Spain’s Nulled is one of those bands that has a sense of familiarity to their songwriting, but still feel fresh thanks to just how many different metal styles they fuse together. Formed in 2018, the group has kept busy on the release front with the pointerException EP in 2019 and Strokes of Reason album in 2022. For follow-up The Traitor, Nulled has continued to write synth laden metalcore and melodic death metal, but they’ve upped their production values and injected even more variety into the songs. There are a few tracks that drag on for a bit too long and some of them don’t quite stand out from each other upon repeat listen, but this is still a huge leap forward for this group.
It's always interesting to find bands that try and cram as many metal and hardcore related sub-genres into their music as possible, as this kitchen sink approach can sometimes result in fragmented and unfocused songwriting. This is where The Traitor makes a strong first impression, as while there is a lot happening on many of these songs everything flows together really well. Opener “65432” showcases both the soft and heavy sides of the band’s sound with haunting synths and darker atmosphere that lead into a heavy and booming breakdown. The first proper track “Dreams” gives a pretty good idea of what Nulled is going for throughout The Traitor, as the squealing guitars and heavier riffs feel like a mix of mid-2000s era metalcore and groove metal with some slight hints of nu-metal in the tonality. Comparing a song like “Dreams” to anything on Strokes of Reason showcases just how much Nulled has bulked up their sound, as the material hits harder and gives more space for the melodic elements to flourish just as much as the heavier ones. As you make your way through the album more sub-genres start to come out, as there are dips into melodic death metal territory and some deathcore sounding breakdowns. Behind all this heavy guitar and bass work are the synths, which often give off a progressive metal vibe and add to the melodic side of the sound. Sometimes the synths are given the spotlight and reach peaks that have a more cinematic flair, but on other songs they serve as a strong backing element. The Traitor really nails this wide variety of styles early on, as “Dreams”, “Embracing the Darkness”, and “Pt.1 Love” all have memorable hooks mixed in with brutal riffs. There are a few lulls that hold things back slightly though, as “Pt.2 Rage” drags on for too long at six minutes in length and the heavier riffs on some of the other songs on the second half do blur together.
As you get further into The Traitor, it becomes clear that Nulled has spent just as much time refining their vocal performance as the instrumentation. They could’ve easily let the riffs and synth melodies provide most of the variety and leave the vocals on the harsher side of the spectrum, but they’ve incorporated sweeping clean singing that suits the cinematic side of the group’s sound. “Dreams” showcases this early on, starting off with lead singer Alex’s metalcore/melodic death metal type growls before transitioning to clean ranges that remind me a lot of Japanese metal bands. It’s a bit on the poppier side, but it fits with what Nulled is doing and makes many of these choruses get stuck in your head right from the first listen. You’re never quite sure what you’re going to get with each verse, whether that ends up being death growls, somber singing, or even a little nu-metal rapping on “Toxic Bond”. Whether every pitch clicks with you is likely to come down to a matter of taste, but I appreciated just how varied and high energy the vocal work was from beginning to end.
The first half of The Traitor grabbed me a bit more than the second, as some of the later tracks had riffs that started to blur together. But even with this being the case, the number of stand-out moments Nulled’s sophomore effort offers has kept me coming back and they’ve managed to capture a little bit of every style of modern metal without overstretching themselves. There is room for the group to take this wide range of influences and push even further towards something wholly unique, but there’s something to be said for how much of this material sounds like mid-2000s era metal without copying anyone in particular. Considering how big of a leap this sophomore effort is from its predecessor, I can’t wait to hear just where Nulled goes from here. The Traitor is available from Art Gates Records.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg