Nuclear Power Trio – Wet Ass Plutonium

Nuclear Power Trio – Wet Ass Plutonium
Release Date: 28th July 2023
Label: Metal Blade Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Instrumental Metal, Fusion, Progressive Metal, Thrash.
FFO: Powerglove, First Fragment, Soften the Glare, Arch Echo.
Review By: Eric Wilt

Nuclear Power Trio is back to melt faces with their patented brand of instrumental metal fusion. The first time around, Nuclear Power Trio—which is made up of Donny (Greg Burgess), Vladi P. (Nick Schendzielos), and Kimmy (Pete Webber)—whetted our appetites with an EP of epic proportions entitled A Clear and Present Rager. On 28 July, they’re back with the full-length, Wet Ass Plutonium, and this time the music is wilder than ever. 

A Clear and Present Rager was a tremendous album on many levels. The compositions were sick, the production was pristine, and the musicianship was otherworldly. Wet Ass Plutonium includes all of these things and adds to it with new instruments and even more musical styles. We know from their debut EP that Nuclear Power Trio can shred. Whether it’s metal, fusion, flamenco, or some bastardized version of all three, the guys can flat out play! On Wet Ass Plutonium, they add some synth shredding and even a horn section. 

Right out of the gates, you know this isn’t your brother’s Nuclear Power Trio. The opening track, W. A. P. (Wet Ass Plutonium), is an upbeat rager that would fit quite nicely on a Powerglove album. The song, which features some synth shredding, is led by the bass guitar, which deftly takes the place of a singer for the melody of the verse parts. The synth continues to make appearances in songs like Apocalypse Mao and Critical Bass Theory and adds another layer of musicality to the already cheery anthems. Nyetflix and Chill and iVamos, Brandito! return to the flamenco music that was present in Grab ‘em by the Pyongyang and Ukraine in the Membrane on their debut album. A horn section adds even more Latin flair to the former song, while the latter is one of the heaviest songs on the album. Air Force Fun features some harp shred, which is a lot cooler than it sounds, and Snark Side of the Un is pure fusion and would fit very well alongside the tracks on A Clear and Present Rager. Anti-Saxxers (Mandatory Saxination) features—surprise, surprise—a saxophone, while Red Scare Bear wraps up the nine-song, 37-minute album with Nuclear Power Trio’s version of pop music (albeit, with some really heavy sections in there too). 

All in all, Wet Ass Plutonium sees Nuclear Power Trio raise the stakes on the promise they showed on A Clear and Present Rager. Donny, Vladi P. and Kimmy are phenomenal musicians with a thorough understanding of music theory, and they utilize this talent and knowledge to the utmost. I love a good instrumental metal/jazz/fusion album, but even if you don’t, I can’t imagine anyone being anything but amazed and utterly entertained after listening to this album. 

(4.5 / 5)