Review: “Trial By Chaos” by Raider

“Life is hard the whole way through and each and every one of us has our own personal hell to contend with in order to find meaning. We want to be a voice that is in your corner of the ring for the battles we face together, and the battles you face alone. That being said, there is no rule that facing life’s challenges should make us perpetually miserable and that is what our live show is all about. We want people to feel welcome no matter who they are or where they come from, and to have FUN with us. If we can bring people joy and empower them even just a little bit to take on the next big thing, we have done our work.” ~ Raider

Ontario Canadians Raider first appeared on the scene five years ago with their 2018 demo “Urge To Kill” giving us a flavour of the ideas that the band in their collective minds for a Death Thrash orientated sound with overtones of Melodic Death Metal. However nothing prepared us for the jaw dropping experience of the bands critically acclaimed debut full length offering “Guardians Of The Fire“. A metaphorical great warrior of the Death Thrash genre who entered the battle field with no shield, bravely prepared to die and yet against all the odds survived to tell the tale thanks to a sword forged in the fires of Valhalla. How do you follow up that level of greatness? That’s the mission that vocalist Angelo Bonaccorso, rhythm section of drummer Angus Pike and bassist Brandon Sanders alongside riff slingers Gabe Rosa and Bennett Smith have had to take on with for “Trial By Chaos“. Recording at Nomadic Arts and Monolithic Productions, where the album was later mixed, the marauders hired Jamie King (Between The Buried And Me, The Contortionist) to master…

The expectation for an album of urgent Death Thrash front loaded with furious and frenetic riffs delivered at breakneck speed accompanied by thunderous percussion and bounding bass, not to mention savage throat splitting vocals is met by a head on collision with opening cut and album title track “Trial By Chaos“. A cut that not only matches the brilliance of the bands last album but surpasses it and confirms the band as genre masters and a force to be reckoned with. A solo that starts off in Melodic Death Metal territory before a whammy bar moment of transition into a full blown Death Metal onslaught is sublime. The jab, upper cut and knock out blows coming thick and fast as the band deliver pulsating rhythm, deep groove and punishing vocals that border on the unhinged… while at the same time being the most fun you can have without losing an eyeball. “Rite of Conquest” keeps the energy levels ridiculously high with hints at Pantera and Megadeth influences in the tidal wave after tidal wave of riffs that simply keep coming, Bonaccorso spiting pure venom and sounding like a Viking raider as he roars “Colonize, conquer, and breed For all time the sapiens creed!” in this futuristic tale of war. Putting the pedal to the Metal with “New Dominion” the band build a sense of foreboding menace with seemingly minimal effort before the face melting solo hits like a thunderbolt. A powerhouse cut that asks “Will you come take a stand? Or your place with the damned?” it has plenty of socially and politically aware sentiment thinly veiled by the urgent riff attacks so if you want to stop banging your head for a minute and think about it, the choice is yours. “Fearless” dances on the graves of bygone Thrash outfits of yesteryear with an unhealthy dose of nostalgia giving it an instantly gratifying sense of appeal, the bands modern sound and viciously barbed edges injecting new life in to the corpse of a genre once considered dead but now alive and kicking.

As sinister as a Stephen King novel “Labyrinth” finds Raider in their element with blistered fingers on calloused hands as they continue to demonstrate the kind of prowess that comes from a life time spent in a rehearsal space dedicating time and energy to the craft. There is no doubt that the song writing abilities have improved between albums the band improving the flow, dynamic and atmospherics they are able to create while at the same time losing none of the raw energy and breakneck speed of the performance. “Ark Of Empyrea” keeps the threat of an extinction level event high with another rampage through the urban jungle with a feast of frantic and frenetic riffs, blistering leads and solos but this is the complete package, a well rounded sound that offers so much more and is deceptively positive and brilliant fun. The dark melodies of the introduction of “Juggernaut Cerebrivore” offer a brief respite before the band shift the gears into overdrive once more, a tornado of percussion from Pike arguably his finest performance on the record. Warped tones in the solo from the use of the whammy bar add bite and texture to something that already has so much going on its almost impossible to keep up, which is why the record will keep you coming back time and time again as the nuances keep appearing like ghosts in the fog with each repeated listen. A Death Groove Thrash monster “Devour The Darkness” brings to mind The Black Dahlia Murder with its sheer brutal savagery. A pack of Wolves on the hunt for blood, the band ensure that no stone is left unturned in their pursuit of total annihilation with this one, throwing quite literally everything at it. The mesmerizingly hypnotic solos in the final third are the stuff of which night terrors are made, the demonic vocal fuelling the fire of this masterpiece… [8.5/10]

1. Trial By Chaos
2. Rite of Conquest
3. New Dominion
4. Fearless
5. Labyrinth
6. Ark Of Empyrea
7. Juggernaut Cerebrivore
8. Devour The Darkness

“Trial By Chaos” by Raider is out 7th April 2023 with pre-orders available over at bandcamp