KORROSIVE
KORROSIVE "Toxic Apokalypse"
By Dr. Abner Mality
That logo...those song titles...Ed Repka cover art with a cyborg blasting zombies in a post-apocalyptic city. Gee, do you think this band might play thrash metal? One living dead Kewpie Doll with its eye falling out for you, bunky! They love their thrash metal in Canada and KORROSIVE is the latest and one of the most rabid practitioners of the art to come from the Great White North.
There's been a lot of grousing about the new generation of old school thrashers and I can understand it, but only up to a certain point. Because for the vast majority of people picking up a record that looks like this, there is only one question: does this sucker thrash? And when it comes to KORROSIVE, the answer is: is a hog's ass ham? This goddamn thing blows off the doors and it is very apparent these guys have really done their homework on what makes a good thrash record instead of just plugging in and going nuts. The sound is intense and extreme and touches on Bay Area sounding thrash in both early METALLICA and SLAYER vein, the bloodthirsty German branch of KREATOR, EXUMER, SODOM and the like and even some of the crossover punkish variety of S.O.D., NUCLEAR ASSAULT and more.
This is a real neck breaker delivered at mostly high velocity, but it also drops to a burly and solid chug on "The Goddamned" and "Libertad y Muerte". That's a crucial key to success. They are picky about their riffs and wise in the ways of hitting the gas but not 100% of the time. Add raw, crazy vocals and slicing guitar solos coming out of nowhere and you got a good recipe for true thrash metal.
Of course, as with the cover art, it's a well worn groove and that alone keeps KORROSIVE from their very heights of the genre, but what of it? For those who are never far from a neck brace, this "Toxic Apokalypse" will be hard to ignore.