Raising the Corpse

A few years ago, Power Trip blew up all over the internet, mainly because of their ability to throwback to the older style of thrash without overloading modern production values. A year after their first record hit, a similar band from Chile by the name of Ripper dropped their debut album. Instead of having a crossover/hardcore flare, they leaned more towards the death/thrash end of the spectrum. It’s titled Raising The Corpse, and it’s potentially the greatest thrash records of the entire decade, from an up-and-coming artist.

The element that tends to help bands of this sort stand out is having superior rhythms, and saying that Raising The Corpse does just that would be an understatement. “Dark Light” raises this up in the slower breaks, particularly with the main bridge. Guitar solos are elevated by ascending patterns in the background that go far beyond what’s expected. The bass guitar is also a very prominent feature here, as it peeks through the aggressive surface time and time again.

That isn’t just a once and done tactic, though. The bass plays a large part in the overall makeup, with its swinging nature that whips through the speed riffs perfectly. Some songs such as “People Kill The People” carry so much weight in musical build thanks to the perfect syncing of the fuming bass and the drums behind the guitars. The band really knows how to add lots of oomph!

For the most part, thrash riffs are what keeps everything structurally intact. The vocals, however, ring in a bigger push towards death metal with their harsher nature and unwelcoming delivery. Thankfully, this stays consistent, and nothing gets guttural, nor strays too far from the main idea. “Spaces Of Delirium” is certainly oriented this way, showing some signs of Death’s Leprosy thanks to higher scaled tremolos injected with melody.

I can’t believe it took me this long to stumble across Ripper. For those that are hungry for a solid and thorough death/thrash release that truly resonates in older production, look no further. And best of all, the album isn’t overly long. Too many modern thrashers make that same mistake of overstaying their welcome, and this one does not.

Originally written for Indy Metal Vault