21st September 2026

Review: “Splintered, Crushed And Shattered” by Chemical Storm

After impressing with their critically acclaimed 2024 sophomore EP “Digital Dementia” you might have been forgiven for thinking that Southeast England vanguards of Thrash Metal Chemical Storm would continue down the concept record path but by all accounts “Splintered, Crushed And Shattered” has no message, no moralising, no cautionary dystopian warnings or imagery. Instead the record, once again engineered, mixed and mastered by Graham Waller (Tragedy Struck First, Grymm Within) is a collection of cuts of malicious intent, each one designed to go off like a hand grenade and reduce stages to sawdust.

Roaring like a beast from the black depths Chemical Storm quite literally open the gates of hell with title track “Splintered, Crushed And Shattered“, leaning on old school style Slayer influenced riffs while drummer Ben Scott provides artillery shelling like covering fire. The commanding barked vocals from Liam ‘Big Lez’ Underdown sound like a call to arms, his performance grows in statue so he sounds almost unhinged by the end before a ripping solo from Dave Austin adds that spice that is nice to round off an intense opening cut. By the end you almost expect them to burst into something from “South of Heaven” such is the quality of this one.

The shortest cut on the record is “Rotten” which finds the band playing fast and loose with galloping drums and pulsating rhythms designed to encourage circle pit madness from Festival stages. Austin pulls out another blazing solo on this one as Underdown screams about this world being rotten to the core and given the toxic levels of greed and corruption from governments and corporations in the news headlines every single god damn day, it’s impossible not to relate.

Arguably the records finest moment is “The Embalmer” although in all fairness its a close run thing, the track an absolute scorcher that burns the cranium as Chemical Storm confirm they only know how to play at neck snapping speed. They might not reach the depravity of Death Thrash on this one but its a close run thing, the bands ability to combine raw aggression with adrenalized riffs making them contenders for the crown of Electrocutioner. There are more of the unhinged vocals from the opening cut which is the difference maker, Underdown switching to more of a storytelling style in the lyrical narrative to give the track the vibe of something from the score of a low budget horror movie on VHS.

Slowing things down just a fraction “D.T.A. (Don’t Trust Anyone)” feels a little groovier than anything else on the record, the scream-a-long chorus and gang chants pushing things along nicely as Undertown calls out the oxygen thieves of this world. Waller has brought the bass forward in the mix ever so slightly so you can hear the low end from Tom Lane more clearly underneath Joe Davies riffs, something which gives the tune a little more punch. There may not be any overarching theme with this one but as a record “Splintered, Crushed And Shattered” has great flow with all the songs sitting very well alongside each other while leaving you wanting more… [7.5/10]

Track Listing