Black Flag- Loose Nut

By 1985, Black Flag had evolved from a pioneering hardcore punk band to a punk influenced quasi-metal band. Greg Ginn grew disenchanted with the confines of punk rock in and of itself and he took the band in a totally different direction. Rather than focusing on the style of music that got them a devoted following, Ginn decided to have the band focus on slower, more melodic music. If nothing else, it showed the band to be much more talented musically then most bands of their era. Talent however, only gets you so far in music. You need to be able to create something that people would want to hear. The style shift alienated the band from much of their fan-base, who was pretty much looking for another album like Damaged. If you look for a punk album, be prepared to be heavily disappointed. As a metal album, Loose Nut (SST Records, 1985) is a mixture of good and bad.

Black Flag’s later work showed the limitations that are so often found in punk rock, threw those aside and created some very influential music. Many “grunge” bands held up Black Flag’s later style as an influence. Even for those grunge bands that did not cite Black Flag as a basis for their music, the sound of albums like Loose Nut is similar to many grunge records, almost a foreshadowing of the popular music about a half-decade in advance.

On Loose Nut, guitarist Greg Ginn built upon his unique style found on Black Flag’s previous record, Slip it In. His metal riffs mixed in with some lingering hardcore punk sensibilities are a joy to listen to…for a few songs. After a while, it just starts to sound the same, the songs blend into one another way too much. There are some definite highlights of Ginn’s style on the album, with the high point being his solo during the song Bastard in Love and the entire composition Best One Yet.

While the rhythm section of bassist Kira Roessler and drummer Bill Stevenson is competent; neither really breaks any new ground on the album. They do however, provide the backbone for Ginn’s guitar work and while nothing sticks out in their performance, they do not bring down the record. Singer Henry Rollins is his typical self, bringing intensity to the album that became a trademark of his. He could make Gospel songs sound bad-ass. If he wasn’t present on this album, it would be easily forgettable. His emotional outbursts on the album take pretty average metal songs and turn them into something much more palatable. Not for everyone, Loose Nut is an album for those looking to hear everything from Black Flag, but it’s not exactly their finest hour.

Grade---C