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.
Highlights
"Purgatory Scum"
"Genocides In The Name of God"
"Violence"
Final Rating
4.1/5 or 82%.
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