Within the past few years, there have been widespread rumors and speculation about a reunion of the classic lineup of Sepultura—the Brazilian thrash and death metal band who were viewed as deities in the '90s metal scene. The reunion is now partially under way, with vocalist/guitarist/Sepultura brainchild Max Cavalera and his iconic drummer/brother Igor re-joining forces on a new musical collaboration, The Cavalera Conspiracy. I figured this was the best time to introduce the new school of metal fans to a sideproject that came to be in the mid-'90s and has reached cult status in the metal world. In 1994, Max Cavalera and Alex Newport of the grunge-metal band Fudge Tunnel (great name, eh?) formed Nailbomb and released the industrial-punk-metal juggernaut Point Blank (Roadrunner Records). The metal world has never recovered.

Sounding like neither of the two frontmen's full-time acts, a big buzz that is still talked about today preceded the release of Point Blank. I distinctively remember this because at the time I saw one of my most memorable concerts: Sepultura, Fear Factory, Fudge Tunnel and a then unknown Clutch, at the old Hammerjacks in Baltimore, Md. Unfortunately, no Nailbomb material was played live, but I remember seeing the army-style logo stickers all over the walls.

Days after the show, I got my hands on the CD and didn't remove it from my player for literally two weeks. From the opening hardcore-thrash of “Wasting Away,” the disc is its own monster, varying in styles and packing the “fuck you, fuck the world” attitude (“24 Hour Bullshit”) that makes it so damn great. Other lyrical topics tackle police, religion (“Religious Cancer”) and a decaying society. Max and Alex share vocals and guitars, trading angst back and forth, backed by samples, in-your-face riffs and, on most tracks, a drum machine. Several guest musicians appear, including guitarist Dino Cazares (Fear Factory, Divine Heresy), Igor Cavalera and D.H. Peligro (Dead Kennedys). The duo also covers “Exploitation” by the English hardcore band Doom. The album was a huge success at the time, as it was a little known side-project. I remember seeing dozens of Nailbomb T-shirts up and down the boardwalk in Ocean City, Md., and record stores all had the album in stock, along with posters and memorabilia.

In true punk tradition, this was Nailbomb's only studio album and they only performed live once at the 1995 Dynamo Open Air Festival in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. The show was captured on tape and released as a live album Proud to Commit Commercial Suicide in 1995 featuring featured two bonus tracks, possibly the best from the collaboration yet: “While You Sleep, I Destroy Your World” and “Zero Tolerance.” The live performance also was released on DVD in 2005 under the title Live at Dynamo.

Ten years from the date, the duo's only studio record, Point Blank stands the test of time. This is one of those albums to listen to when you're pissed off at the world and feeling like killing yourself. Spin this fucker and you'll feel a hell of a lot better about everything. The album has surely reached cult status in the metal world. Ask any fan of Sepultura about Nailbomb and they'll tell you the same thing I just did. After the original Sepultura lineup split with Max, many fans were praying for a Nailbomb reunion. That never happened; Max formed Soulfly, while Sepultura continued without him. Fudge Tunnel disbanded, and Alex Newport has had success producing albums by At the Drive-In and The Mars Volta. It seems like another Nailbomb record is doubtful, at best. But here's to hoping that The Cavalera Conspiracy will even be half as good as Point Blank. If you're a fan of any of these bands, you know what I'm talking about. Otherwise, do yourself a favor and pick up Point Blank, one of the best metal sideprojects ever released.