Towards Idiocracy

Holycide have not always impressed unduly in the past, but Towards Idiocracy sees them back with 2 new members (also experienced in several other bands) and the most focused effort thus far. Taking on the evils of the world in lyrics about power, violence, and the dangers of technology, the Spanish quintet have connected the dots fully and take listeners on a brutal 39 minute thrashing journey. The main strain of thrash is recognizably German, with Dave Rotten’s fearsome death metal bark aimed at Sodom-esque grubbiness, while the riffing of ‘Lie Is the New Truth’ reflects the kind of duality that Kreator have often highlighted, where thrash meets death metal techniques for added effect.

The main improvement on past works comes with fresh firepower in the guitar work. The riffs feel punchy, hooky, and pretty adventurous in some cases, ‘Remote Control’ exhibiting the most startling instance in its opening bars. Still with a tendency to rely on rhythms at times - for instance during longest cut ‘Pleased to Be Deceived’, which drags a little - Holycide have spruced up their melodic features, with some diverting solos taking some of the harshness out of the record, not that it slows down much at any point. That may sound slightly one-dimensional, but the album is constructed to ensure that won’t be a problem, with songs generally running less than 4 minutes and progressing through multiple shifts. The world may be heading towards idiocracy, but Holycide seem to be getting smarter.


Originally written for Metalegion #15 - www.metalegion.com

Presumably some of you had a good oracle or a professional clairvoyant at hand, but I cannot say that I expected the evolution of Holycide. The dudes have blossomed into a really strong factor in terms of thrash metal. “Towards Idiocracy” massacres with razor-sharp riffs, high velocity and a barking lead vocalist whose performance provides information on why the artwork lies in close proximity to some “Knarrenheinz” covers of Sodom. Thrash metal needs new blood from time to time and yes, the line-up of Holicyde does not consist of juvenile ruffians, but the music of the veterans is certainly not just a fresh breeze, but an alarming and quite devastating storm. By the way, this storm is technically staged in a nearly perfect manner. The production scores with aggressive guitars that jump into the listener’s face as if there were no tomorrow. They are the main element why “Towards Idiocracy” offers a very intensive listening session, although the entire mix is very well balanced.

I mentioned Sodom as a point of reference. Let me be more precise, I do not speak about their blackened early recordings and their punk period is also not before my inner eye. Holycide present pure thrash in a ferocious and vehement form. Their approach is comparable with the one that made albums like “Genesis IX” or “M-16” great. Sometimes the fury of the Spanish quintet is at the expense of a higher degree of memorable parts, but this is no big deal in view of the enormous energy and liveliness of the music. The level of fury is constantly high, the Atrophy cover fits the context of the album’s flow and the coherence and homogeneity of the material underline the artistic integrity of the protagonists. Lukewarm sequences, I promise, do not show up. Maybe sometimes it is almost too much of a good thing, one or two stoic mid-tempo parts would have made a cool contrast to the omnipresent onslaught of violent sounds. But don’t get me wrong, the album does not suffer from a lack of dynamic. The tempo just changes from fast to very fast and back.

In view of the band’s affinity for musical brutality it is almost surprising that they did not integrate some noisy solos of the “Reign in Blood” kind. Naturally, there are solos, but they follow a more conventional way – without being defensive or harmless, of course. Nevertheless, the most aggressive component are the constantly rasping, sawing, cutting and hurting guitars. In their best moments they draw the listener into the songs in a matter of seconds. The malignantly drilling guitars at the beginning of “Remote Control” create such a moment, but the right-in-your-face beginning of the opener “A.I. Supremacy” also shines with brutal charm (and it is not the only track with interesting, socio-critical lyrics). The gruff chorus of “Angry for Nothing” is another example for a very well done part and after the 39 minutes of “Towards Idiocracy” there is not much shit left in my brain. Holycide have pushed the reset button very successfully and if they find a way to combine a slightly higher number of catchy parts with their furious whirlwind, the next album will be a genre milestone. Anyway, already their third full-length shows a vigorous, unswerving and uncompromising band in very good form. Thrash or die.