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ZYANIDE
Red Haze

Self-released (2022)
Rating: 7/10

War-torn Costa Rican wild thrash is the order of the day here. Zyanide rake the ears with machine gun fire riffs, which in tandem work well with the fully armoured tank percussion and violent vocal shouts which shift into crossover realms of violence.

These guys have been around since 2009 and released their debut album, Tactics Of Death, in 2012, with Red Haze being the band’s second full-length offering.

This is a strangely compelling old school sounding opus with wild leads that act as precise lasers connected to mines which explode in the face regularly, spraying debris over a considerable range. I like the vocal retorts of bassist Khaly and even fell for the Slayer-esque menace of ‘Until The Last Soldier Falls’, so there’s plenty of paying homage going on here, but such is the passion and hostility expressed it’s hard not to shake your head along.

Opener ‘Heavens Gallows’ builds into a speed metal frenzy whereby the bass and drums just burn into the skin. The snappy early Kreator feel is fused with a U.S. crossover thrash velocity, matched in force by the hyper title track and the cutting instrumental ‘Krieg’. And yet it remains fresh, exuberant and sneering right up until the closing ‘Psychopath Commander’ that rains with sirens and gunfire before the striking riff and percussion emerge.

There’s hints of Dark Angel and that sort of power, but it’s clear Zyanide are picking from varying sources but still applying their own maniacal methods. And for that I commend them because while this is a chaotic record you’re still treated to some measured chugging, as with ‘Sweet Taste Of Revenge’ and ‘Nightmare In The Minefields’. Red Haze is a solid thrash album that just works for me.

Neil Arnold

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