F.O.A.D. Records is re-releasing Los Angeles based NAUSEA’s demos from 1988 to 1992 as a compilation titled “World Struggle: Demos ’88-’92”. This compilation has seen a few versions over the years, this 2026 one having the subtitle of “Extended Edition – Complete Demos And Rehearsals 87-92”. Standing at 122 minutes this double digipak is quite a hefty listen. It reminds me both musically and format wise of DISRUPT’s “Discography” compilation, even the artwork looks similar. My impression of NAUSEA has been that they have been overshadowed by their association with TERRORIZER whose legendary album “World Downfall” had featured both members and songs borrowed from NAUSEA. They might have also been overshadowed by the cult Crust band of the same name out of New York, even though the music is intended for the same scene and is just as good. But since TERRORIZER is a band that was accepted into the Metal world just like NAPALM DEATH, a lot of times people will forget that these bands were actually from the Hardcore Punk scene. Listening to these demos you can draw comparison to demos from bands like DOOM, NAPALM DEATH, HERESY and BOLT THROWER, which lean strongly into Crust Punk, both the faster grindy style and the slower metallic one. The first nine songs come from a 1988 demo that was a split with TERRORIZER and feature the main difference between the two bands which had the same vocalist, the fact that NAUSEA also employed high shrieked vocals besides the lower grunts (similar again to DISRUPT). I couldn’t hear any of these shrieked vocals on the “Psychological Conflict” EP from 1990 or the first few songs off the “Tumor” demo from 1992, which had a mid paced feel to them reminding me again of BOLT THROWER. There are two more demos featured on this first CD, “Breed” from 1992 and “Mind Dead” from 1990. While the sound is what you’d expect from a bunch of Hardcore Punk demos from the ’80s, they’re alright for that era, you can hear the instruments perfectly and understand the riffs, beats and vocals even though they sound quite raw. The quality doesn’t vary that much between the demos, everything staying mostly at the same level throughout this part of the compilation. The second CD features four rehearsal demos which, as you can imagine, sound even more raw and chaotic then the other demos, but still quite listenable if you’re into demos. The last part of the second CD features songs from a live show from 1991, the sound quality is still in demo territory, but I think these songs have the best bass tone in the whole compilation and they’re enjoyable to listen to. www.facebook.com/nauseala, www.facebook.com/foadrecords