NEWS: Violator build the “Chapel of the Sick”!

After they gave us the track listing, cover art and release date last month, Kill Again Records have finally given us a first taste of the new album “Unholy Retribution” from Brazilian Thrash overlords Violator. Directed by Arthur Vieira a music video for “Chapel of the Sick” is the first single and lyrically, the band stay loyal to their mission: confronting injustice, exposing corruption and shining a harsh light on the rot festering beneath the surface of modern society. Sonically, its nothing less than a no-holds-barred thrash assault, deeply rooted in tradition yet bursting with contemporary urgency…

Elaborating on the new single, the band shared: “We have crossed beyond fear… Part of the chorus of “Chapel of the Sick,” the first single and music video from Violator’s new album, reveals a fundamental and inescapable theme of the album: the desire for revenge after emerging from dark times. In a way, it applies to the pandemic context, the neo-fascist nightmare that has ravaged Brazil, and even the band itself, which has been silent for several years. However, as the lyrics unfold, we soon realize that the theme is much more specific: a clear metaphor for Palestinian resistance. And that the “chapel of the sick” is the State of Israel itself, in its most bloodthirsty form.

Musically, it is also one of the most incisive tracks. The guitars pile up riffs of typical Slayer lineage, both in form and tone, with cutting picking, power chords that provide the bridge its dynamics – like “Chemical Warfare” — and total fury after the chorus. At the the “mosh” part, when the riff summons the drums, they emulate cruel Zionist bombardments (watch the video!), and then what we hear is one of the most charming double-pedal grooves in thrash metal in recent memory. The drums sound, in fact, is one of the high points of “Unholy Retribution” as a whole. Like a letter of intent, “Chapel of the Sick” is Violator making it clear that they haven’t cooled off. That certain things are non-negotiable, among them the irrevocable commitment to thrash. The reaffirmation of the pact, before revealing other possibilities in an album full of them.”