Aside from a couple of obvious bands the new thrash scene is
really lacking in crossover bands. There’s something oddly satisfying about
adding more punk and hardcore elements to thrash, as the general barbarian
attitude of crossover really compliments thrash well. Chemical Way joins the
few new bands of this style with their first EP, “U.F.NO!”, which was released
last year. The release tends to feature pretty much all of the clichés of
crossover: shortish songs (though not at S.O.D. levels), very basic
shouting/yelling, gang vocals, samples to open songs, and relatively simplistic
riffs. Even the lyrics are a bit outside the box from what you’d expect. This
is usually a good thing, but in the appropriately titled “Final Crapper”, they
do interfere with the enjoyment of the song.
One pretty easy comparison for this release is Nuclear
Assault, primarily because the style of Chemical Way’s riffs can be quite
similar. There are a few mid-paced riffs that much like Carnivore and Nuclear
Assault, inevitably will lead to massive circle pits. With that said, the
majority of songs are pretty fast throughout. It’s just that the band knows
when to slow it down. At certain points, you almost expect Peter Steele to jump
in with “kill each other!”, as the band speeds up again. The sound quality on “U.F.NO!”
is pretty solid. None of the instruments sound particularly out of place or are
poorly done. The bass is easy to hear (for thrash, at least), especially as it
leads the intro of “Chain Reaction”. At times, the drums can sound a bit noisy, but the playing is really tight, so it doesn't detract from the release. Overall, this is a pretty enjoyable release.
It isn’t perfect, but it’s easy to see how Chemical Way could definitely grow
into a great thrash band.
Highlights
"E.H.P.S.C.A"
"Blood and Oil"
Final Rating
3.8/5 or 76%.