R.O.D. - "#Societykill" (Defense Records/Mythrone Promotion, 2018)

Band: R.O.D.
Title: #SocietyKill
Genre: Death/Thrash Metal with Hardcore Punk influences
Time: 22.16 min
Year: 4th May 2018
Rating: 90/100












What a tremendous slaughter! This second album by R.O.D. (acronym that stands for Razor of Death) is essentially a total slaughter from start to finish that leaves no fukken prisoners such is its violence! And we're talking about a violence not only musical but also lyrical since these 4 Polish maniacs love to face socio-political themes by taking them from positions able to be controversial, as you'll see soon. In addition, all this was released, in cooperation with Mythrone Promotion (that sent to me the physical version of this album), by a Polish label that now you might know very well considering it is a regular presence on these pages (as the same Mythrone): Defense Records.


Metal-Archives say that R.O.D. plays pure thrash metal. Instead, I say that the 10 songs of "#SocietyKill" show a killing death/thrash metal characterized a monstrous intensity and ferocity. A hateful singer able to create memorable lines (like in "March or Die" or in "Kill the Pig"), spastic riffs accompanied by raping guitar solos ala Slayer played by the guest Artur Kubiak (from Maggoth), a bass that you can hear very well in the mix, and a drummer who spew forth few decelerations in order to mostly offer a demented fast'n'furious attack that see also the use of occasional blast-beats. All this is expressed through songs that lasts only two minutes (and also less) which are definitely intensified by intimidating hardcore punk influences, as in "Full of Lies" (where there is a very effective breakdown) or in "R.O.D.". The final result is that "#Societykill" is an album perfect to provoke the most brutal moshpit under the stage...and you know that I like a lot to mosh during the gigs!

All this "excessive" intensity is justified also by the hateful lyrics that, as I said before, can be really controversial. Don't worry, no nazi lyrics here but there are songs that express political views not so common in the thrash metal universe. To name a few: "Red Scum" is against the Communism and the communist leaders blamed to killing masses of people; "Legal Genocide" is against the abortion; "What the Fuck?" attacks our society in its entirety because it's considered by the band as too permissive; "Shame on You" defends the old people that, after fighting in the past to give us the freedon, are now abandoned to a miserable fate of forgotten by the younger generations; and, finally, "Reconquist" is a declaration of war against Islam because "we need to protect our people from this". I am not agree with many of these political positions but fuck that 'cause R.O.D. vomit a bunch of intensity in its purest form!

That's why this album is a tremendous slaughter! I think that "#SocietyKill", whose sanguinary cover artwork reminds me in some senses of the one of "Shovel Headed Kill Machine" by Exodus, will make very happy the maniacs in eternal love with bands like Slayer of "Reign in Blood"-era, Razor, Sadus, younger bands like the Italians Cruentator, and HC punk acts like Youth of Today or Sick of It All. And all this in an album that lasts only 22 minutes of massacre, surely a lenght more typical of the hardcore punk instead of extreme metal! My favorite songs? "March or Die", "Full of Lies", "Kill the Pig" (that contains even some squeals by the singer!) and "Reconquist", surely the most violent number in the list. The only real flaw regards the too many spelling mistakes in the booklet, and they are about also the surname of Karl Marx (written as "Marks"...). Nothing else to say, so buy this album, go to the R.O.D. gigs, and mosh like there's no fukken tomorrow!

Tracklist:

1 - March or Die
2 - Red Scum
3 - Legal Genocide
4 - Full of Lies
5 - R.O.D.
6 - What the Fuck?
7 - Unremitting Defect
8 - Shame on You
9 - Kill the Pig
10 - Reconquist

Line-up:

Wafel - vocals
Szlucher - guitars
Jezus - bass
Przemo - drums

Guest at all the guitar solos:

Artur Kubiak

FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/razorofdeath?ref=ts&fref=ts
BandCamp: https://rodthrashcrew.bandcamp.com/
Defense Records: http://www.defensemerch.com/
Mythrone Promotion: https://www.facebook.com/mythroneprom