Let me ask a question…. Do you like thrash metal?
I mean proper thrash metal, the stuff that makes you want to bounce round the room like a ferret on speed breaking stuff and jumping off cupboards. Not the pansy arsed tripe churned out by some of the ‘new wave’ thrash revivalist bands (not all mind) but real chunky, riff driven thrash played fast & with feeling by a band that knows exactly what they’re doing?
If you do, I may just have found your ‘album of the year’ because let’s face it… the new Exodus album is a bit…. pants.
If you talk about thrash from Brazil, chances are you’ll probably only have Sepultura in your CD racks. Maybe Sarcofago too. But hang on, Korzus have been thrashing since 1983!! Let me put that in perspective… Sepultura didn’t release ‘Morbid Visions’ ‘till about 1986. However, unlike the Seps Korzus didn’t really break out of the jungle until 2010 when they released ‘Discipline Of Hate’ their first album for AFM and toured Europe with Ektomorf.
All their years of recording and touring experience is distilled & purified on ‘Legion’. Cutting edge but familiar, this is simply one of the most authentic and intense thrash records you’ll hear this year. And why wouldn’t it be – they’ve done six studio albums, two live albums and a DVD.
From opener ‘Lifeline’ you know this album is going to be special. Ticking all the boxes – pounding tribal drums in the moody Slayeresque intro then it’s full throttle all the way with some kick arse soloing Heros & Antonio and great vocals by Marcello Pompeu – he really has a great voice that’s made for this type of music, at times reminiscent of Schmier & Angelripper but with his own characteristic delivery. All the tracks are total bangers with my fave ‘Vampiro’ being super catchy and a total pit maker I’m sure when it’s played live.
Comparisons with Sepultura are unavoidable I guess but this record demolishes anything the Seps have done since ‘Roots’ in my opinion. That’s not meant cruelly, I really like the modern Sepultura stuff, but this is just…. better.
(9/10 Mark Eve)
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