Having passed away during the nineties, the once thriving Thrash Metal scene didn’t stay dead for long and the early aughts saw a gradual, but noticeable shift back to life. By 2004, the genre’s overdue re-animation was in full swing and a slew of new acts crawled out of the crypt, desperate to make an impression on the next generation of thrashers.
One of these brand-new breed, Spanish speed merchants Holycide, really couldn’t have formed at a better time, but life being life, it took until 2017 to finally announce themselves with their debut album Annihilate… Then Ask! This was followed three years later by Fist To Face and now the Madrid maulers maintain their upward trajectory with the repeated claw hammer to the skull that is Towards Idiocracy (Xtreem Music).
Clearly influenced by acts such as Exodus, Sepultura, D.R.I., Destruction and – due in no small part to vocalist Dave Rotten (a.k.a. David Sánchez González of Death Metal stalwarts Avulsed) not sounding entirely dissimilar to Tom Angelripper – German legends Sodom, Holycide bring all the hate and fury required to start a small thermonuclear holocaust.
The briefest of drum intros aside, the axe partnership of Salva Esteban and Ancor Ramírez Santana go straight for the throat with the techno-warning of “A.I. Supremacy” complete with frantic soloing and a stomping groove riff, followed sharply by the distorted chainsaw crunch of the fiercely combative title track.
After settling into a riff similar to Slayer‘s “Chemical Warfare,” a further highlight of “Remote Control” is Rotten’s vomity death grunt (gurglegrunt?) while drummer GoG (aka Santiago García Arroyo) opens “Lie Is The New Truth,” making way for another cascade of shredding and speed.
The frankly sadistic level of abuse continues with the feral “Power Corrupts,”the focused fury of “Technophobia” and the fairly self-explanatory “Angry For Nothing” before the band tackle the 1988 Atrophy classic “Chemical Dependency.” Immediately dispensing with its atmospheric introduction, Holycide show just as little restraint as you would expect with Rotten’s vocals perfect for this brutal but faithful cover.
Bassist Vicente Payá gets in on the act next as he helps drive the old-school vibe of “Pleased To Be Deceived” before the album closes with the reliably unsubtle “Flamethrower ‘Em All.” You know, for when “Kill ‘Em All” simply isn’t enough.
No ballads, no time-wasting acoustic interludes or introductions, just varying degrees of fast, faster, fastest, Towards Idiocracy is just a relentless onslaught of speed, aggression, and high-octane thrashing energy. Be sure to book an appointment with a neck surgeon before listening.
Buy the album here:
https://xtreemmusic.bandcamp.com/album/towards-idiocracy
8 / 10
GARY ALCOCK