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Early in my hardcore career I heard Infest’s classic Slave and Mankind records and of course fell in love. It was soon thereafter that I heard the legend of the lost Infest lp that was supposedly recorded in 1995, and had languished, unfinished, and unreleased ever-since. It seemed to good too be true, but there was a real-audio file (HA!) of one song from it (Nazi Killer) posted on the Deep Six website for ages. Still nothing could prepare me for the fateful week in August of 2002 when an album titled “Infest - No Man’s Slave” showed up in the weekly Ebullition distro update. When I finally got my paws on No Mans Slave I couldn’t even believe it. The wait was over.

I remember there were copies at a show in New Jersey (courtesy the Dead Alive Distro - Jon Collins R.I.P.) that Think I Care was playing (back when they had some Infest in their sound) and I found the whole band standing in a circle with a copy of the lp. I bought one and took it home to my parent’s empty house in Virginia the next day, cued up my Dad’s stereo, and blasted it about 6 times straight through, which wasn’t too hard, because the running time is less than 15 minutes. No Man’s Slave is a funny record in some ways. Like the other Infest records it has a picture on the cover that’s been used on other records before, and after. The live photos in it are all of a late 80’s/early 90’s vintage (Joe Denunzio decked out in a sick Larm shirt). Most of the songs have 2 different titles. One on the back cover, and a different one in the lyric sheet. I still haven’t figured out the reason for any of this other than, “it’s Infest”. But that aside, this is simply one of the best “comeback” lps ever made in hardcore, or otherwise.

In the Infest cannon it has its own place too. For one the production sound is updated a bit, but doesn’t lose what made the band great to begin with. It still uses just one guitar and one bass track (like the Mankind 7″), presumably run direct, accounting for how saturated they sound. They’re a bit crisper than earlier recordings, but it gives the record a certain sharpness that Infest never had before. Gone is the original rhythm section, with Visual Discrimination journeyman R.D. Davies holding down the drums quite swimmingly, and founder Matt Domino doing the bass tracks Dale Nixon style. Joe Denunzio returns essentially the same, although some of his lyrics like “Sick Man” and “Contact” get into darker waters than previous releases. Many of the songs are the shortest, most direct numbers Infest ever dreamed up, in some ways answering the extremities other bands had gone to since they dissolved.

All of this is part of what makes No Man’s Slave its own unique entity. While it’s true to the classic Infest releases, it keeps its own flavor which helps it to be more than just a reunion record, and of course has kept it in my rotation since it dropped 7 years back (well 6 and a half). Some of these tracks have even become, ehh I guess you could say, fan favorites. I’ve seen cover renditions of Cold Inside and  Peace Test more than once in recent years. Even heard of some band named after the album. Of course I don’t think you could dispute the finest track being My World My Way. Originally it was played as a slow Melvins/Gore style instrumental on Infest’s 1991 KXLU radio appearance (later released as a live lp on Deep 6), but it takes on a new level of power on No Man’s Slave, with Denunzio adding a touch of lyrical accompaniment. This is probably the longest Infest song ever, and the perfect way to end their final record. 5 minutes of crunching sludge, and long sustained notes.

When this record came out there were supposedly 100 copies on blue for mailorder and 100 band only copies on yellow. I’ve never seen a yellow one, but I’ve been assured they exist. Anyway this thing has been getting more and more expensive over the years. Glad I have one.