Nails (band)

Nails is an American hardcore punk band from Oxnard, California. The group was formed in 2009 by frontman Todd Jones, formerly the guitarist of Terror, along with bassist John Gianelli and drummer Taylor Young of Disgrace. They released their debut EP Obscene Humanity in 2009, followed by the studio albums Unsilent Death (2010), Abandon All Life (2013) and You Will Never Be One of Us (2016), and a split EP with Full of Hell. Nails have achieved widespread notoriety and critical acclaim for their savage and intense sound.

History
The band formed in 2009. They have since released three full-length albums and two EPs. As of June 2014, the band is signed to Nuclear Blast. They released their third album, You Will Never Be One of Us, on June 17, 2016.

On July 25, 2016, the band abruptly canceled a European tour, with promoters claiming the band were on a hiatus and "had no plans to play live or record again." This also led to canceling their appearance at Ozzfest Meets Knotfest. Todd Jones later stated that the band had never taken a hiatus. In December 2016, the band returned by playing at The Power of the Riff festival and releasing a split 7-inch with Full of Hell.

On November 30, 2020, following the announcement of the 10th anniversary reissue of Unsilent Death, Young announced that he quit the band in early Spring. The day after, John Gianelli also confirmed his departure from the band. From this point, Todd Jones is the only member of the band.

After close to 3 years of silence from Jones, the band's Instagram posted a picture of Jones and Kurt Ballou in God City Studios. The photo was captioned, "New NAILS LP coming Summer 2024 via @nuclearblastrecords engineered by Kurt Ballou. Thanks for sticking with us. Info forthcoming. Love you all.". On June 10, 2024, the band released the single "Imposing Will". This coincided with the announcement that their fourth studio album would be titled Every Bridge Burning, and that their lineup now included guitarist Shelby Lermo of Ulthar, drummer Carlos Cruz of Warbringer and bassist Andrew Solis of Despise You and Apparition.

Musical style
Critics have categorized Nails' music as grindcore, powerviolence, crust punk. In a review of Abandon All Life, Pitchfork wrote that "Nails cram their brief but constantly shifting tracks with a chaotic, complex blend of hardcore punk, D-beat, grindcore, powerviolence, and death metal."

The band have cited influences including Agnostic Front, Discharge, Slayer, Crossed Out and Sheer Terror. In a 2013 interview for Invisible Oranges, Todd Jones named crust punk, death metal, and Japanese hardcore as the band's foremost musical influences.

Members

 * Current
 * Todd Jones – lead vocals, guitar (2009–present)
 * Shelby Lermo – guitar (2024–present)
 * Andrew Solis – bass (2024–present)
 * Carlos Cruz – drums (2024–present)


 * Former
 * John Gianelli – bass, backing vocals (2009–2020)
 * Taylor Young – drums (2009–2020)
 * Tom Hogan – drums (2009)
 * Andrew Saba – guitar (2012–2015)
 * Leon del Muerte – guitar, backing vocals (2017–2019)
 * Touring musicians
 * Jon Westbrook – bass (2009)
 * Phil Sgrosso – guitar (2016)

Studio albums

 * Unsilent Death (2010)
 * Abandon All Life (2013)
 * You Will Never Be One of Us (2016)
 * Every Bridge Burning (2024)

EPs

 * Obscene Humanity 12-inch (2009)
 * Obscene Humanity 7-inch (2012)
 * Nails/Skin Like Iron Split 7-inch (2012)
 * Nails / Full of Hell Split 7-inch (2016)
 * I Don't Want to Know You 7-inch (2019)