There is more music than it’s possible to absorb these days and it’s a challenge to be selective enough to try and unearth those gems that will stay with you for more than a few hours. Sifting through the deluge of new releases, it’s often the option of something from a new country that piques the interest.
I’ll it I’m ignorant to the music scene in Costa Rica but it’s a fair bet that thrash metal has a stronghold or two, just like it does in most of South America. It seems like a good time to get acquainted with the thrashing metal of Chemicide, who are no new kids on the block. Formed in 2006 as Conqueror and changing their name to Chemicide two years later, the four-piece have released three full-length albums, the most recent being 2019’s Inequality. Having introduced new drummer Luis Fer into the fold in 2021, the band have now signed to Ripride Records, a label dedicated to thrash and heavy metal with Common Sense their first for the label.
It’s a raw and savage ride, with nine-tracks of unrelenting thrash metal that sits faithfully with the old school sound. The influences are clear – Kreator, Slayer and Sepultura all feature heavily across the 36 minutes and nine songs and that’s unsurprising. The heads down riffing is competently delivered with some decent interplay, simmering lead breaks and rampaging pace.
There’s limited variation through the release, with Chemicide relying on the thrash metal blueprint to ensure that things don’t get too progressive. The intense pace of opener “Self-Destruct”, the slower chug that gives way to a ferocious battery on Lunar Eternity and the punishing pace of “Strike as One” all fit the thrash metal template.
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If you are a thrash metal fan, then it’s often difficult to really separate the wheat from the chaff, and Common Sense may well provoke similar feelings. There is nothing wrong with this release whatsoever. It’s nasty, aggressive, and powerfully delivered. The vocals of guitarist Frankie (Fernado Camacho) snarl with the same style as Destruction’s Schmier or Kreator’s Mille Petrozza and Luis Fer’s debut is solid with plenty of hammering fills and double bass kicks. The real challenge is whether Chemicide and Common Sense can excite the synapses enough for repeated listens to be demanded. It’s touch and go. The cover of punk rockers Poison Idea’s anti-fascist anthem “It’s an Action” throws in a fiery curved ball which is something a bit different.
Ultimately, whether Common Sense floats your boat is down to the individual. It’s not an album that I wanted to stop at any point and was feisty enough to play several times. Whether I would return to it later in the year is debatable. If you want a thrash album that is well produced, well played, and sits within the genre’s comfort zone, then devoting half an hour of your day to Chemicide will be far from the worst thing you’ll do.
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Common Sense is out on March 15th
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Chemicide: official | facebook | spotify | bandcamp | youtube
