Unleashing a frantic brand of death-laden thrash metal since their inception in 2017, German quintet Boundless Chaos lives for a time when fury, aggression, and no sense of modern compromise existed in their creative vernacular. After issuing the debut EP Of Death and Perdition in 2020, they also participated in a couple of split releases with Idle Ruin and Reign in Blood, leading us to this first full-length Sinister Upheaval. While other artists may feel the need to twist multiple influences inside out to distinguish themselves from the pack, these gentlemen subscribe to a pounding purity that grabs you by the throat, squeeze every ounce of your being, only to leave you panting or scrambling for the next thunderous, ripping track.
Beyond the expected sinister riffing, rumbling bottom end bass action, and drum activities that can conjure everything from bullet train madness to tribal / fleet of hands and feet proclamations, the extra added sense of melodic firepower seeps in during specific lead breaks or catchy transitions. Let the headbanging commence from the early tom rolls plus stop/start guitar rhythms for “Down”, where the initial hoarse bellows of vocalist E.M. should send chills down spines as his clearer Cronos meets John Tardy nuances cut through the musical proceedings like a knife. As guitarists M.F. and M.J. circulate in that mid 80’s to late 80’s period of Bay Area meets European axe players that wanted to crush the listeners in this swirling buzzsaw manner, precise while throwing down the right number of earworms before launching into the next speedy passage. Favorite songs change daily – one minute you can be captivated by the Slayer-esque terror-fueled “Arson From Beyond”, the next minute early Sodom or Venom comes to mind for “Tyrant’s Call”, while the longest track “Blasphemous Rupture” at almost six-minutes explores some more progressive, Dark Angel meets early Sepultura terrain especially in the longer instrumental sequences.
The sound also compliments the style seamlessly – nothing too digitized or compressed, subscribing to the raw purity of the band’s thrashy with death leanings. Boundless Chaos bleed for that 1985-1989 period where many artists doubled down into the underground, not seeking any commercial acceptance to deliver killer, head twisting albums. If albums like Darkness Descends, Violent Termination, and the early Sepultura, Slayer, or Sodom discography still burns bright in your catalog, add Sinister Upheaval to that mix for another electrifying effort.