intothewellsabyss

Jun 13, 20236 min read

𝗡𝘂𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗮𝘂𝗹𝘁 — 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗲 (1988)

𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐘𝐏𝐓𝐒 - 𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐁𝐔𝐌 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐊 & 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐘 𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐋…

On this day (June 13) in 1988, Nuclear Assault released their second full-length studio album, “Survive” via I.R.S. Metal on vinyl, compact disc and cassette.

Background:

After feeling constrained by their contract with Combat, the band signed with I.R.S. Records and recorded “Survive” in 1988.

(Good Times, Bad Times promo, 1988 - taken from Survive)

Propelled by the music video for "Brainwashed", “Survive” was the album that broke Nuclear Assault into the Thrash Metal mainstream, and was their first album to enter the Billboard 200, reaching number 145 on that chart. "Good Times Bad Times" was originally recorded by Led Zeppelin in 1969.

As of 2012, “Survive” has been out of print.

(Fight To Be Free single, 1988 - taken from Survive)

WARNING ⚠️: Sentimental drivel contained within overview. Some may find this content offensive… or very tedious and boring! 😂

Overview:

While "Game Over" was a great debut album from NYC Thrash Metallers Nuclear Assault, and is considered an underground Thrash Metal classic, it is “Survive” that holds a special place for me as it was the first album that introduced me to the band. Yeah, I was kind of late to the party where this amazing Thrash outfit were concerned! But, better late than never!

I was 15 years old when “Survive” was released, and at that time, I didn’t know many people into Thrash Metal or Death Metal like I was. There was one friend who shared my interest in Thrash and Death Metal, and his name was Scott (or Scooter as we called him). He and I would bounce albums off of one another and we both religiously watched MTV’s HeadBangers Ball every Saturday, always looking great new bands to listen to (and see our favorites of that time).

Which leads me to the album at hand. The first time that I ever heard Nuclear Assault was when I was at Scooter’s house for the weekend and the world premiere for “Brainwashed” aired on Headbangers Ball. We both looked at one another in disbelief and, at the same time said; “what the f**k is this”! That was it, the next day we caught the bus to Record Town at our local mall and Scooter bought Nuclear Assault’s “Survive”. Unfortunately, they only had one copy in stock, so I ended up purchasing it on vinyl at a different record store later that week. Scooter and I discovered many new bands in this very same manner on quite a few different occasions, and many times over we would find an album with great cover art and buy them based on the art alone, having no idea what we were holding in our hands. And, we found many great albums that way (along with a few duds). I remember the excitement we shared always showing each other our latest finds. It’s something I’ll always remember and cherish.

Anyway, enough of the sentimental stuff.. Haha! Let’s get back to Nuclear Assault!

First of all, let's begin with that fantastic album cover. The artwork for “Survive” makes a huge statement within itself. A horned skull, hangs in the sky filled with black smoke, rising from the stacks of a Nuclear power-plant. Ultimately, this image symbolizes the destruction humans are inflicting upon our world, and ourselves. If you need further evidence of the meaning behind the cover, just listen to the lyrics of the title track; “The Nuclear age has left it's mark,

Only the strong will survive!” There is no discounting the message here, the destruction of mankind is inevitable, if the human race continues on this path, and only the strong will “Survive”! If that’s not enough for you, the lyrics to the albums opener “Rise from the Ashes” are even more ominous and reflective of the album cover and title. Just read these lyrics for example; “Am I dreaming, am I alive, the final war, I did survive. One of the chosen. One of the few. A world in ruins because of who.” At the apex of the Cold War, this was a song that brought to light something that loomed over the heads of the western world, the fallout of nuclear warfare.

Reading the lyrics and understanding that the album cover was a reflection of the words, made it even more impactful to me as an angst ridden youth! Looking back, I even remember my first thoughts at this revelation were; “this is some heavy sh*t!”

Now, let’s go back to “Brainwashed”, a song about being yourself, not buying into commercialism, and not believing everything that mass media tries shove down your throat, and thinking for yourself. This is something that rings more true in todays climate, where everyone wants the latest and greatest gadgets, are glued to social media, believe everything they read, without properly vetting the information, and where people are now guilty until proven innocent. “Alright, time for Mr. Wells to get off his soapbox!” Anyway, this is my favorite track on “Survive”, as Connelly’s high pitched wails deliver the message loud and clear; “Why don't you think for yourself? Live in this self made Hell...” and then the oh so true lines; “Television, The idiot tube, Helps to raise our Children as fools!” Only now, it’s iPads and smartphones! Not only has technology progressed, so has the ease with which the fools are “Brainwashed”! I guess we didn’t listen!

Another favorite of mine is "F#", as it showcases the might of Connelly’s high-pitched screams. The fact that he can hit those highs with as much tenacity as he does throughout the whole of the album is a tribute to the mans vocal prowess.

Other noteworthy tracks include the ultra fast “Equal Rights”, “Fight to be Free”, with its acoustic intro and powerful lyrics, and “Technology”, which talks about… you guessed it… “being a slave to technology”.

In Conclusion; Personally, I can’t find a bad song on this album, even Nuclear Assault’s rendition of the old Led Zeppelin tune, “Good Times, Bad Times” rocks pretty hard, and Connelly does a pretty good job with his gruff vocal presentation! But again, I am a little biased when it comes to “Survive”, as I carry a lot of fond memories around the discovery of this fantastic Thrash classic. So, what are you waiting for? Throw this Thrashing slab of Metal into your player and turn it up to 11. But, consider yourself warned… if you rip that knob off, this album will rip your face off! — E.N. Wells

Global Annihilation Tour:

In support of the album, Nuclear Assault set off on a 180-day world tour in the United States and Europe; first touring with bands like Megadeth, Testament, Sanctuary and Flotsam and Jetsam. They also toured with Overkill and King Diamond, and as an opening act for Slayer, while later headlining with British group Acid Reign as a support act.

Critical Reception:

Reviews for “Survive” have been mostly positive. AllMusic's Eduardo Rivadavia claimed that Nuclear Assault had become "East Coast Thrash Metal contenders (to a throne pretty much owned by Anthrax thanks to their politically charged Metal fodder." For the album's music, Rivadavia stated, "shows progress, notching up some of the band's most accomplished, lyrically controversial material to date with the title track, 'Rise from the Ashes', and the anti-mainstream media rant 'Brainwashed'."

Mike Exley of Metal Forces found “Survive” "a finely crafted excellent album, that shows the band enlarging their sound beyond the first few tentative progressive steps the band took on The Plague". He wrote that even though "Get Another Quarter" and "PSA" are of lower standard, "the rest of the album has variety and class stamped all over it".

Canadian journalist Martin Popoff praised the "pure sound" and the "vastly foucused production", describing the music "like a cross between Dan Lilker's old band Anthrax, Metallica, and the more manic of technical Bay Area speedballs."

“Survive” entered the Billboard 200 album charts in October 1988, four months after its release. The album peaked at number 145 and remained on the chart for ten weeks.

In August 2014, the magazine REVOLVER placed “Survive” on its "14 Thrash Albums You Need To Own" list.

Links to Artists, Albums, and Music Videos:

Click this link to listen to “Survive” via Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/survive/1609866516

Click this link to watch the music video for "Brainwashed" via YouTube: https://youtu.be/OUXkqNjoaQQ

Click this link to follow Nuclear Assault on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NuclearAssaultOfficial/

Note: The reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. — E.N. Wells