Album Review: NERVED – Kompromat

Many of us would like the opportunity to revisit aspects of our past – that’s precisely what NERVED does on Kompromat.

For the Swedish band, Kompromat is an opportunity to look back at their Off Line and Finally Nerved albums, giving the band the opportunity to express what the songs meant to them, musically and as artists, in a way they could not when the songs were first released.

It becomes obvious within the first two tracks that NERVED love metal in its many forms and seek – successfully – to draw from them on the album in a flowing, vibrant fashion. If you’re a genre purist, Don’t Lie, where Petra Kvännå is joined by Richard Sjunnesson of The Unguided on vocals; the fusion of powerhouse rock vocals and flashes of electronics might be a shock, but it does make for an electrifying and emotionally energising way to open an album.

Equally uptempo, but with forays into an 80s NWOBHM sound and a guest appearance from Russian rapper MAD-A, Takin’ Its Toll could easily become a festival favourite if it’s not already, a song to sing along to on the summer evening in the company. And though every element of the track is rock perfection, the vocals lift it to even higher plains.

Guitarist Thobbe Englund of Sabaton and vocalist Jens Westin of Corroded make an appearance on Disclosure. Both are from very different parts of the metal family, yet within the sound of NERVED, that combination clicks into place on a song that isn’t classic rock but is certainly a classy rocker.

The album is full to the brim with such moments, with the vocals of Petra Kvännå and the guitars of Marcus Hanser and Joachim Björkegren, guided by an epic rhythm section comprising Elias Modig on bass and Andreas Larsson on drums.

On I Rise, that combination brings a raw aesthetic to a song that approaches gothic metal in terms of scope and melody. You can detect, though, that the band has found its own sound here and aren’t afraid to surprise us; curveball The Handle, which has jaw-droppingly dark electro sounds, a short respite from a barrage of epic rock bangers. NERVED are confident to take risks within the music, and have the skills to make that work.

That finds a fuller expression on The Lid and another brief interlude, Set Fire To The Rain, before the album bids us farewell with Scars, which features Zak Tell and some breathtaking 80s-infused synths.

You can’t quite define what Kompromat is: it’s not a ‘Best Of’ and not quite a new album. You could argue that, given the heavy hitter nature of the guest artists, it could almost be a tribute album. Accept it for what it is, though: a collection of rock at its most vital and vibrant, music to be shared and enjoyed. Because you can tell from the performances on Kompromat that the band and guest artists enjoyed finding new paths for these songs.

Kompromat was released on the 23rd of April and is streaming on Spotify and SoundCloud. Learn more about NERVED and where to pick up physical copies of the album over on their Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram socials. You can also hear the vinyl edition on Samply. Header photo by Niklas Palmklint