Review: NØMADS – Free My Animal

NØMADS are a two-piece consisting of bassist Nathan Lithgow (from My Brightest Diamond and Inlets) and drummer Garth Macleavey, both of whom are set on maximizing the most sound with their limited size—and doing it all in a single take of recording. This results in Free My Animal, an album that seems like a throwback to early ’90s alt-metal. Lithgow propels the tracks in this album with post-hardcore-styled bass riffs and heavily compressed vocals—à la Chino Moreno, which casts a hook of intrigue for any long-term Deftones fan. This pairing with the solid yet minimalistic percussion comprises the majority soundscape of the album, which consequentially leaves little room for variation. Although alt-metal/post-hardcore doesn’t have as big of a fan base as it did two decades ago, NOMADS’ noteworthy endeavor is still nothing short of impressive. –Gregory Gerulat