Red Death: Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done

Thrash metal is going through a resurgence currently. You may have heard it being spoken about, you may have even had an inkling that something is brewing underground, but what you might not have realised is just how real it is. POWER TRIP are widely described as the band to kick the door open, but the plain truth of the matter is that this has been building for far longer than it’s been trapped in the lens of the alternative main stream.

RED DEATH have been stoics of the genre since they formed in the nations capital. Arguably one of the better places to be if you want copious amounts of political influence in your writing. Vocalist and bassist Chad Troncale talks about how previous RED DEATH records were written with his eyes glued to the primary voting of previous election campaigns. And whilst their latest record Sickness Divine might take a step away from politics lyrically, Chad wants RED DEATH to find politics in the musical influences they draw from. Namely, 70s punk.

“Joe Strummer is my biggest lyrical inspiration. He would look at the streets and just write what he sees, there was no bias” are the words that first allude to this worship of all things punk and anti establishment. With Chad working his day job at a record store, he is able to experience and discover all kinds of music to influence his raised fist against the powers that be. This cross-genre pollination was a massive player in how punk first came to be. And it was bands like THE CLASH, THE RAMONES, SEX PISTOLS, DISCHARGE, and ENGLISH DOGS that eventually fuelled the inspiration for what thrash came to be.

“Punk was the start of all this noise. Bands nowadays don’t do it the same way, they’ll go from like metal or deathcore and then discover punk afterwards,” explains Chad. “I’m a huge METALLICA nerd, I was looking at what they were listening to at the time; like the SEX PISTOLS and ENGLISH DOGS. I think kids don’t do it that way any more and that’s why there was a lull. I think with like POWER TRIP, who are hugely inspired by DISCHARGE, there’s d-beat in the music, we are obviously punk inspired as well, and that’s what’s bringing it back.”

That name drop of POWER TRIP is essential, because POWER TRIP are often referred to as the band that started this new movement. But the band in question have been quoted as referring to RED DEATH as the to-close-to-call second runner who has been trying to catch up ever since their first record Permanent Exile dropped. Chad talks with confidence about how thrash metal fell off the wagon with regards to knowing where it all came from, and where it all started, and feels like this is a key reason for why thrash is transforming from the sluggish and empty sounds of the 00s to the genre it is today. “You can do the crossover thing, like the CRO-MAGS with the DISCHARGE influence and it’s still relevant, people still like it, there’s been a lull, so no one’s had it.”

Alongside this love of the very foundations of the genre RED DEATH are trying to conquer, working in a record shop and warehouse means that Chad is always discovering new music to bring to the table. A telling reason for why Sickness Divine is such a diverse beast when compared to the previous two RED DEATH records. “Oh yeah, African, Latin, Japanese stuff, everything. I’ll go, like a day like today when I’m alone, I’ll just scan the shelves and I’ll just find something I don’t know but looks cool. I’m always discovering new stuff.” Chad also mentions how he loves to jam classical music, very much akin to the classical interludes and snippets that feature on Ride The Lightening, Master of Puppets, and so on.

If you listen to Sickness Divine, it certainly sounds like a band trying to bring the magic back from before the turn of the millennia. RED DEATH seem to be a band who understand the genre better than most, and share a passion for the melting pot that the genre was originally birthed from. Given that thrash was such a genuine powerhouse for metal music back in the glory days that RED DEATH worship so honestly and truthfully, is it fair to suggest that it will ever reach the size it once did? “I think things come in waves. Everything’s in fucking waves. POWER TRIP are geared towards becoming a legacy thrash band, I think MUNICIPAL WASTE are already there. So we’re just trying to work towards that, and I feel like it can definitely be done, especially with the record we just did. it can be done, so let’s fucking do it! Someone’s gotta do it!”

Sickness Divine is out now via Century Media Records. RED DEATH are featured in our latest digital issue. Subscribe to our Patreon today to access the digital magazine.

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