Review Part One (Apparently I have a lot to say and limited capacity right now)

"Angron staggered to his brother’s side, drooling and dizzy – a flawed statue of the perfect warrior, ruined by mistreatment. As bloodstained as they both were, they could almost have been twins."
- Aaron Dembski-Bowden, Butcher's Nails

Once you get past the ridiculous name that, while I do find it very silly, harkens back to a time when Warhammer 40K had a sense of humour and satire about it, Angron might be the most heartbreaking character in any Warhammer lore. Only Curze was anywhere near as abused and ignored by the planets that became their homes and their gaslight, gatekeep, empress father. Angron was designed to be a fearless, bloodthirsty warrior demi-gods by a distant father, but on Nuceria he was forged into a a creature of rage and pain, long before Khorne embraced him as their bloody berserker. Fitted with the Butcher's Nails by his High-Rider slave masters as a punishment for refusing to kill his surrogate father, Angron would live for slaughter and never know peace. In spite of this he still lead his people against their oppressors, only for the Emperor to teleport him out at the pivotal moment. The last thing he saw as he was taken from his abusive home was the crushing of the rebellion with the deaths of everyone that put their faith in him. Everyone he cared for. His creator never acknowledged how it would have been nothing to him to aid the effort or addressed the fact that his son was a heartbreaking statue chiseled from trauma.

"You do like your broken toys."
- My mother, A Sample of My Childhood Trauma

I sure hope no one else disregards Angron's feelings and agency, gleefully leading them into ever more trauma and agony, app for their own nefarious ends...

Review Part Two (OK, I'm back. ACAB)

Butcher's Nails follows the unlikely buddy (demi-god scions of a fascist galaxu-sprawling empire turned traitor champions of the Primordial Annihilator) cop duo, starring Lorgar Aurelian as the crooked detective in the pocket of shadiest powers in town looking for a bloody patsy, and introducing Angronius 'Angron' Nuceria as the hotheaded rookie who used to be an enforcer for the High-Riders MC, as they shake down the Drukhari Droogs for selling pirate wraithbone watches they bring in through the Webway Docks.

The grand schemer is essentially feeling out and putting the Red Angels' temper to good use for the Warmaster and his own nefarious plans, playing the dutiful brother, seeming to give Angron some of that familial connection he is sorely lacking. Sure, Angron considers killing Lorgar and his sons from time to time. Who doesn't? But they work together and we actually see Angron open up and show some vulnerability about his trauma and neurodivergences.

Hopefully no Eldar prophecy will lead to the former Lord of the Red Sand getting literally gaslit into eternal damnation...

This audio drama shows us how multifaceted these brothers actually are, telling a compelling tale that fits neatly within the events surrounding it, providing colour and shade for the big players, as well as leading into the next big events.

Seán Barrett and co do a fantastic job of bringing the story to life with their performances. Shout out to the Kharn voice work that reminds me that while I am most certainly a dyke, I am a panbi one.

Irs actually been so long since I actually listened to an audio drama that was given the full special effects treatment, which is a pretty impressive production, though the las and projectile weapons sound effects might work fine for most sci-fi, but they do sound utterly ridiculous when you consider the weapons Primarchs, Astartes, and their strike cruisers bring to bare.

We even get a little of the greatest couple/ thruple in the galaxy Khargal Tal (and Daemon).

This might not be the best audio drama of tale of Heresy, but it is a bloody good one, pun and Britishness intended.

Initial thoughts straight after finishing this time:

Will do more of a review when I've actually had some sleep, but listening to this again for the first time in years and after having heard a while lot of Black Library audio dramas in between, especially Horus Heresy ones recently, I definitely felt this deserved bumping up to five for just how much it actually explores the characters through the narrative, is a perfect accompaniment to the novel Betrayer, and is beautifully situated in time with connections to other events and media around it, as well as natural references to those who will go on to play a bigger part in the the overarching story, becoming significant figures in the 41st Millennium.

Also, I had a night of insomnia with excruciating chronic pain, tension and contortions from my C-PTSD conversion symptoms, which really seemed apropos for listening to Butcher's Nails. ( )