Inequality

Some details concerning Costa Rica:
- Capital: San José
- Number of inhabitants: roughly 5 millions
- Neutral since 1983 (“Switzerland of Central America”)
- First female President: Laura Chinchilla Miranda
- Best thrash metal band: Chemicide.

Well, I admit that the first four bullet points are merely nice to know, but the last one is all the more important for that. Okay, I further admit that I am not familiar with any other thrash band from Costa Rica. This makes it relatively easy to say which one I like most. But let’s stop the irony mode and talk about “Inequality”.

The third album of mastermind Frankie Chemicide and his comrades is just another thrash metal album and maybe that’s right, but to me this sentence sounds like “this young woman is just another beauty”. Expressed differently, I like this pretty generic stuff, because it’s fast, energetic, properly violent and uncompromising. Songs like “State of Emergency” or “Overload” are not far away from Demolition Hammer’s outbursts of murderous brutality on “Epidemic of Violence”. I don’t say that they reach the same outstanding level of thrashing bestiality, but that’s mainly because of the less furious mix. No doubt, “Inequality” sounds well. It is equipped with a clear, punchy and direct sound, but the material does not press the listener against the wall like the monster of Demolition Hammer did. The sound of the album is somehow the modern counterweight to the compositions which were exclusively forged in the old school of the genre. If you like other thrash bands active today, for example Contradiction, Fusion Bomb or Speedrush, you will enjoy the similar approach of the four-piece from this land I will probably never see.

Chemicide use all trademarks of thrash. Rasping guitars, shouted vocals, double bass hailstorms, guitar lines which are as swift as an arrow (“Indoctrination”, many more) and they are not afraid of occasional atmospheric moments either (the part of “Altered Reality” before the vocals set in or the instrumental on position six of the song list). I appreciate the fact that they don't need keyboards for the atmospheric moments, but rather rely on ominous riffing. Nevertheless, the explosive high velocity eruptions are more characteristic for the record. “State of Emergency” marks the prime example in this context. It’s more spontaneous than the entire Slayer discography since 1988 and more impulsive than the whole Testament catalogue. I don’t say that Chemicide deliver better material than these legends, but in their best moments, they convey this irresistible juvenile drive that some of the pioneers lost way too fast. But exactly this high energy aura is a more or less essential ingredient of real thrash metal.

An acceptable yet slightly inadequate Misfits cover song helps the (so-called) full-length to cross the 30 minutes mark. As far as I know, their fourth album “Common Sense” will soon be released, maybe it will be a bit longer? However, quantity is secondary. The musical content is convincing and in the case of Chemicide, I even like the multi-coloured artwork which is well aligned with that of their second album. Hey, Costa Ricans, don't you want to start a 5-million-strong competition to see who can thrash as well as Chemicide?

Chemicide are an interesting bunch of Costa Rican thrashers. They grew on me a lot because I thought their first album Episodes Of Insanity was incredibly boring and generic. But as they progressed, they got better. Inequality is their third effort, which dropped last year, and I see this as the band finding their sound. They capitalized on blending this aggressive attitude on world injustices and corruption, which made for an awesome outcome.

Part of this growth was figuring out how to utilize repetition for stronger bridges and setting the mood. “Conditioned Liberty” utilizes this with looping solos, pressing harder kicks and lashes to follow that. On the smoother side of things, we also get songs like “Altered Reality” that drive the repetitive licks into a rhythm-dense tune. That then allows room for more vocal clarity, which has such a nasty snarl. This song in particular has a rather steady backbone, so it’s a neat contrast.

Clashing with this instrumentation breakthrough is the way the vocals adjust to fit the attitude, breaking Chemicide from the standard stuff you find all the time. Some areas get as harsh as early Kreator, blended with the higher ranges of Tantara. The only complaint is the occasional backing growl that hardly fits, feeling a bit overbearing. Looking back at “Altered Reality,” you get a taste for all of this early on.
​
But Inequality is capable of holding even more than that. “Paralysis” is a fun instrumental that relies on softer crawls, and is an instrumental that allows the rhythms to jump around. This is also apparent in the closer “Rebellion Manifesto,” as the synth fade-in and whining guitars leave a strong impression. It’s quite groovy, and it even rides off on a Dimebag-esque solo. “State Of Emergency” is such a banger as well, breaking the disc in half by delivering a short song that touches breakneck speeds.

It really didn’t take long for this record to grow on me. After starting with the first disc, I didn’t go into it with high hopes, but last year they managed to come full circle and suck me right in. If you’re someone who digs strong songwriting that doesn’t need intricate patterns to make sharp hooks, then you’ve come to the right place!

Originally written for Sleeping Village