Nightmare Mode - Haste

I've really been itching to post something, but time has been scarce, so Nightmare Mode's third release, this digital-only EP seems perfect.

From what I understand, Danny and Nikki up and quit, so Ammo quickly assembled these songs (out-takes?) and uploaded them to the internet. All things considered, it's a pretty damn good EP, with three previously unreleased songs and two killer versions of songs from The Eht.

Ammo has since replaced Danny and Nikki and Nightmare Mode are still in action.

The images and music were uploaded with Ammo's consent. Thank you, Ammo!

Nightmare Mode
Haste MP3
(Nightmare Mode)
2009

Download Haste as a .zip file!

Sample track:

Salute to the Dead

Download all Nightmare Mode releases!

Visit Nightmare Mode on MySpace!

Nightmare Mode - Sally

In honor of Earth Day, I thought I'd post some wicked, hateful anti-hippy music.

Nightmare Mode were great live, as was their CDR, The Eht (download it here), but Sally was a whole new level of intensity. Read the review I wrote for The Big Takeover #62:

I thought Nightmare Mode were amazing when I heard their demo, The Eht, but right now, I'm feeling bruised, bloody and beaten, and I can barely catch my breath because their new EP is intense!!! Imagine if Damaged-era Black Flag had been informed by Carcass instead of Black Sabbath. They're not exactly hardcore punk, and they're not really thrash metal, but they are somewhere in between and wholly original - which is entirely befitting a band from Cleveland. Guitarist/vocalist Ammo riffs twisted punk metal while wailing like a manic Gibby Haynes doing a Rob Halford impression. Meanwhile, bassist Danny Desolation and drummer Nikki Nightmare propel the rhythm with blast beats, odd timings and lock-step syncopation, adding dual, sometimes triple vocals into the schizophrenic mix. It's sheer uncontrolled insanity - rabid bliss.

I've since learned that there was recently a split in the band and Dan and Nikki left. That didn't deter Ammo - he quickly found replacements and he continues recording and touring as Nightmare Mode.

The images and music were uploaded with Ammo's consent. Thank you, Ammo!

Nightmare Mode
Sally CD
(Nightmare Mode)
2008

Download Sally as a .zip file!

Sample tracks:

Nightmare Mode

Hot One

Nightmare Mode - The Eht

I first met Nightmare Mode in October of 2007. My band, Ultrabastard!, took a trip to Cleveland, OH to meet up with Libyan Hit Squad for a show that, we hoped, would be a showcase of sorts for Tom at Dead Beat Records. He pointed us to his friend's venue, Now That's Class, and said he'd try to make it down. He didn't show, but Nightmare Mode opened.

At first, we were worried that Nightmare Mode would totally suck. They were very nice people, but when you see a band that looks like them on Long Island, it means you're in for some really shitty three-chord Oi-infused punk crap, and when you see bands who look like them in NYC, it means boring, generic crust thrash. Boy were we wrong! We were in Ohio, after all...

Nightmare Mode blend '80s hardcore with metal and grindcore, like Damaged-era Black Flag crossed with early Carcass. Check out the odd time signatures laid down by Nikki Nightmare - she's one of the best drummers I've ever seen in my life! Bassist Danny Desolation lays down heavy grooves, or, in the case of "The Slow One," he plays his four-string like a lead guitar. He also provides the alternating vocals. Ammo wails like a crazed, cracked-out maniac and provides the awesome six-string riffage.

My jaw dropped as I watched them - seeing this band made up for the flaking Dead Beat. After they played, and I got to tell him how amazing they are and Ammo gave me this CDR. They've evolved a lot since this was recorded, but it's a damn good start. (Actually, now they kinda remind me of the early Bad Acid Trip 7"EPs.) Amid the manic hardcore, there's a really odd, almost straight cover of The Police's "Message in a Bottle."

Nightmare Mode are one of the most original bands I've ever had the pleasure of sharing a stage with. They tour a lot, too, so be sure to check 'em out when they come to your town and buy their Sally CD! It rocks!

The images and music were uploaded with Ammo's consent. Thank you, Ammo!

Nightmare Mode
The Eht CDR
(Nightmare Mode)
2007

Download The Eht as a .zip file!

Sample track:

The

Visit Nightmare Mode on MySpace!