"Gods of Death"

By Dr. Abner Mality

If there's one band guaranteed to make deathcore scenesters, guys with pointy moustaches and dudes who do kung fu moves at hardcore shows melt like Toht the Nazi in "Raiders of the Lost Ark", it's Cianide. This band is absolute poison to anybody who isn't true blue oldschool death metal to the bone. I venture to call them America's version of Hellhammer...that is, if Hellhammer never progressed to become Celtic Frost.

The arrival of a new Cianide disc is greeted with much fervor in the Mality household because I know exactly what I'm gonna get. I'll let you know right from the jump, this is no advancement at all from "The Age of Hell's Rebirth" or "Divide and Conquer". The main element defining all Cianide releases going back to "The Dying Truth" is THAT guitar tone...that oozy, low-tuned, warm and rubbery sound that Cianide alone has mastered. The tone is here in spades on "Gods of Death" and as usual, the band employ it with their typical mixture of blasting speed and drippy, dreary doom. Catchy but sick riffing is part and parcel of the Cianide package and tracks like "Desecration Storm", "Forsaken Doom" and "Terrorstrikes" do not deviate. Honesty compels me to say that many Cianide tunes are fairly interchangeable, but in a good way, as there is something just so magnetic about this primitive brutality. Lots of bands are now jumping on that bandwagon, but these guys have been doing oldschool since oldschool wasn't cool.

Lyrics are also heart-warmingly familiar, including at least one song about giant monsters. Just wouldn't be Cianide without one of those! I really think Hell's Headbangers is the perfect label for the band and I hope this partnership lasts. Another untrendy bone-grinder from Chicago's foulest!