NOFUCK are an Italian Death/Thrash band from Rome and they're here with their latest LP "Walls of Flesh".

One of the more interesting things about this record is the occassional inclusion of movie quotes to start off a track. For example, "Souls to Forge" starts with a conversation from "Jurassic Park" about God creating the dinosaurs before killing them off, then creating man who create the dinosaurs. I suppose in the context of the song title it makes for an interesting thematic element, yet it almost seems ham-fisted in the attempt to be thought provoking. I don't know that it adds a lot to the album as a concept but it sure is different.

The title track is a powerful Thrash piece with brutal Death growls and a finale of creaking guitar riffs that are hauntingly strange. Sadly "Empire" is just...uninspired. It qualifies as Thrash Metal, no question, but it is so textbook that it's agonizingly boring. "99" manages some grooves that work in its favor and dance around a decent hook. "Zombie Love" is enticing and almost makes you wanna dance to it, which is admittedly a little unusual for a Death/Thrash piece.

"Time to Close" kind of summarizes a lot of what I think holds NOFUCK back. It's a modern Metal track that follows the formula without doing much to set it apart. Almost on the opposite side of the spectrum, "Hot Hell California" is a twisted reworking of THE EAGLES' "Hotel California". I still can't decide if I like this or not. I think it is a rare thing for a song to borrow heavily from a famous piece while still paying homage to it. You'll have to listen to this one yourself and make up your own mind. It can indeed be a creative idea to retool a well-known song but I think this is a lackluster place to end because it isn't wholly something that the band have created themselves.

All throughout the album are some strong influences from bands like LAMB OF GOD and MESHUGGAH - with the latter probably being the most glaring influence. The movie quotes and heavy influences from other bodies of work that I've described here definitely make "Walls of Flesh" a unique experience but I am just unable to make up my mind on it; one minute I think these things make it a success but at other times it seems a clustered mess. I feel like they played it safe musically but poured all their creativity into the concepts of the album. Give NOFUCK a chance, there is nothing bad about what they have to offer, their edges just don't match up with mine.