of what the details of the current song are. All you really need to know at this point is that there are basically 3 speeds utilized by Nasum: fast, faster, and totally fucking fast.
Hel, metaljudgement.com, Rating: 5/5
Argh! This rips! 25 grinding blasts of pure, focused rage! This time around the sound is totally heavy with an absolutely sick, dirty guitar sound and much fiercer vocals than in the past. The vocals are lower in the mix, really making them feel more at home in the abrasive music.
The production is a little weird, and took a while to get accustomed to, but at this point it really doesn’t make a damn bit of difference because the songs are fucking unbelievable! The longer songs are actually very noticeably stronger on "Human 2.0" - the band shreds away nonstop with better writing and ridiculously powerful breaks and changes.
As always they unleash well done lyrics compelled by harnessed anger and intelligent, conscious issues - making Nasum the modern day equivalent of the mighty force that Napalm Death once was. The layout here is also fantastic in its simplicity. I’ve listened to this a million times already and I can’t get enough of it. I’m hooked!
Andrew, Aversion | Online - internet magazine, Rating: 9/10
I've already totally been into Nasum's last output "Inhale/ Exhale" and on "Human 2.0" they stay true to the same kind of music and play very hard Grindcore which doesn't need any Fun/Sex/Sicko lyrics. Nasum are dealing with political motivated stuff in their lyrics.
This record has the charme of the early Napalm Death records. I can still remember how happy we have been when they have managed to play more songs in less time... "Human 2.0" features 25 tracks in a little more than 38 minutes. But besides all this ultra fast stuff the band never forgets to write some groovy parts, they are making the music way more memorable. Not to forget that the production is amazing too.
Fans of normal Metal should keep their fingers away from this CD, but whoever is into extreme Death Metal or Grindcore should give Nasum a chance and check them out.
Hellmut, Fegefeuer Webzine, Rating: No scale
Nasum will kick your head in! The sheer intensity that this Swedish 3 piece pulls off hasn't been done since the early grindcore days of bands like Napalm Death and Entombed. Their key to such intensity is how short they keep their songs. The longest of their tracks barely make it over the 2 minute mark and it is the most blistering 2 minutes of listening hell you could ever imagine.
The band stays fresh and the tracks don't lack due to being so brief. After almost a decade and only 2 full lengths under their belt you can tell that perseverence is what keeps this band going. I love the closing thanks on the cover: "Thanks to all the bands we've managed to steal riffs from, you should know who you are after listening to this record!". The influences of this Swedish grindcore act should be totally apparent after only one listen. Anger to the nTH power. YEAHHH!
[unknown], MusicEmissions.com, Rating: No scale
Relentless is the word here. Nasum come out swinging with 25 songs of pounding grindcore that do not let up for a second. While often albums of this nature blend into one big wall of sound, Nasum break up the blasting with the occasional incredibly catchy metal riff before blasting right off again into total grind. The perfect example: about 48 seconds into the first track, "Mass Hypnosis." This uncanny ability to catch the listener's mind with an irresistible hook is what really sets Nasum well above 99% of their contemporaries, resulting in a very listenable grindcore album. The vocal performance is predominantly a barked mid-range scream courtesy of guitarist Mieszko A Talarczyk, traded off with deep growls bellowed by drummer Anders Jakobson. While most of the Human 2.0 cranks at full tilt, tracks like "Shadows" slows things down a notch, allowing the listener to catch his or her breath, while the band explores Meshuggah-like grooves before veering off into grind territory again. There are inhuman performances on the part of all three members of the band. This stuff is FAST FAST FAST...
Believe it or not, the envelope is still being pushed to even further extremes. Human 2.0 is a great album of refined, tight, clean grind that is going to help assure the genre's place in the metal hierarchy for years to come.
Al Kikuras, Unchain the Underground, Rating: 9.5/10
Nasum are one of the most essential grind bands if you ask me. They blast a lot of new-school grind bands out of the water, and it's obvious why: they're talented as hell! Inhale/Exhale totally caught my attention when it was released. I don't even remember why I bought it, but I was so glad that I did. Nasum play a new school of grindcore that's extremely rough on the edges but very tight and very structure-based. Their grind songs aren't just "blast blast blast scream"…Instead, it's more like "slow part, slow part, blast, scream, slow part, scream, blast". I know, that's confusing as hell. But believe me, it's hard to describe Nasum. They draw influences from plenty of grind bands, but also from heavier metal bands, and even punk bands. I don't think there is much to be said about Nasum that either someone else or myself hasn't said before. They are easily one of the best new school grind bands who draw a ton of influences from the old school, and this album is proof that they are doing just fine in the progression area. Easily one of my favorite Relapse bands.
Rob, Loudnet.Com, Rating: No scale
Musical mayhem from Swedish grind trio.
WHEN GRINDCORE is done properly, with sufficient ferocity, and dexterity, there are few forms of music more likely to make you shit yourself. "Human 2.0" is a case in point. Not since Brutal Truth’s "Extreme Conditions..." has anyone produced a record this fast, frenzied and cack-inducingly offensive and it’s to Nasum’s credit that their take on this primitive style of music sounds so compelling in the year 2000.
Clearly inspired by the greats of the genre - Napalm Death, Repulsion etc - Nasum’s biggest achievement is that they have taken no-frills, blastbeats-a-go-go approach of old, and have added a number of more restrained metal elements. Samples and a whole host of unpredictable angular noises combine to create a blistering smorgasbord of ear-mangling brutality. Songs like "Shadows" and the charming "Multinational Murderers Network" are textbook examples of how speed and volume combined can be both thrilling and bizarrely accessible.
Too deranged for the average nu-metaller, and sufficiently intense to give Blink 182 fans nightmares, "Human 2.0" is a splendid thing. The nastiness never wears thin, and like fellow Relapse bands Cephalic Carnage and The Dillinger Escape Plan, Nasum are a long way from being generic. For monstrous, iron-plated grind, look no further than this. Yet another reason to move to Sweden.
Dom Lawson, Kerrang, Rating: 4/5
Begin "Human 2.0", and its first eighteen seconds are about all the peace you will get for the thirty-eight brain-splattering minutes. Combining gritty grindcore blasting, the intensity of breakneck hardcore and some crafty death metalised grooves into a single coherent sound, "Human 2.0" is based on the same sound and style template as 1998's "inhale/exhale", but like Conan and the Wheel of Pain, time and effort has honed Nasum into a mountain of strength and power, which they weild with precise control. The result is distinctly unrelenting, but songwritten astutely, to the point that, unlike it's predecessor, "Human 2.0" fills its whole length without inducing you to skip tracks or stop the CD altogether - except maybe for the sake of anything breakable in the near vicinity. Nasum get to the brutal point without lacking approriate depth; like Discordance Axis, they push to the limits of extremity without sending the mind into boredom - induced sensory shut down; Mortician or presentday Deicide this ain't. Unleashing fury like vintage grindcore but possessing the smooth calculation and musical awareness of precise metal, "Human 2.0" is a part of the future, not merely a throwback to past glory.
Paul Schwarz, Terrorizer, Rating: 8/10
I've read on websites and in magazine articles that grindcore is basically defined by it's blastbeats, death growls, guitar thrashing the the frenetic pace at which it is played. Unfortunately, I have to disagree with this opinion. Maybe I'm missing the point, but to me, grindcore is all about finding that groove and just jamming. Grinding, if you will. It's the stuff you raise your fist and bang your head to. Considering I've probably just pissed off the hardcore grindcore fans, I'll take it one step further by say that I feel that Nasum (and Napalm Death) are the new breed of grindcore. What distinguishes them from so many other grindcore bands is that they aren't afraid to slow the music down. Sure, there's plenty of that super-fast heavy screaming-drum-guitar chaos, but it's during these slowdowns that Nasum really shines. This breathes a whole new life into the music.
Listen to the beginning of track ten, Alarm or the breakdown during the end of Shadows (track 4) and you'll hear what I mean. The varied guitar and vocal tones add lots of substance. Of course, this what makes Nasum what it is today, they are a style all their own.
Human 2.0 continues on this trend, keeping the music fast and brutal yet with plenty of catchy break-downs, intros and outros. There's a cool ass sample (track 14, Resistance) from "The Matrix", even. As usual, the vocals do not disappoint, Mieszkos and Anders taking turns filling the songs with their high-pitched screams and low-death growls respectively. They really have it down. While one screams out his lines, the other usually growling or screaming in the background. Damn cool. Instrumentally, Miezsko sticks with the same guitar tone heard back on inhale/exhale. This is a good thing as I like the warm, cutting tone of it. He varies his style a bit in many of the songs though, sometimes using it for various sound effects or looping feedback at the beginning of songs.
While inhale/exhale was all done just by the demonic duo, Nasum added Jesper Liveröd as bassist in early 99. The mix is great with the drums and bass carrying the rhythm and the thick guitar tones and blood-curdling screams pulling it all together.
Overall, this is a solid buy and I highly recommend it, to new fans and old. Short, fast, brutal, Nasum.
Jaysun, Fubarm, Rating: 4.5/5
Good god man! Can you say throttle? And I’ll be dipped if this thing didn’t rock my ass to the ends of the earth and back. On their 2nd album for Relapse, Nasum has produced 25 tracks of blistering ultra-hyper hardcore that rocks the very foundation of punk, metalcore, and grindcore like no band I have ever run across. While many bands either full throttle their grind tendencies, or chugga chugga their hardcore side, Nasum have perfected the art of incorporating both extremes in what may be the surprise of the year for me.
While still containing all the essential elements for brutal hardcore/grind fusion; gut-wrenching vocals, dark melodies, and spastic speed, from the very first listen of "Human 2.0" it is immediately noticeable that Nasum are a different breed in the manner in which they write their songs.
Unlike many of their thrash counterparts, there is a very discernable structure, especially vocally, amid the chaos. Imagine the best tough guy hardcore spun on 78, while retaining the deep voiced growl. There is timing in the vocals; phrasing that accentuates every ferocious beat. And whether is be gutteral growls or rapid-fire hardcore delivery, the music of Nasum churns right along behind, in an awesome display of 4/4 time variations.
Unlike the cacophony of bands like Dillinger Escape Plan or Luddite Clone, Nasum does not create chaos through mathematical timing structures. They play the old fashioned way. From the very first chords of "Mass Hypnosis", Nasum display variable tempos, and a thunderous drum break that leads into the pit demanding "A Welcome Breeze of Stinking Air". Slower, chugging rhythms give way to all out thrash. "Fatal Search" opens with an killer intro that would not be out of place on the latest Victory offering. And while the thrashing that follows is certainly chaotic, this is the first indication as to the powerful sense of melody Nasum possess. A classic single string part holds the ensuing melody all together. This song is fucking great. A more melodic, yet harder Throwdown if you will. "Shadows" continues, with more a mid-tempo vocal part. Good lord these guys can rock my ass. Quite possibly the best of the bunch, "Corrosion" is more subtle in the approach, if there is subtlety in chaos.
After repeated listenings, I can easily make out the hardcore roots in which the songs are structured, freeing me up to enjoy the discs direct power, without being thrown into confusion with whirlwind breaks, and melodic shifts. Lyrically, Nasum resemble any number of social and political hardcore bands. While the lyric and music credits alternate between growler, skin beater Anders Jakobson and hardcore vocals, guitar maestro Mieszko A Talarczyk (yes..they are from Sweden, what the fuck did you expect?), there is little variation in the styles of the two songwriters, and I felt myself being equally compelled to the writing. At times it does appear that Talarczyk is a bit more melodically hardcore (check out the fucking awesome "Detonator", or the metalesque "Resistance" with screaming emergency siren guitar part), the two equally tread familiar genocidal themes, and both at times stray into the lyrical abyss of ambiguity.
I should mention that Jesper Liverod on bass rounds out the "you have got to be fucking kidding, these guys are a"... trio. What an amazing amount of power for 3 guys that visually look like Primus. Honorable mention for a great song goes to "The Idiot Parade", a song with some of the crunchiest bit breakdowns on the record, a cool drum interlude and some dead-on lyrics regarding racial pride as an excuse to divide. Amen brother. "Words To Die For" also managed to grip me by the throat; blitzing melody and fury never blended so well. The eerily fascinating artwork for the album only helps to solidify the aggressive approach to the human condition. Morbidly beautiful, like images from the movie ‘Coma’.
One thing that will most certainly raise an eyebrow is the nod to Millencolin in the liner notes. These guys have jack shit in common with Millencolin other than heritage, but if that ain’t fuckin’ unity within the scene, I’ll eat my Youth Of Today shirt. As I continue on my unending quest to climb to the top of the punk rock mountain, I am utterly amazed at the eye-opening experience listening to Nasum has been for me. I had always listened to thrash and grindcore with odd fascination, yet I never really "got it". I was never able to discern one band from the next.
"Human 2.0" has opened my eyes to a whole new world, by being incredibly palatable to a ignorant fuck like me who greeted the genre with a take it or leave it attitude. But checking out the brutal thumping that leads into "The Meaningless Trial" has made me a new man. This is music to scare the shit out of your parents with; to play at full blast at the corner stop sign; and to counteract the pseudo-aggressiveness that is pumping on our local radio station, and mis-interpreted as hardcore. With "Human 2.0", Nasum has created the ultimate album for those who want to checkout some extreme music, but are unsure where to start. I have heard extreme core for years, picking up Relapse and Earache stuff off and on, and filing them away after a few spins. Thanks to Nasum, I will no longer hear anything… I will listen. You should do the same, cause this is truly fucking awesome.
Michael, PunkROCKS.net, Rating: No Scale
AT last! I’ve been waiting for the follow-up to the Swedish grindcore gods’ awesome "Inhale/Exhale" debut for what seems like far too long now. "Human 2.0" retains the key elements of its cult classic predecessor, cramming 25 relentlessly savage songs into 38 minutes of hate-fuelled frenzy. As ever, the spectre of early Napalm Death and Carcass loom large for the trio, but with material as incisive as "Multinational Murderers Network" or "The Black Swarm", who’s complaining? It even matters little that Mieszko A Talarczyk barks out "När Dagarna" in Swedish. Come on guys, get your arses in gear and give us some bleedin’ gigs.
Dave Ling, Metal Hammer, Rating: 9/10
Finally here's the second album of my favourite grinders! NASUM's debut album "Inhale/ Exhale" was a real stunner (remember to hits like "There's No Escape" or "The System Has Failed Again"). Therefore it was a hard venture to top this aforementioned milestone and I'm not sure if NASUM really managed it. But I'm pretty sure that also the second album comes up with a couple of masterpieces in groove, e.g. the ultimate smash hit "Shadows" (which is "There's No Escape" part 2) or "Corrosion". Also the critical lyrics and surreal artwork make NASUM outstanding. Without any doubts, these guys are original and show that also grindcore has no boundaries! Definitely the most recommendable grind/ crust act on mother earth!
Frank Schenk, Chaos Magazine #10, Rating: 8/10
Yup. They're still pretty ticked off in Sweden, as Nasum's latest, Human 2.0, aptly demonstrates. With another twenty-five songs and a third member armed for detonation in their arsenal, Nasum comes out screaming, kicking and throwing bottles aimed straight at your noggin for the entirety of the album. Human 2.0 is not very far off from Inhale/Exhale in terms of musical approach, but it does come across as a slightly better hurled bottle at your noggin. The refreshing thing about Nasum is that they do not settle for typical grindcorisms and actually demonstrate more songwriting ability than any ten blast beat oriented, one guitar chord wonders. Their sound incorporates a lot of old school thrash, death metal and of course, grindcore elements, but they have the ability to write more than just basic riffs to keep up with the drummer. Tempos shift and change, riffs actually go somewhere and some songs are darned near epic in length (why, there are a few over two minutes on here and one that comes close to three!).
Though exhausting if listened to in full, Human 2.0 is another solid release for this band that proves that grindcore is not completely banal and can be a great method of catharsis when done with some degree of skill. Obviously anyone who heard Inhale/Exhale and liked it should get a copy of the new one. And anyone who has a thing for painfully angry music should also check this out.
John Chedsey, Satan Stole My Teddybear, Rating: No scale.
This is a good time x 25. Nasum (pronounced naw-zum) are taking grindcore and dragging it behind them as they delve into a brave new world of metal-tinged, grinding mayhem. I mean, Human 2.0 rips incredibly hard! ... Yet it's actually on the accessible side for grind newbies like myself. And it's still scary enough to make unsuspecting parents or girlfriends flee in horror.
Real nice... let the grind roll over you. It's a great ride. Once in awhile Nasum hangs on to an especially good riff and repeats it for a bit, just because they can... and should. But not for too long. Most of the 25 tunes on this disc clock in under two minutes. And every single nasty song is worth your time. To be sure, if you're in the right mood, it's no problem to take in this whole album in one sitting. Sometimes the pummeling grind gets to be overbearing, but Nasum always throws in a break down or some other variation at just the right time to ease the relentless assault on the ears. But don't sweat that... it's a beating your ears will love, a pain they'll learn to ask for by name.
Let me tell you, Nasum does it up so well, they've surpassed my expectations of this album, even after all the rave reviews I've read. Like everything else... Sweden does it right. Nasum knows damn well that when you can't rely on melodies for hooks, it's time to crank out the slamming riffs, the ferocious screams, and the occasional monster growls. There are so many songs here, so many riffs, so much superb lyrical content (mostly of the political nature) that's it not really worth talking about specifics ("The Professional League" is my favorite right now). But they keep whipping surprises out...believe me. Nasum came to shred in style.
Joe, CultureBURN, Rating: 9/10
...and here's some more reviews in Swedish!
Napalm Deaths favoritband är tillbaka med en ny fullängdsplatta som innehåller tjugofem låtar på trettioåtta minuter! Ett snitt på en och en halv minut per stycke borgar för en sällan skådad effektivitet i arrangemang.
Örebrogossarna bjuder på smått genialiska byten mellan supertajt grind, hederlig tvåtakt, D-takt och tyngre komp, så detta är verkligen inget för den svaghjärtade.
De är på god väg att utveckla en helt unik stil med ena foten i traditionell grindcore och den andra i en smakfull blandning av metal och hardcore. Och trumslagare Jakobson, är inte det den där fasligt coole tevekrönikören!?
Åsa Swanö, Nerikes Allehanda/Meny (2000-05-26), Betyg: 3/5
Örebrobandet Nasum är numera en trio sen Burst-bassisten Jesper Liveröd hoppat in i bandet. Och det är inte bara han som är ny, Nasum bjuder upp till ett helt nytt skränigare sound med fler metall och hardcoretendenser än tidigare.
Trots det skräniga ljudet som känns irriterande till en början så växer skivan för varje lyssning, tro det eller ej men detta är bättre än Inhale/Exhale. Färre men längre låtar än på föregången måhända men det är fortfarande vansinnigt snabb och brutal grind det handlar om.
Nasum är helt klart sveriges bästa grindband, stundvis är det nästan så man blir tårögd. Inhale/Exhale hade sinah höjdarlåtar i Time To Act! och många andra, men Human 2.0 är ett mycket jämnare album. Nya låtar som Shadows, Multinational Murderers Network och The Idiot Parade visar upp Nasums allra bästa sida. Klassisk grind med en desperat känsla som rycker sönder allt.
Efter succén med förra albumet och en hel del turnerande med band som Soilent Green och Today Is The Day så är Nasum inte längre bara ett stort namn i undergroundkretsar. Örebrograbbarna med nyrekryterade Kristinehamn-Jesper hör absolut till eliten på Relapse. Även sången skiljer sig mot Inhale/Exhale, Anders growl tar inte så mycket plats längre utan Mieszkos helgalna skriksång hörs i de flesta låtar. Plattan är självklart inspelad i Mieszkos egna studio Soundlab i Örebro och det är även han om står för mixningen.
Sången, soundet och deras otroliga känsla för bra grindcore gör Nasum till en desperat skenande bomb på väg att explodera. Jag är blir helt stum av ännu ett mästerverk av Nasum, världsklass.
Jonas Larsson, Värmlands Folkblad (2000-05-26), Betyg: 5/5
Jag har väntat länge på den här skivan, och mina förväntningar har trissats upp. Det som känns bra så här i efterhand är att alla mina drömmar besannats. Allt man kan förvänta sig av en hardcore/grind skiva finns med: manglet, moshet och texter om saker som är fel. Låtarna avverkas i ett rasande tempo, 25 låtar på 38 och en halv minut. Det bästa som kommit från en svensk grupp på länge.
Gunnar Larsson, Östersundsposten (2000-06-02), Betyg: 4/5
Du behöver bara en skiva i din samling för att det ska bli en tuff samling och det är denna!
Nasum från Örebro har lyckats igen! "Human 2.0" är en av de bästa skivor som går att köpa för pengar, den är snabb, tung, och tajt som en käftsmäll!!!
Även om förra plattan "Inhale/Exhale" har renare ljud, tycker jag att "Human 2.0" är bättre då den är mer meckig, mer komplicerad. Man har börjat variera sig mer och blandat in mer feta metalpartier i den supergrind som Nasum i vanliga fall ägnar sig åt. Det hörs även att man tagit med en basist, bandet har därmed fått ett instrument till och inte bara botten.
Bättre mangel får du leta jävligt länge innan du hittar! Du kan inte ha råd att missa denna mästerskiva!!!
EI LEIKI!!!
Kalle Andersson, dagensskiva.com (2000-06-09), Betyg: 9/10
Svenska grindcore hjältarna i Nasum visar ännu en gång var skåpet skall stå. Efter succén med fullängdsdebuten Inhale/Exhale har nog många haft förväntningar på denna platta, och jag lovar att ingen skall behöva bli besviken.
De 25 spåren på Human 2.0 levereras nämligen med sådan kraft att man formligen tappar andan. Blastbeatsen blandas med råpunk och metalriff och det gör skivan varierad. Det är också lite av Nasums varumärke, att plocka in andra element i sina låtar och inte bara grinda i 180.
Produktionen är som vanligt knivskarp, dock är ljudbilden ljusare och instrumenten är inte lika nedstämda som tidigare. Enligt killarna själva beror det på att de inte vill upprepa sig. Ett bra beslut, för alla vet ju att variation förnöjer.
Så behöver du variera dig eller bara rensa skallen lite, införskaffa Human 2.0 och "bang that head that doesn't bang".
Jari Kuittinen, supersatan.com, Betyg: 8/10
Nasum är ett av få band som tar grindgenren på blodigt allvar. För Örebro/Kristinehamns hårdaste är grindcore religion att knäböja inför. Inte studentspex. Det är sannolikt deras främsta tillgång.
Anal Cunt i all ära, men nog fungerar de bäst i egenskap av ett sådant där tokroligt gäng man lyssnar på när man förfestar, spiller Norrlands guld i hörnsoffan och fyllespelar skivor för polarna. Napalm Death var förvisso föredömligt passionerade i början av sin karriär. Men det var som bekant då det. Gammelgäddorna Repulsion bör väl naturligtvis också nämnas. Visst... det har funnits seriösa grindband. Men genren har alltsom oftast behandlats som ett revyämne i musikkretsar.
Vad som vidare imponerar så storligen med Nasum är hur de på uppföljaren till den halvfärdiga "inhale/exhale" lyckats bringa så mycket vitalitet i gamla uttjatade schabloner. "Human 2.0" rusar fram med en sådan entusiasm, inspiration och kraft att jag får för mig att det var de som uppfann grind.
Extrem metal (av det slaget som är snabbare än borrmaskiner och hårdare än krig) blir vad tiden lider ett alltmer begränsat format. Ett format som numera kräver enormt mycket av sina utövare. Nyhetens behag som kittlade under mitten av åttiotalet har svalnat. Det dubbeltrampande och rytande som föranledde tappade hakor då avfärdas i dag med en gäspning.
"Human 2.0" är obarmhärtligt renande kautiksoda i ett musikaliskt avlopp som kläggat igen av upprepningar och klyschor spelade med vänsterhanden.
"Human 2.0" är en tonsatt version av att tända eld på håret, svepa en liter aceton, sätta sig i en bil och därefter köra in i en bergvägg i 194 kilometer i timmen. Och sedan göra om det en gång till.
Och framför allt är "Human 2.0" en av de bästa svenska skivor som någonsin spelats in.
Andreas Nordstöm, Close-up #40, Betyg: ingen betygskala
Skivbolaget Relapse verkar vara den mest brutala metallens frälsare just nu. Nasum är ett smatterband utrustat med atombomber. Tankarna går till grindcorepionjärerna Napalm Death och tidiga Carcass. Nasum uttrycker sig med en sådan passion och inlevelse att allting låter vrålfräscht. Det är nog väldigt få som kör hela plattan rakt igenom utan att krokna, så intensivt är det. Alla borde lira i ett band som Nasum, det skulle rensa bort all frustration som leder till elände.
Johnny Jantunen, Groove nr 4, Betyg: ingen betygskala
Underbart detta. Vilket jävla rens. Jag hade inte hört Nasum förut så jag fick verkligen skallen bortblåst. Jag känner mig så nöjd efter detta. Det är kanske en konstig känsla men jag gillar att bli bortblåst när jag lyssnar på musik. 25 låtar som bara rensar utav bara fan. Jag kan säkert räkna upp en massa band som de låter som såsom Napalm Death, AC mm mm men jag nöjer mig nog med att säga att Nasum låter Nasum och deras grindcore är en fantastisk upplevelse även för en 37-åring.
Peter Thorsson, Skrutt (2000-06-26), Betyg: 7/10
25 brutalsmattrande aggressiva explosioner bränner svenska grindcore-trion Nasum av med en energi som får Barsebäck att blekna i jämförelse. En anarkistisk spark i mellangärdet som får alla melodiradiolyssnare att fly för sina liv.
Briljant.
Jörgen Bröms, Eskilstuna-Kuriren (2000-05-23), Betyg: ingen betygskala
Huvudsyftet med recensioner är ju att ge läsarna en bild av hur den aktuella skivan låter och hur vida den är värd att investera i eller inte. Då deadlinen redan är passerad så ska jag därför hålla mig kortfattad.
Detta är en av de bästa grindcore-plattorna som någonsin gjorts. Gillar du denna underbara genre så är det fel i huvudet på dig om inte "Human 2.0" faller dig i smaken. Trumspelet är varierat, Anders bjuder på många finurliga fills, men självklart så grundas trumliret med supertajt megamangel. Sångaren låter hysterisk, kraftfull, ja skitförbannad helt enkelt. Det är mycket mindre mörk sång nu än på föregångaren "inhale/exhale", lite synd men fullkomligt acceptabelt.
Produktionen är asgrym, gitarrerljudet tokskitit i bästa (tidiga) Napalm Death-anda, dock flera kilo fetare. Till råga på allt härligt är omslaget/lägguten supersnygg. De samhällskritiska spåren i lyriken är väl inte riktigt mitt engagemangsområde, men när musiken är så här svidande överbäst så hade samtliga texter kunnat handla om laxuppfödning utan att jag skulle opponera mig.
Köptvång råder!
Jonas Granvik, Metalwire #4, Betyg: 6/6
Jag älskade nästan Nasums första fullängdare "Inhale/Exhale". Den hade varit superb om de hade gjort låtarna lite längre och använt betydligt färre av dem. Och skippat Anders pissgrowl! Allt detta uppfylldes på uppföljaren "Human 2.0". Produktionen är klarare, det är färre låtar, de klarar av att krossa utan att stämma ner och viktigast, Mieszko får sjunga. Skivan klockar in på 38 min, fördelat på 25 låtar.
Personligen gillar jag att "Human 2.0" är mer metal än debuten..
Gillar ni inte "Shadows", "Corrosion", "Multinational murders network", "The idiots parade" eller "The profesional league" så har ni inte fattat någonting. Det här är klart den bästa svenska skiva jag hört!
Simon Eriksson, Reaktor-Netzine, Betyg: 4/5
HELP ME FUND THE VAULT AND THE RARE NASUM
I have a lot of Nasum "vaults". There are the digital vaults, harddrives, CD-R's and whatever that contains some stuff. And then there are the analog vaults. Boxes filled with documents and notes and boxes filled with tapes containing rehearsals and rare stuff. I'd be more than happy to share this with the fans, but I need some funds to take time of from work to really do all that boring excavating that's needed to find and document everything.
I have put together a GoFundMe page for this: gofundme.com/the-rare-nasum and any donation is appreciated. You can also support this cause by buying The Rare Nasum stuff at Bandcamp. Or you can make a donation without going through GoFundMe or Bandcamp - just contact me at nasum@nasum.com. Everything that comes in via these channels are ear marked for a future massive excavation.
I really hope you can help me to preserve The Nasum Vault for the world. Thanks!
- Anders Jakobson.
ABOUT THE VAULT
THE NASUM VAULT is the "umbrella" for a number of projects collecting information and items from the Nasum history.
• The Vault Blog shares "interesting, semi-interesting or uninteresting things" from the Nasum Vault.
• The Rare Nasum publishes audio goodies on Bandcamp.
• The Official Nasum YouTube Channel is the home for video oddities.
• The Nasum Vault Homepage is the portal for the whole project.
HUMAN 2.0 VAULT EXCAVATION
Selected Human 2.0 goodies from the Nasum archives.
• Liner notes from the 2014 LP reissue• Reviews in English and Swedish
• Instrumental Rough Mix
• Discography page
• Track by track commentariers
• Lyrics
© NASUM. Design and programming by Anders Jakobson based on Halcyonic from 
