Hot Mass – Nervous Tensions

On the verge of Wales playing in a major football tournament, for the first time in over a generation, it seems to be a happy coincidence that I have stumbled across an album from that country called Nervous Tensions, the debut album from Swansea’s Hot Mass. The band was formed from members of The Arteries, Dividers and 33, this pedigree may go someway to explaining just how good this debut album is, especially when you consider this is a band that has only been in existence for a year or so.

Throughout the ten tracks that make up Nervous Tensions they play hard hitting self assured punk rock, I Think I’m Done opens the album with a breathtaking level of intensity and is a serious statement of intent. The pace doesn’t relent at all, but despite the tempo remaining high throughout this album it never gets repetitive, they have served up ten cuts of impressive raw melodic punk rock played exactly as it oughta be. Nervous Tensions has a driving distorted rhythm section, a wonderful treble laced lead guitar all topped with an impassioned vocal delivery which adds up to a combination that is very addictive. The only reason it’s hard to pick a favourite track is that all of them are written to the same high standard.

This is the distilled spirit of DIY punk rock and I think the future looks bright for this Welsh quartet. As someone proud of their Welsh roots I’ll be cheering on Wales in the European Championships, but I have a feeling I’ll be cheering on Hot Mass for a lot longer. As Nervous Tensions is available for a name your price download you really have nothing to lose, and everything to gain, by downloading this album.

 Nervous Tensions can be ordered as a download here or on limited edition duck egg blue vinyl here