Sunday, June 25, 2017

Corpsia – Genocides In The Name of God

The thrash metal-rich country of Brazil delivered more than its fair share of classic artists 30 years ago, and while there are some decent newer groups around (Violator in particular), there is always room for more. Corpsia is among the more obscure examples, having just recently released their debut record “Genocides In The Name of God”. Relative to their forefathers, Corpsia takes a different approach to thrashing. Rather than playing a sloppy, primitive brand of thrash, Corpsia aims for something a little closer to what some of the German bands were doing in the 1980s. Groups like Exumer, Assassin, or Darkness come to mind as good reference points because, much like Corpsia, they had a raw, high-speed sound that wasn’t sloppy, but also didn’t hit with 100% precision.

Genocides In The Name of God” is also interesting because it doesn’t have a definitive gimmick or theme. Whereas many modern bands are focused on being as fast or as heavy as possible, Corpsia simply puts their attention towards creating faithful, albeit unoriginal thrash metal. They have a number of fast songs, but none approach breakneck speed. Where they really excel, however, is with huge rhythm shifts. Quite a few tracks will have a heavy mid-paced riff in the verse, which then changes to a faster, power chord driven pre-chorus. This almost feels like an homage to punk with the consistent eighth note strumming, and is a surefire way to rile up crowds in a live setting.

Corpsia does succeed in more than just one way though. The title track, for example, gets by on buzzing alternate picking for much of its runtime. In other instances, they make use of slightly off-kilter rhythms to great effect (see the verse of “Violence” for one example). “Holochrist” shows the band bringing in some death metal influences with the use of brooding tremolo-picked lines, as well as blast beats (admittedly, they’re considerably slower than in most death metal, but they are still effective). Corpsia even offers the occasional moment of groove on “Execution”. It’s a bit risky to bring up that word in the context of a thrash record, but Corpsia pulls it off without resorting to boring riffs. 

Genocides In The Name of God” is a very pleasant surprise for a thrash album in 2017. It feels much purer to the roots of the subgenre, and is devoid of experimentation. While this may turn many off from listening to it, it is these differences that make the band stand out from other modern groups. It would be hard to see a fan of Slayer or Exodus not enjoying this release, and the more thrash bands I hear with death metal vocals, the more I appreciate a release such as this one.

Be sure to check out and like Corpsia on Facebook!

Highlights
"Purgatory Scum"
"Genocides In The Name of God"
"Violence"

Final Rating
4.1/5 or 82%. 

Written by Scott

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