By Peter Sclafani, Staff Writer
Manville metal heads do not have to look any further than their hometown if they want to find new music this summer.
The hometown boys from NUSE will celebrate the release of their new CD, “All American Beat Down,” at Rhythms Night Club this Saturday.
”Don’t let the title fool you,” band manager Brandon Dilks said. “It’s not about violence; it is a patriotic salute about our country. It’s about the struggles our country is going through at this time.”
Drummer Bob Mangual and his brother, Eric Mangual, who plays bass, formed the band with their friend Mike LaMastro, who plays guitar and provides lead vocals, while attending high school in 1990. In 1993 the band adopted the name NUSE and they have remained together for almost 20 years.
According to Mr. Dilks, none of the members has any formal music training.
”They learned by trial and error and just listening to songs and playing by ear,” he said.
Business for the members of NUSE has been tough in the past decade, but Mr. Dilks has high hopes for the band in the next couple of years.
The band is trying to broaden its horizons and make their music more accessible without losing their sound. The members have recently partnered with a new music marketing company that will be promoting their newest album.
NUSE has been influenced by bands such as Black Sabbath, Metallica and Slayer. The band has adopted the motto “aggressive music for aggressive people” to describe the sound they have developed over 20 years of playing together.
Throughout their time together as a band, NUSE has shared the stage with prominent metal acts, such as The Misfits and Overkill. Mr. Dilks said his goal is to get them back on stage opening for bigger acts again and to get the band to play in front of larger crowds.
”The band is very excited about this new CD and truly believes they are on their way to the next level of their music careers,” Mr. Dilks said.

