Chaos burst into my awareness all the way back in 2013 with their stunning masterwork, Violent Redemption a brilliantly angry thrash metal record that combined the evil of Slayer, the technicality of Testament and the grinding power of modern bands like Revocation. They immediately captured my imagination and I spun that record until it hurt. Now they are back, four long years later, after years of being teased with demos and hints of progress the record is in my earholes blowing my mind with crazed riffs, tortured vocals and an understanding of the oeuvre that almost no other band on the scene today can really claim to have. There is an insane magic here, as if Chaos is the band Slayer should have been, the band who come as a logical follow up to the 80s giants, crafting thrash metal in their own way. If you can't fall in love with the high energy and demented magic on display here then perhaps you should re-evaluate any claim you make to loving thrash metal because this is the genre at it's motherfucking apex.
From the first ferocious chainsaw riff shattering skulls on 'The Great Divide' you know you are in for a good time. When you get to the stunning grooves and flashy solos that go on to define this record you realize that these Indians understand the very core of thrash metal. As much as their music might find its basis in the more extreme side of 80s thrash you also have to nod to influences from groups like Lamb Of God or of course Pantera. Now I know that usually when bands get compared to those influences folks immediately assume its boring knuckle dragging dad metal. That is most definitely not the case for this album. There is a painful energy here, raw as a nerve and angrier than a bucking bronco. Chaos have been at this for over a decade and it has led to some of the most refined and flesh tearing thrash metal that you will ever hear. This is a band who are unafraid to incorporate disparate influences and this combined with some top notch fucking production means that they stand apart, as one of the greats of their generation.
Thrash metal is a genre that I think is often viewed as played out and very much the domain of dads in silly bands. Every once in a while though bands like Chaos come along to reassure us that the flame still burns and that angry, politically charged thrash metal with little to no humorous overtones can still exist and not only that but it can melt your fucking face off. There are grooves upon grooves upon grooves here and a willingness to fall into breakneck double bass drum parts that you gotta love. Every riff seems fit for a brutarian stomp in the pit and I'm sure that in the live setting this band sees more than a few injuries among hard moshing fans. A group who I can no WAIT to burst out of their national scene and drive into the world stage it is impossible for fans of extreme music not to fall in love with the ball crushing revelries of some of the best India has to offer.
Score: 9.5/10
